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Many of the world’s top entrepreneurs meditate on a regular basis as a way of improving their business performance. How does it work?
Many business leaders use meditation to reduce stress, focus their minds, and to brainstorm new ideas.
The list of practicing meditators includes LinkedIn Executive Chairman Jeff Weiner, Huffington Post founder Adrianna Huffington, Founder of Salesforce Marc Banioff, Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, and hundreds of other business leaders and entrepreneurs from around the world.
So why shouldn’t the rest of us mere mortals use this technique as well, to get more clarity, inspiration and new ideas for our own businesses?
I learned to meditate in 2006, but only started using it as part of my work in 2012. That’s when I had my own ‘business epiphany,’ and I realised that the key to sustainable success in business is to harness emotional and intuitive intelligence, in combination with rational thinking. Up to that point, I had always believed that business was an almost exclusively rational process, where you think through every angle carefully, before deciding what to do next.
Prior to 2012, meditation was just a hobby for me. But then I realised that it could help solve a business problem I was having writing brand stories for business owners. I was struggling to get my customers to explain the Purpose, or ‘why’ behind their businesses. I tried every angle – including asking the same question in a myriad of different ways (a technique referred to as ‘layering’), but they could never quite put their finger on it.
I then started reading a few books on how the human brain works (as we currently understand it), and discovered that the reason people can’t explain their ‘why,’ is because it’s an emotional and intuitive concept that stems from their beliefs and values – not a rational one. And yet there I was asking them to rationalise something that isn’t rational.
And that’s when it dawned on me that the quickest and most effective way to get my customers to explain their Purpose, was to use a simple meditation exercise. That’s because meditation is the gateway to emotional and intuitive thinking. It effectively shuts of the rational brain temporarily.
Since 2012 I have used this technique to help hundreds of customers get greater clarity on the Purpose of the work they do or the brands they manage, and also to explain their value proposition in a far more authentic and intuitive way.
So what are some of the other benefits of ‘business meditation?’
a) It helps you work longer, as a quick meditation allows you to relax and de-stress from the pressure of ‘overthinking’ things during your busy day – giving your rational brain a well-earned break
b) You can use it to visualise where you could take your business/brand in the future, helping you set the direction for your business / brand
c) You can use it to access new / ‘hidden’ ideas within your subconscious
d) It can give you insights into your true personality – allowing you to focus your efforts behind the work you’re really good at, and so making you more effective
There are many other applications for ‘business meditation’, and the trick is to give it a try and see where it leads you.
Here’s a free guided business meditation to help you get started.
If you need leveraging the power of meditation to grow your business or brand, please get in touch.
Justin JG Cooper is a Brand Consultant and Purpose Coach, the founder of Brand Purpose .Co, and the author of Marketing is Dead, Long Live Purposing.