DH.tv : How did you first hear about mindfulness?

Nicolas St-Vincent: "I have visited several Asian countries at different times in my life and have witnessed this culture of an inner life that is little known in the West, but very present among the Orientals. Five years ago, I stumbled upon Mindfulness Meditation for Dummies in a bookstore and knew I was ready to open that door.

To help me practice regularly, I downloaded the Petit Bambou app on my smartphone. I also followed eight mindfulness meditation sessions for executives with a coach and trainer.”

How did you integrate it into your daily life?

“I set aside sacred times during the day to practice and give myself the perspective I need. I meditate in the morning when I wake up and in the evening when I go to bed. I add a 10-minute meditation in the middle of the day. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a quiet or noisy environment, I find inner calm. I also have two alarms on my phone that remind me to take three deep breaths to become aware of what I’m doing.

These moments help me a lot to give meaning to what I do. Am I moving forward in the mission and vision of my company? Am I in my element? Am I competent? As a business leader, we all have moments when we lose track and fall on autopilot.

What is your definition of mindfulness ?

“A good way to clear your mind is to paradoxically be less cerebral. It’s to come back to your senses, to your breathing, to the contact of your body on the chair, to the ambient noises. When you remove the whirlwind of ideas, you calm your mind and you are more efficient in accomplishing the task in front of you. Before, it was so windy in my head! Meditation allows me to calm this storm.”

How does this quality of presence help you in carrying out your duties?

"It gives me a sharper, more sustained and more lasting focus. I am able to work longer and get more pleasure from it. Ultimately, the vision is maintained so the company is better for it. What I do, I do better and I want to repeat it."

Has mindfulness helped you to know yourself better?

“Of course. I learned what I am good at and what I have more difficulty with. This observation allowed me to develop my listening skills. I realized that when I speak, I learn nothing, but when I listen, I always learn something. Not listening harms the company because the manager deprives himself of the contribution of the competent people around him. So I listen and I invite people to listen to each other.”

Has your mindfulness practice influenced your teams?

“My approach is to meditate openly, but I don’t encourage anyone to do it. I wait to be asked about it if, for example, someone asks me how I managed to react calmly to a crisis. On the other hand, my meditation bench is in my office where my employees and clients can see it. When I close my door and put up my In Meditation sign, employees know that they cannot disturb me under any circumstances.”

#aware

Mindfulness has made it to the top of the list of major business trends for 2019-2020. Nicolas St-Vincent is for us an inspiring example of a #conscious leader.