Anne Parker

‘Mindfulness’ and Mind Management Training for

Leadership and Project Efficiency

Who Am I?

A ‘Human Resources Professional’ who followed a journey of: Processes and Procedures/Professional

Qualifications The Processes of Learning

Skills/Attitude/Personal Growth/Self Development

‘Strengths Psychology’/’Positive Psychology’ ‘The Psychology of Happiness’

Exciting Times!

The Convergence of Sciences and other Disciplines: Psychology inc. Sports

Psychology Neuroscience/Biology Biochemistry Economics A splash of the ‘Ancient

Wisdoms’

This Talk

Will talk about your brain as one of your most important Project Resources.....Ever..

And will give you some of the knowledge and technique to maximise that resource

I hope some of it will be: Informative Practical and useful Common Sense Bonkers Embarrassingly

Simple Relevant

We shall Visit

A range of Global Sources

Nobel Prize WinnersBradley WigginsGoldie HawnSleepless NightsProject

ManagementYour hormones

The Human Brain

The Human Stress Response ‘FFF’

An amazing Survival Mechanism

A full Body/Mind set of responses

But a liability of ‘Amygdala Hijack’

Improved Activity in the Pre-Frontal CortexA Widened Perception

‘The Attentional Muscle’; Powers of Concentration

Improved ListeningStrategic ThinkingRegulated Emotions i.e. Greater CalmSense of Happiness/Compassion/Ability to be in Flow (NB Dan Pink)

Mindfulness

An Ancient Tradition Thich Nhat Hanh

Jon Kabat-ZinnMark WilliamsTreatment of Problems vs. Growth of

Capacity and Excellence

Mindfulness

‘Mindfulness means paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally’

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Research from Ashridge

‘....whilst meditation has long been associated with stress reduction and the treatment of depression it is increasingly being recognised as important in developing the type of cognitive capacities required of knowledge workers in the modern economy’

The Gifts of Neuroscience

NeurogenesisNeuroplasticity

What this means for your learning potential, and your habitual thoughts and behaviours

Astonishing time spansThe happiest man in the world

The Entry of Mindfulness into the UK

For Anxiety and Depression – The Mental Health Route

In Schools (The Hawn Foundation) – The Behavioural Angle

For Health and Wellbeing – The Happiness Route

In Sport – the ‘Gold Medal’ RouteIn a Corporate Context – The

Leadership/Safety/Efficiency Route

Chade Meng Tan @ Google

‘Jolly Good Fellow’The 20% RuleThe Siyli.org

ProgrammeGuest speakersThe links to

Emotional Intelligence

Tony Schwartz and ‘The Energy Project’

‘We’re not meant to operate in the same way machines do: at high speeds, for long periods of time; running multiple programs. Human Beings are designed to pulse between the expenditure and intermittent renewal of energy’

The 21st Century has challenges of CAPACITY as well as COMPETENCY

Examples at Sony; Unilever

Leadership/Management Development

A growing interest in personalityIncreased need to generate changePressure to generate efficiencies that

create ‘more for less’Changing job design from mechanistic

jobs to knowledge/service based cultures

Changing workers attitudes

Case Study 1

Busy Operations Manager

‘Macho’AggressiveShort FuseConsidered a ‘Do-

Er’High Energy

Results with Training

Ability to Regulate EmotionAwareness of Varied Brain ActivityStarted to Think StrategicallyStarted to Have Ideas for Business

ImprovementHad new compassion for team/Co-

workers

Case Study 2

Site Manager Had a serious HSE

incident on site Didn’t sleep

well/Worked Long Hours

Anxious Short Term Thinking Reactionary Heavily Sarcastic Flippant/Volatile Impatient

Training Results

‘I’m working Less hours (less by 30-40%) but getting twice as much done’

‘It’s lovely to feel calm’!‘Don’t wake up at 2 in the morning

with my brain going like a washing machine any more’

‘Can see loads of stressed people around me!’

Breathing Exercise

Compare and Contrast..

‘The Revving Amygdala’ Only hearing what you want

to hear – or what you fear hearing

Constantly reacting – jumping always onto problems and being critical, not building on what goes well or giving praise

Doing tasks with poor attention/compromised memory and perception i.e. making mistakes, missing things

Using the PFC Noticing things you have

never noticed before Noticing things that give

you new ideas – thus generating new possibilities

Strengthening Leadership with a stronger sense of ‘Anything is Possible’

Adding an improved depth and quality to tasks

Continued...

‘Revving’ Amygdala Being fearful and

communicating various plans that don’t all ‘join up’

Fighting ‘what is’ and thus wasting time and energy

Being negative, pessimistic and critical – alienating others

Being defensive, using a lot of blame and/or aggression

Using the PFC Being more ‘in touch’ with

your full experience, knowledge and true response to a situation

Calmly understanding what can be changed and what can’t and generating creative solutions to maintain progress

Enrolling people on projects as ‘co-conspirators’ and enthusing their efforts

Incorporating the principles of being there to serve as well as to lead or manage

The links to Stress and Depression, Health and Wellbeing

World Health Organisation stats and predictions

The impact of ‘Multi-Tasking’ on brain activity

The mind-body as a whole – concentration of receptors in brain, heart, gut

Thankyou for Listening!

Anne Parker0797 684 9986

anne@anneparker.co.uk

www.anneparker.co.uk

Management Training/121 CoachingFacilitation/Team BuildingSpeaking