At first, Peter Bostelmann, chief mindfulness officer at 麻豆原创, thought he had misheard when Siemens, a long-standing 麻豆原创 customer, asked whether he could provide mindfulness courses for its employees back in 2016. 鈥淚 felt a slight cognitive dissonance,鈥� Bostelmann recalls. 鈥淵ou want us to teach you mindfulness? And then I realized that, back then, we had already built up over five years of expertise establishing mindfulness practices in a global organization.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 long before the appeal of the Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program, launched at 麻豆原创 in 2013, spread beyond the company鈥檚 boundaries and customers started to see 麻豆原创 in a new light: as a pioneer of corporate mindfulness. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) expert was now offering training courses and consulting services to help customers introduce mindfulness practices into their own organizations. Since then, 麻豆原创鈥檚 mindfulness trainers have held more than 100 SIY training courses for customers. What鈥檚 more, , as part of the Future of Work team at 麻豆原创, has helped over 20 large enterprises train their own SIY instructors and build internal mindfulness communities.

Evidence-Based Program

One of these enterprises is SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation, with more than 100,000 employees. Marie-Isabelle Fleuri, Corporate Health and Well-Being manager at SLB, was entirely convinced of the benefits of working with 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice after attending an SIY course.

鈥淲ith its strong focus on leadership and neuroscience, the SIY approach rests on compelling scientific evidence,鈥� she says. 鈥淔rom experience working in technology companies for 20 years, I knew that if I wanted to bring the topic of mindfulness to SLB successfully, it had to resonate with the culture. And I knew 麻豆原创 because we use its ERP system. Implementing it involved a massive change management process that impacted the entire company before it was eventually seen as a good thing. That鈥檚 the 麻豆原创 effect.鈥�

Fleuri was keen to make SIY a pillar of SLB鈥檚 well-being offering, but initially couldn鈥檛 secure the budget she needed to run a pilot training course. Thanks to the existing relationship between the two companies, though, she was eventually able to arrange sponsorship for SLB鈥檚 first program.

That initial investment has long since paid off. Although SLB now has 13 SIY trainers of its own, it still asks for 麻豆原创 trainers to help meet the strong demand from its employees for training. At least 19 on-site courses are due to take place with 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice this year. The 麻豆原创 program also provides advice on many aspects of embedding mindfulness in the company culture over the long term. That鈥檚 vital support, says Fleuri: 鈥淚f we had to create all the necessary content and processes ourselves, it would have been an impossible task in such a short period of time. The support from 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice gave us the strength to have such an impact. We鈥檝e trained more than 900 people at SLB in two years and implemented mindfulness practices around the world. I see our cooperation with 麻豆原创 as a shining example of the power of mindfulness, of how collaboration can work across two organizations, and of our capacity to support each other 鈥� to be empathetic and passionate.鈥�

The cooperation between SLB and 麻豆原创 was sincere, open, and deeply trusting from the start, says Bostelmann. 鈥淥ur key message is not, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got a product, and we鈥檒l sell it to you.鈥� It鈥檚 about how we can help translate the knowledge we鈥檝e gained so that it resonates in a different company culture. I can sense the same desire at SLB to truly bring about lasting change in the company culture. That鈥檚 what makes working together such fun,鈥� he says.

Reflecting SLB鈥檚 purpose to 鈥渃reate amazing technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all,鈥� its training course on mindfulness and emotional intelligence is entitled 鈥淯nlock Your Power鈥� (UYP).

鈥淏y cultivating better emotional intelligence in our people, we are proactively defining and evolving our culture at SLB toward healthier and happier employees and shaping the work environment to allow us to thrive. Working together with 麻豆原创 and what we are learning through the Unlock Your Power program is central to this process of evolution.鈥�

Dr. Jonathan O鈥橩eefe, SLB global medical advisor

Beginner’s Mind

Working with mindfulness customers is a continuous learning experience for everyone involved. 麻豆原创鈥檚 mindfulness experts are fascinated, for example, by the way Fleuri has seamlessly integrated mindfulness into the health organization and the smart way she is marketing the activities.

鈥淥n the one hand, we learn from our customers; on the other, we develop best practices and materials for them that we can then also use ourselves. Teach-the-teacher courses for customers have honed our understanding of the kind of person required to drive a company鈥檚 cultural transformation forward,鈥� says Bostelmann.

