By a CEO Trustee (member)

We had a terrific event at Race Brook Country Club in CT on March 9th, with good food & drink and a terrific speaker.  Julie Murphy, founder of Oakwood Leadership, spoke to around 30 guests about the Search Inside Yourself leadership program developed at Google and backed by neuroscience. The interactive session looked at the impact of meditation & mindfulness and how organizations of all types are using these techniques to improve productivity and bottom line results. The results at companies like Google, Ford, and Genentech where it has been strongly adopted are impressive and really moved the needle!

Some takeaways:

• A few stats on ROI for major corporations who've implemented mindfulness training for leaders & employees:
• 1. Genentech - saw 50% increase in communications, 10-20% increase in employee satisfaction
  2. Aetna - saw 28% decrease in employee stress levels, 20% increase in sleep
  3. iOpener Institute - saw 46% decrease in cost due to staff turnover
  4. Ford - 98% of participants said mindfulness was helpful at managing stress, 94% said mindfulness improved their overall well being
• Studies repeatedly show that emotional intelligence is a strong determinant of successful leadership.
• Mindfulness is a key military leadership technique used to excel in today's "VUCA" world. ("VUCA" - coined by the Army War College - stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous)
• Gallup Polls on work engagement show that 70% of all American workers are not engaged, and only 22% are both engaged and thriving.
• "Mindfulness should no longer be considered a “nice-to-have” for executives. It’s a “must-have”:  a way to keep our brains healthy, to support self-regulation and effective decision-making capabilities, and to protect ourselves from toxic stress."  - Harvard Business Review
•  “The main business case for (mindfulness) is that if you’re fully present on the job, you will be a more effective leader, you will make better decisions.”  - William George, fmr CEO of healthcare giant Medtronic

Special thanks to our event co-sponsors, Charland Growth Advisors and Brody Wilkson, PC.