Striking the balance between mindfulness and management is key to business success, according to SME colleagues Be Rowland and Olwen Dawe. Both businesswomen are established in their own rights – Be runs Mindful Productivity and is a former life coach who now combines her coaching skills and her flair for design to produce a range of mindfully inspired posters and T-shirts which all carry a message. Dawe’s Irish Business Intelligence provides advice to start-ups and SMEs, as well as supporting enterprise projects, blogging, and writing on all things business-related.
Combining their expertise, Rowland and Dawe have developed a ‘mindfulness reminder’ for business owners of all walks to keep in their sights, in order to avoid overwhelm. The ‘Five Ways to Flow with the Go of Business’, a free tool for business owners, can be downloaded through the Mindful Productivity website at www.mindfulproductivity.net Commenting on their new piece of kit for business-owners, Rowland said: “Mindfulness can be applied to all aspects of life and by bringing that awareness into the business arena it improves not only productivity but also a business owner’s quality of life.”
Dawe concurs: “It’s difficult to straddle all the different ‘hats’ or responsibilities involved in running or managing an SME – many business owners complain of time paucity and unmanageable stress. The reality is, you can’t do everything – and more importantly, you need to remain clear, at all times, as to what it is you’re attempting to achieve.” Focusing on your priorities and keeping yourself mindful helps you to achieve clarity in your day-to-day and long-term objectives, while minimising your stress levels.
Both women agree that this will be an ongoing relationship, with further tools for business owners in the pipeline. “I think the idea of managing/management through mindfulness is the way forward in business and I’m delighted Olwen and I can combine our businesses to bring something of value to other SMEs,” added Rowland. An organic approach has been taken on their initiative, which they have agreed as an ongoing series. “To start the process off, I’d come up with a few common solutions – and Beverley gave the mindful slant on them... we’ll be swapping next time, and I’m really looking forward to coming up with some more helpful tips for SMEs,” Dawe added.