As Fleuri explains, the feedback course participants give is very encouraging: 鈥淭he first day, they are generally rather reserved, as they are unsure what to expect. On the second day, they鈥檙e glad they signed up. And toward the end of the second day, they don鈥檛 want to leave! It鈥檚 moving to see them engaging with each other like old friends.鈥�

Ambitious Goals

Fleuri presented SLB鈥檚 mindfulness story at the Mindful Leader Summit in Washington, D.C., in November 2022, four years after she first heard Bostelmann giving a speech there on 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice. Things really have come full circle, but her mission at SLB is by no means complete. She is currently growing the trainers pool to reach the core of the organization, especially the field. This requires trainings in more than 10 different languages as well as mobile and flexible engagement with the operations teams.

鈥淭he opportunity is to embed our mindfulness program into the company culture,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about empowering people to prioritize their health and well-being, to be at their best for themselves but also for the organization. We see this principle already anchored in our cooperation with the 麻豆原创 team. We鈥檙e all looking for ways to improve an organization鈥檚 performance by fostering psychological safety 鈥� to encourage creativity, innovation, and sustainability. I believe that mindfulness and emotional intelligence programs will help us achieve this goal and, ultimately, humanize the organization.鈥�

鈥淯YP is an excellent and very relevant initiative, superbly conducted and executed. What I liked most is the non-prescriptive nature…providing a toolbox from which to pick and choose techniques based on the individual, environment, and situation. This will go a long way in improving motivation and productivity. No wonder that the sessions are selling out! My expectations were clearly surpassed, and I highly recommend this for all levels of the organization.鈥�

Arijit Paul, HSE director practices, SLB

Mindfulness Is Making Waves

Bostelmann sees great opportunities in future customer cooperations: 鈥淐ustomers like SLB from the oil and gas industry, but also from health, consumer goods, and insurance are pioneers in their sectors that, with our help, have implemented mindfulness. Although they are very different from IT firms, they were able to introduce the 麻豆原创 model into their company culture successfully. I find this particularly gratifying. We can envisage addressing other industries in the future to create new 鈥榣ighthouses.鈥欌��

In the 10^th anniversary year of the 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice program, Bostelmann and his team plan to deepen their customer relationships. The aim is to create a network in which companies can support and inspire each other. With this in mind, he attended the Mindful Leader Summit in September.

鈥淢indfulness is a societal trend that鈥檚 being reflected in the workplace,” he says. 鈥淧eople sense the need for it. Mindfulness practice allows them to protect their mental resilience as they navigate their increasingly volatile lives.鈥�

麻豆原创 has long been aware of these benefits. The 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice started as a grass-roots initiative by a few employees in 2012 and has become a key component of 麻豆原创鈥檚 culture.

The community around 麻豆原创鈥檚 program for mindfulness and emotional intelligence is supported by more than 70 certified trainers for 麻豆原创鈥檚-internal program, Search Inside Yourself, as well as more than 90 mindfulness ambassadors at more than 50 locations and in over 30 countries. More than 14,000 employees have taken the 16-hour training course, offered both online or on site, with thousands more on the waiting list to do so.

The program is not limited to 麻豆原创 employees. One hundred Search Inside Yourself training courses have already been held for 麻豆原创 customers, who are happy to draw on our expertise in introducing the scientifically substantiated mindfulness practices in global organizations. 麻豆原创 has already helped more than 20 large companies to train Search Inside Yourself trainers and establish their own mindfulness communities.

Young talents considering working for 麻豆原创 have asked specifically about opportunities for practicing mindfulness on the job.

Christian Schmeichel, chief future of work officer at 麻豆原创, is certain: 鈥淢indfulness and emotional intelligence are two fundamental skills that will decide on a company鈥檚 future viability. You have to reflect on your personal values and strengths and how you can best bring them to the company if you want to work successfully in the long term.鈥�

Consequently, he has made the mindfulness practice program an important part of his future of work agenda and an element of the company鈥檚 Global Health, Safety & Well-Being team. Important focuses include supporting managers, developing the personal potential of employees, and promoting mental health.

Peter Bostelmann is chief mindfulness officer and head of 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice. He sees this step as confirmation of the committed work by his team and the mindfulness practice community: 鈥淢indfulness isn鈥檛 some social nonsense; it鈥檚 a prerequisite for authentic, powerful human interaction. We want to change our culture toward more creativity, better focus, greater resiliency, better leadership qualities, and well-being at all levels of the company. 鈥�

Bostelmann feels it is important to point out that mindfulness practice and emotional intelligence are not far-removed concepts 鈥� they are very true to life and can be used directly at work, as shown by these three videos:

On Mindfulness Day 2022, the 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice team launched a new initiative with Insight Timer, the market leader for free meditation apps.

