Balancing risk and reward: How can mindfulness help your career

Organisation leaders may consider using mindfulness to propel the careers of high-potential employees and build a strong talent pipeline for the company

By the SMU Corporate Communications team

24 Jul 2024

Recently promoted as Head of Marketing in her company's head office, Astrid was identified as a high-potential future senior leader. Despite having a record of excellent work performance with a string of promotions, she faces challenges in adapting her 'no-nonsense' way of speaking, a communication style that suited her previous job role, to one that is more empathetic and suitable in her current role and a different cultural context.

Feeling perplexed when her supervisor asked her to work with an executive coach to improve her communication, she wondered, "Should I take on such a time-consuming commitment with an executive coach to change my communication style and potentially even risk losing my authenticity as a leader?"

Meanwhile, Munn, a young Singaporean working as a commercial analyst for a multinational company, with ambitions of becoming a recognised business leader in the industry, was given two options by his supervisor. The first was a horizontal move to the strategy department in a well-defined role, where he could eventually become an internal consultant leading strategic growth projects in Singapore. The second option was an accelerated, vertical growth path outside Munn's comfort zone - a two-year assignment to lead a small commercial team in India.

Munn struggled: Should he pursue his dream of becoming a business leader which required a move to India, or play it safe in his current, familiar job in Singapore?

These two case studies elaborate the challenges faced by the two talented professionals in their respective careers, and discuss the role of mindfulness in supporting their professional growth and development.

As talent management becomes one of the top priorities for any organisation and an important part of human resource management, particularly in an increasingly volatile and ambiguous world, organisations can consider introducing mindfulness as a strategic component in advancing the talent development process, helping employees reframe their perspective for success. In the case of Astrid, how can she use mindfulness to unlock her talents and progress in her career? As for Munn, his case illustrates the importance of mindful supervision in talent management, which in turn, contributes to building a talent pipeline for the organisation.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness originates from 2,500-year-old Buddhist spiritual practices in northeastern India, where it played a central role in reducing personal suffering. Contemporary Western psychology adopted mindfulness some 50 years ago as an approach to cope with chronic pain and emotional distress through awareness and acceptance, rather than denial, avoidance, or suppression. In recent years, mindfulness has been widely recognised as a phenomenon with functional importance in health, well-being, and performance in the workplace, sports, and interpersonal relationships.

Researchers have found that mindfulness in the workplace raises productivity, creativity, and innovation. According to psychology professors Shauna Shapiro and Linda Carlson, mindfulness requires one to intentionally attend to others in an 'open, caring, and discerning way'. Other psychologists, such as Scott Bishop, believed that being mindful meant that one should pay 'attention' and 'have awareness with acceptance', while Kirk Warren Brown and Richard Ryan noted it requires 'taking each moment as it comes.'

Talent development through a mindfulness lens

For an employee to be inducted into the talent pool of an organisation, one needs to demonstrate both strong job performance and growth potential. Mindfulness can be a strategic tool to unlock employees' potential by raising their awareness and acceptance levels while supporting their growth.

In applying mindfulness to Astrid's case, she can ask herself: Why was she not keen on working with an executive coach? Was she 'aware' of her challenge in communication skills now and willing to 'accept' the recommendation without judgement? Mindfulness comes into play to help her become aware of the need to express empathy towards others and accept her identity and authenticity.

In Munn's case, he can first reframe the choice he faces. Instead of thinking "What if I fail?", he can take a more open view and reframe it as "What if I succeed?" Second, he needs to ask himself if he has self-awareness and whether he is willing to accept his mentor's help in guiding his career development.

Conclusion

Eventually, instead of keeping to her comfort zone and staying on the defensive, Astrid chose to work with the executive coach to develop a more flexible communication style. Over time, her colleagues' perception of her changed tremendously. Even after taking on a C-suite role, she continued to apply the principles of mindfulness in her daily life.

For Munn, his mentor was a senior executive nearing retirement, who saw his leadership potential. Munn accepted the overseas assignment, motivated by his ambition and the unwavering support from his mentor. Munn was grateful that his mentor took the time to listen to his concerns. His mentor also guided and supported him while he was in India. Munn subsequently returned to Singapore and was promoted. He remained good friends with his mentor, and went on to nurture several subordinates selected into the company's talent pool. Over the next few years, he climbed the corporate ladder before he eventually decided to quit and start his own company.

Applying mindfulness techniques proved to have paid off for both Astrid and Munn, helping them clarify a pivotal career decision and find a balance between risk and reward.

The two-part case study, "Can Mindfulness Help My Career?": A Talent Development Perspective (A) and (B), is written by Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Jochen Reb at Singapore Management University's (SMU) Lee Kong Chian School of Business; Dr Tarmo Raudsepp, Vice President at Borouge and Dr Cheah Sin Mei, Assistant Director of the Centre for Management Practice at SMU. For further details on the case, please visit the CMP website by clicking here