“When you open yourself to the continually changing, impermanent, dynamic nature of your own being and of reality, you increase your capacity to love and care about other people and your capacity to not be afraid.”
—Pema Chodron, Author and Speaker
The above quote by Pema Chodron, a one-time, suburban housewife and mom who became an ordained Tibetan Buddhist nun and internationally acclaimed writer, often expresses concepts that resonate with VIM Executive Coaching teachings.
Chodron often talks of love and compassion and with both, authenticity of a most human kind. We think about her this day, following a discussion with a wonderful client about mindfulness. Her comment: “Mindfulness is so hard to understand, and worse, almost impossible to find in 2026.”
We disagree. In the past week alone, we have seen three sterling examples of mindfulness that can be elucidated here:
- An elderly man was crossing a busy street and while he was certainly not infirm, had visited a local garden center and bought too much: several plants, a big bag of top soil and a collection of tools and a garden hose. He was on-foot and had to carry some things, put them down, return to other items, carry them, put them down over and over. Two, much younger pedestrians, saw his dilemma, picked up items and accompanied him for a few blocks.
- A “well-heeled” woman badly twisted her ankle on an object between the sidewalk and her car. A stranger offered her shoulder, helped her into the vehicle, then both went off on their daily business.
- We were waiting in the hospital’s surgical area along with at least 12 to 15 others while their friends and relatives were having an assortment of procedures. Strangers came together with empathy, support, listening and responding. It was, frankly, beautiful.
Responding not Reacting
The quote we included was intentional in its start: “When you open yourself…”
Far too often, executive leaders and their subordinates dwell in what have recently been called “silos.” Sometimes the behavior is more than simply selfishness, it can damage organizations, slow progress and even stifle creativity. When called out on such behavior, employees often react in denial or shut-down communication. It is the opposite of “opening up.”
Unfortunately, they fear the vulnerability of being mindful. If we examine the three examples given above in an organizational sense, we can easily see why workplaces should be more mindful.
- Taking the first example, the choice of pedestrians to support rather than ignore “workload,” it is easy to imagine team members refusing to assist someone for any number of reasons rather than supporting their efforts. The lack of mindfulness in similar situations (and we have seen this on numerous occasions) damages entire teams.
- Oftentimes, a lack of mindfulness is also a sign of indifference in workplaces. From the basic, “Oh, I saw the safety violation and I knew it could hurt someone but…” to “I did not want to stick out my neck as to the design flaw (or possible fraud, or bullying, etc.) …”
- A lack of mindfulness can lead to a lack of empathy. “I must admit, though it was wrong, that I didn’t support my co-worker on this project because in the past, I felt others didn’t support me.” A lack of empathy runs through a department or entire company much like a runaway freight train.
A lack of mindfulness, a refusal to respond, to support, to act, to process what is being experienced and seen, is the opposite of authenticity. It is not an innocent action, but a foundational element of organizational failure. Every organization is interconnected, interpersonal and interdependent. Workers instinctively know this.
Mindfulness is easy to understand; what is often difficult, is the commitment to its daily practice.