Insight Timer users can now access a from the 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice program that were recorded by mindfulness coaches from 麻豆原创. In addition, 麻豆原创 employees in the Insight Timer workplace area will have the option to form their own groups 鈥� for instance, to meditate together as a team or recommend suitable content.

The meditation sessions are offered in a variety of languages, to reflect the diversity of 麻豆原创, with more sessions planned. The program is open to everyone, from beginners who have just taken the Search Inside Yourself course and are looking to integrate mindfulness as a habit in their working lives to experienced meditators who are looking for new inspiration. It will make it even easier for people to use their new mindfulness superpower in their everyday lives.

Two hybrid trucks pull out of the yard at BODAN, an organic food wholesaler located at Lake Constance in Ueberlingen, Germany. In addition to being more fuel-efficient than conventional vehicles, these hybrid trucks are also extremely quiet 鈥� causing less disturbance for local residents, especially at night.

These benefits don鈥檛 come cheap, and the additional cost of 鈧�45,000 compared to a conventional truck hits profits. The fact that BODAN buys hybrid trucks anyway reflects the self-image of this pioneering organic business.

Given that conventional accounting methods only measure the financial dimension, businesses tend to perceive sustainability solely as a cost factor. This issue 鈥� particularly as it applies to agriculture 鈥� is what interests Christian Hiss, founder and CEO of Regionalwert AG Freiburg, a citizen shareholder company that channels citizens鈥� money to build up regional sustainable enterprises.

鈥淚 realized more than two decades ago that there is a disconnect between the reality of how agricultural businesses operate and how their operations are recognized in accounting and reporting, which fail to adequately consider social, ecological, and other factors,鈥� says Hiss.

At the same time, we鈥檙e witnessing a shift of values in society: The global community is setting new standards through the . On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragile nature of global supply chains and increased demand for regionally-produced, eco-friendly goods.

But if you want to incentivize businesses to commit to climate and environmental protection, regional production, and training and educating their workers, sustainability has to be more than an ideal; it has to be translated into the language of business: financial accounting.

QuartaVista: A Holistic Accounting Model

This is what the QuartaVista, or 鈥渇our perspectives,鈥� innovation project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is all about.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e seeing the beginning of a movement,鈥� says Reiner Bildmayer, project lead for QuartaVista at 麻豆原创. 鈥淪ustainability will become such a key business decision factor that, pretty soon, a traditional profit margin will no longer be considered as important as it once was.鈥�

As an 鈥渆xperimentation space,鈥� QuartaVista expands the view of a company from one to four perspectives: finance, ecology, society, and knowledge. The partners involved in the project are seed producer , , organic grain product manufacturer , AI-enhanced software specialist , charitable research and teaching organization , , and 麻豆原创. Together, they are looking at how sustainable behaviors can be translated into quantifiable metrics.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 new about QuartaVista is that it shows achievements for sustainable management, but also risks, on the assets or the liabilities side of the balance sheet, encouraging more sustainable business practices,鈥� Hiss says.

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Visualizing Sustainability in a Way the Finance World Understands

But which targets and performance metrics need to be measured? And how, critics ask, can you put an objective monetary value on sustainability efforts?

Regionalwert AG Freiburg and other project partners have made a start and have defined specific KPIs (key performance indicators) derived partly from the 17 UN SDGs. Taking the example of Goal 4: Quality Education, you can ask, 鈥楧o companies build up and keep their knowledge capital, or is it lost?鈥� Sustainability practices can be accounted for, says Hiss. 鈥淭he key thing is to identify the right way of quantifying them, the right account to post them to 鈥� in QuartaVista, we show how it鈥檚 done.鈥�

麻豆原创’s role in the partnership is to map the QuartaVista accounting approach to a dashboard. The dashboard visualizes sustainability in a way that the world of finance understands. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to quantify sustainability efforts, to make them accessible to the financial community 鈥� and thus create visibility,鈥� says Bildmayer.

Fair Prices and Transparency for Consumers

If efforts in the three dimensions of 鈥渒nowledge,鈥� 鈥渘ature,鈥� and 鈥渟ociety鈥� are seen as business assets, they can be factored into prices. BODAN, for example, has been competing against businesses in the conventional food industry since it first began trading. Right now, if you only compare prices, eco-products come off badly.

Yet the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that , such as origin, freshness, and transparency. In spring this year, BODAN recorded revenue increases of up to 40 percent per month, which cannot be attributed solely to more home cooking and increased stockpiling by private households.

