Work can often be frustrating. On the job we frequently face conflicts, difficult personalities, disappointing results—a variety of challenges and obstacles. Can meditation offer us a way to manage daily struggles and challenges?

Michael Carroll - author of ‘Awake at Work’ - and a Buddhist meditation teacher and a corporate executive, shares Buddhist wisdom on how to transform the common hassles and anxieties of life in the workplace into valuable opportunities for personal growth, heightened wisdom, and enhanced effectiveness. Carroll shows us how life on the job—no matter what kind of work we do—can become one of the most engaging and fulfilling areas of our lives.  There are five specific practices he suggests to create a balanced workplace:

1.       Train Your Mind – Start with Self-Awareness: 

·         How are you feeling today?  What impact will that have in your workplace? 

·         Leaders take note:  Begin with yourself before you start to work on others.

2.       Learn the Art of Feedback – Learn how to skilfully solicit, receive and offer feedback to equip yourself with critical tools for managing emotions in the workplace.

3.       Model Respect and Trust – Trust is the basic currency of healthy workplaces and respect is how it is earned.  This is a critical building block for effective working relationships.

4.       Show Appreciation – A very simple strategy here is to simply notice what’s been done well and say “thank you.”  This will give you AND your colleagues an energy boost.

5.       Make Friends with Conflict – Get curious about what’s going on rather than becoming defensive.  Another simple practice to try out and see what happens!

Ref.  Michael Carroll, “Relationships at Work:  5 Practices for Creating a Balanced Workplace”  Mindful Magazine – December 2014.  www.mindful.org