Hi! Managers: Meditation and coaching towards serenity

After one of my recent columns in The Nation, I received an e-mail from Khun W, who asked: "How can I find more serenity at work? I have been successful so far in my career, but I am increasingly stressed in the job and confused about what I really want and who I really am."

Hearing a question like that, a coach would ask some obvious follow-up questions. "How much time do you spare for relaxation and to think through your issues? What thoughts pop up in your mind then, and what do you learn about yourself?"

Coincidentally, last week, I was discussing the progress of unnamed clients with my friend and coaching colleague Kriengsak Niratpattanasai, and we simultaneously realised that our fastest-progressing coachees were people who combined coaching and meditation practice.

For example, one of my clients, Khun Arunee, decided to regularly visit a monk at her Wat shortly after undertaking coaching. Before then, she was close to burn-out, obviously overwhelmed with her responsibilities and emotionally unstable. She was occasionally aggressive with her subordinates and two had resigned. She was asking me things like: "Why can't they think like me? Why don't they work smarter? What can I do to change them?"

Two months later, Khun Arunee is well on her way to transforming herself, rather than her subordinates.

"I meet the monk once a week," she says. "We have in-depth discussions and he gives me meditation exercises. I meditate every morning for about 20 minutes and usually find peace for the day. I have learned a lot about myself and that brings me more balance, both at work and at home.

"I also read a book by the monk Vajiramedhi, and I now recognise that I was overly judgmental and should have been focusing on positive things and what can realistically be achieved. Instead of focusing on what's wrong with others, I must 'fix' myself first. Also, there is no benefit in dwelling on the past; I'd better focus on the future."

In turn, coaching helps Khun Arunee to gain further self-awareness in the workplace and to take action for improvement. Her boss recently commented: "she looks happier and so do her direct reports. I sense fresh and healthy energy around her now."

A role-model for Khun Arunee could be Khun Sukanya, one of the most successful marketing vice presidents in Thailand. She works for a large multinational company and her co-workers marvel at her calm. She works in an extremely competitive environment and is under tremendous pressure to consistently exceed quarterly stretched targets, while launching more than 10 marketing initiatives every month. She is also embroiled in the merciless political games of senior headquarters colleagues. It seems that everyone wants to work for Khun Sukanya, and she is probably the most trusted advisor to her chief executive, who is a foreigner.

The first time I visited her in her office, I noticed Buddha images and pictures of a famous monk adorning the room, next to posters from the latest advertising campaigns. She explained how important meditation was to her. She spends most of her holidays in retreats in temples around Thailand.

"Meditation helps me listen to my inner voice and to be in harmony with my true self. Coaching can build on this foundation and allow me to be the best I can be at work, while being true to myself."

The combination of meditation and coaching certainly helps to reach more serenity and to develop emotional intelligence - a critical advantage in business. Should you be in any doubt of this, here are a few facts:

Daniel Goleman discovered that "as leaders move-up in an organisation, up to 90 per cent of their success lies in emotional intelligence".

Search firm Egon Zehnder International surveyed 515 executives and confirmed that "emotional competencies are better predictors of success than either IQ or relevant prior experience." As the saying goes: "IQ might get people hired; EQ gets them promoted". Malcolm Gladwell brilliantly demonstrated this in his book "Outliers: a story of success" (essential reading!)

My experience at coaching foreign executives in Thailand also shows clearly that those who succeed the most exhibit superior emotional intelligence.

As the Thai New Year dawns, embracing in-depth conversations with experienced monks about how to reach more serenity, and meditating regularly, may well prove to be one of the most enlightening and career-worthy resolutions. Since Thailand is probably the best place on Earth to go for it, how about starting today?

Jean-Francois cousin leads 1-2-Win Executive Coaching (www.1-2-win.net) and is a former managing director of a Fortune 500 Company in Thailand.