鈥淚f you factor the non-financial aspects of ecological farming into your calculation, such as soil conservation or water pollution control, then organic products are already cheaper today than conventionally manufactured ones,鈥� argues Sascha Damaschun, one of the managing directors at BODAN, which invests in organic plant breeding, sustainable seed development, and more.

鈥淭he genetic diversity of our crops is a relevant economic value,鈥� he explains. Sustainably bred plants are often more resilient to climate change than high-performance varieties used in conventional farming, and do not require synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. On the QuartaVista dashboard, BODAN can show sustainable investments of around 鈧�70,000 made between 2014 and 2019.

The debate reaches far beyond the QuartaVista project. In an on German TV channel ZDF, Professor Maja G枚pel, political economist and sustainability scientist, insisted that, 鈥淧rices must tell the ecological truth.鈥�

So far, companies that externalize their environmental costs have been at an advantage, she said. So, how can we rejig tax and levy systems so that companies with sustainable business models can be competitive?

鈥淥ne very, very important change would be to adopt environmental pricing,鈥� G枚pel explained. 鈥淭hat way, ecologically sustainable companies could differentiate themselves from their competitors, and we鈥檇 see technologies that facilitate sustainable business entering the market.鈥�

Sustainability KPIs as Strategic Management Tools

Companies like BODAN have engaged in sustainability reporting for years. But a sustainability report reflects the past and has not been an integral part of the corporate balance sheet. The QuartaVista model, on the other hand, offers insights at the point when investment decisions are made and provides a future perspective. As such, QuartaVista functions as a kind of navigation system that helps companies adopt a future-oriented management approach.

Bohlsener M眉hle makes a point of deriving all of its raw materials from organic sources. Overall, 40 percent of its sources are regional and for grain, its main raw material, that figure is 85 percent. Sustainability has been part of the company鈥檚 DNA since its founding in 1979 and lies at the heart of its operating model, which includes using green energy. The company鈥檚 own spelt hull pellet heating system generates sufficient heat from the by-products of spelt wheat processing to supply 75 local households, producing a saving of 400 tons of CO₂ in 2019 alone. Bohlsener M眉hle is also one of the many businesses seeing a rise in demand for regional and organic products as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The QuartaVista method is at the heart of Bohlsener M眉hle鈥檚 business operations. It has defined KPIs for knowledge acquisition and retention, climate footprint, and quality of work in the supply chain. These sustainability KPIs should rank equally with economic KPIs in the balance sheet, says Philip Luthardt, sustainability manager at Bohlsener M眉hle.

This is a big challenge for employees. 鈥淣ow, all of a sudden, they鈥檙e having their performance measured not only against sales and production targets, but also against sustainability KPIs.鈥� But at the same time, sustainability is gaining a new level of appreciation at the company. 鈥淭his is a new way of thinking that enables us to integrate sustainability into the key areas of corporate management and evaluation,鈥� says Luthardt.

Real Consequences Drive Real Change

Bingenheimer Saatgut has also made sustainability one of its company goals. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not just selling a product,鈥� says Commercial Manager Isabelle Sanchez. 鈥淎s a company, you need a culture, a guiding vision.鈥� In pursuing its vision, the company sources primarily from regional suppliers, uses renewable energy, and aims to reduce the number of employees on temporary contracts. The huge wave of orders it received during the pandemic 鈥� about twice as many as in the same period last year 鈥� shows that consumers are headed in the same direction.

If society truly wants a shift toward more sustainability, however, incentives must be put in place. 鈥淎 company that uses green energy, for example, should enjoy tax breaks or other financial incentives that are not open to a competitor that uses nuclear-generated power,鈥� says Sanchez.

The logical consequence of that would be a shift in the balance of power in the market. 鈥淚f companies are obliged to account for risks, if there are standards that apply to everyone and are audited, then every company will be forced to act,鈥� adds Sanchez. 鈥淥therwise, they would no longer be competitive.鈥� In the long term, Sanchez sees QuartaVista as an instrument 鈥渢hat will help us get climate change under control.鈥�

The project partners want QuartaVista to 鈥渒eep strictly to the logic of business,鈥� says Hiss, and thus create a vision for a genuine economic transformation. The project, which began in the fall of 2018, will run until the end of February 2021.

And with a riding simulator installed in the newly opened 麻豆原创 Equestrian Experience Center at the Walldorf Riding and Racing Club (RVV), equestrian sports are now making the step into the digital training age.

