Imagine Giving Employees Time Off to Sit and Think

I got to thinking the other day. It seems like all I do all day long do is “do”—I never have time to think. I’m not proud of it, but I suspect I’m not alone.

As our client Anthony Glomski, founder of AG Asset Advisory, told Medium.com and Authority Magazine recently, your employee’s minds are like computers. They can do amazing things, but you have to give them time to cool off and reboot occasionally, otherwise they start to wear down. “I’m not suggesting that you treat your people like computers,” Glomski said, “but rather, acknowledge the benefit that meditation would have for you and for them.”

As Glomski related in his book Liquidity & You: A Guide for Tech and Business Entrepreneurs 

Approaching an Exit, he was heavily influenced by early 20^th century author and entrepreneur, W. Clement Stone, who Glomski came to admire greatly after auditing Stone’s foundation early in his career. When Stone was faced with a problem he couldn’t resolve, he would lock himself in a room for 30 minutes and simply meditate. “His reliance on the subconscious would ultimately manifest the answer,” explained Glomski.

Clear the head for mindfulness

Glomski said the core of Stone’s philosophy is based on mindfulness. “It’s about having good character and believing you can achieve anything as long as it doesn’t violate the laws of man. The philosophy is also about the power of the mind and the power of action and teaching the mind how to take action,” he added.

Glomski, was also influenced by Napoleon Hill, author of the book Think and Grow Rich, originally published during the Great Depression. While researching his book, Hill interviewed hundreds of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs of his era and most credited meditation, mindfulness, and spirituality as the keys to their success.

Are you seeing a pattern?

As Glomski told Authority Magazine: “Nearly every one of the successful entrepreneurs I work with practices some form of meditation, spiritual practice or quiet thinking time. And the more progressive leaders I’ve encountered tend to pass that philosophy along within their companies and advocate for it.

This is something that’s especially important in today’s always-connect wired age.

“Technology is an amazing asset,” related Glomski, “but sometimes it can be a liability. Speaking both for myself as a business owner and as one who works closely with other business owners and entrepreneurs, I’ve found that common traits shared by so many of these high achievers are meditation, mindfulness, thoughtfulness, and setting aside time for deep, uninterrupted thought.”

It’s no surprise those high achievers are the ones most likely to give employees time to think. In my next post, I’ll explain how to incorporate employee thinking time into your work culture and why Warren Buffet spent 80 percent of his remarkable career thinking.

Conclusion

My Uncle Carl was a highly successful securities lawyer and no stranger to long hours and high stress. He liked to get up every day at 4am to jog. Afterward, he’d take a shower, eat some breakfast and then go back to bed for a pre-work power nap before heading off to the office completely recharged. I’m not recommending Uncle Carl’s morning routine, but he knew what got him into the flow state for work and he’s still fit and razor sharp in his late 80s. Carl used to remind me at family gatherings: “Hank, even if you win the rat race someday, you’re still a rat.”

I’ve always been good about unplugging my devices and staying away from texts and emails during family time and off hours. Now I’m working on unplugging my mind. I’ll let you know how I do in 2020. Better yet, ping me and let me know how you find time just to sit and think. I’ll drop what I’m doing to read it over and contemplate.

#Mindfulness #Glomski #W. Clement Stone  #Productivity #Napoleon Hill