Lindsay Van Driel, a manager in Oregon, co-founded the program with the help of a leadership consultant and other mindfulness instructors. The Guardian reported on Tuesday: (They) created a program that met the needs of a company mainly comprised of scientists and engineers, and one that cultivated the Intel values of innovation, candor, possibility thinking, risk taking and moving quickly and decisively. The curriculum was developed in three months. So far, 1,500 Intel employees have participated in the nine-week program. Sessions explored ideas like emotional intelligence, “the influence that vulnerability has on innovation,” and collective mindfulness. Upon completion of the program, the participants filled out evaluations, the results of which have been largely positive. [email protected] has helped decrease stress in employees, and increase wellbeing, clarity and creativity, to name a few. The financial support Intel will provide for the program is yet to be determined, but Van Driel is optimistic. She told The Guardian: “If we show people pages and pages of our feedback, there’s nothing that anyone can say that takes away the validity of that experience.” To read more about businesses who incorporate mindfulness into the workplace, check out Editor-in-Chief Barry Boyce’s article in the December issue on clothing designer Eileen Fisher, who has incorporated mindfulness into all aspects of her successful business. You can see a sneak peek here, or read a preview in from Mindful‘s December issue digital sampler. You might also want to take a look at Elisha Goldstein’s interview with Mirabai Bush, with whom Van Driel consulted, about bringing mindfulness to work. For more on how to bring mindfulness to work, Harvard Pilgrim’s Tara Healey suggests four key steps to bring mindfulness to your workplace.