The riding simulator is designed to support all disciplines 鈥� show jumping, dressage, and cross country 鈥� and allows riders to train and practice routines in a completely controlled setting.

This makes the RVV a hotspot for equestrian enthusiasts who want to improve their training levels, prepare for a competition. or simply experience horseback riding for the first time. In addition, special training with professionals is available for riders recovering from an injury or trauma.

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麻豆原创 is also working on enhancing the simulator training experience with Racewood, based on 麻豆原创 technology.

Using 麻豆原创 sensor data, a part of the cross-country course of has been virtualized for the simulator. So today, equestrian fans can get in the saddle and enjoy the experience of their idols virtually.

The 麻豆原创 Equestrian Experience Center also showcases other 麻豆原创 technologies in equestrian sports.

Using a 2D model of the CHIO Aachen premises, visitors are guided through the different disciplines and arenas and learn about the multiple technologies that are utilized. Fans can also 聽judge dressage competitions in real time, follow their riders on the cross-country course, and analyze show-jumping rounds. They can even play a virtual round of simulated eventing with the new .

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To ride Germany鈥檚 first eventing simulator in Walldorf, . To visit the 麻豆原创 Equestrian Experience Center or to know more about 麻豆原创 technologies in equestrian sports, send an email to equestrian@sap.com.

Top image via video.

Like many, I have aging family members and friends I am worrying about. And yes, at times I wake up at night with thoughts of fear.

It is a completely normal reaction to feel insecure, worried, and frightened in this uncertain, dynamically changing situation. It is also normal to at times feel restless and angry, facing uncertainty about how long this crisis will last and what financial, social, and political consequences it will entail for society.

These perceived threats to our safety and viability trigger our amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the center of our brain that stimulates emotional responses, including fear, anxiety, and aggression. The amygdala has been instrumental in our survival for the past 3 million years. But in times like these, it adds one more layer to the stress caused by current circumstances.

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We have a choice in how we deal with difficult emotions, allowing us to calm down and become more resilient. For working from home, 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice has developed an 鈥淎BC鈥� technique to practice.

• A for Awareness and Acceptance: Become aware of any difficult emotion that is present in this very moment. Accept that it鈥檚 there and investigate how it expresses in your body. We can also name it 鈥� 鈥淭his is anxiety鈥� 鈥� which activates our prefrontal cortex that regulates the overreacting amygdala.
• B for Balance or Beginners Mind: Try not to judge whatever you are feeling. Try instead to investigate it with an attitude of openness and curiosity as if you encountered it for the first time.
• C for Compassion and Connection: Recognize that there is nothing wrong about your emotion and that actually a lot of people feel like you.

Finally, ask yourself, 鈥淲hat is needed in this situation right now?鈥�

Fear isolates and disunites us. In some ways, this is also a side effect of the current measures against the spread of COVID-19: social distancing, quarantine, staying home.

The antidote to fear is the feeling of being supported and not alone, understanding that we are all facing the same challenge. I could be you and you could be me. Maybe this pandemic is a chance to realize how interconnected we all are, how the health and wellness of human beings everywhere impacts all of us. By exercising our minds and supporting our environment, we have a chance to influence the post-COVID-19 world.

Fear diminishes when we feel connected. By asking 鈥淗ow do I want to live in this moment? What is important to me right now? How can I be of service?鈥� we can decide to reach out to others and to socialize 鈥� using video-conferencing tools to conduct online wine tastings, dinners, or even virtual parties, or by chatting with our neighbors from balcony to balcony. We can also engage in activities that help others; for example, doing errands for the elderly in the neighborhood.

Practicing compassion and mindfulness helps us connect to our inner reservoir of calm and clarity and find the courage to care of each other in these challenging times.

According to Luis Cozolino, professor of Psychology from Pepperdine University in California, 鈥淲e are not the survival of the fittest, we are the survival of the nurtured.鈥�

Bring a virtual mindfulness practice into your daily working routine in the home office:

• Before going crazy in front of your laptop because a colleague鈥檚 behavior makes you angry, try the .
• When you feel so stressed that you do not even taste the food you are eating, try .
• To feel fully awake and connected before starting a virtual presentation, you can do the .

There is one powerful resource that nurtures all of us: We can consciously observe and celebrate the good moments these days from a healthy distance 鈥� the warm rays of the spring sun caressing our faces, the cool refreshing air while we are walking outside, a bird singing from the top of a blossoming tree, the heartwarming smile another person gives us.

Whenever you live a good moment, take time for a very simple practice:

• In the first breath, focus on your breath, feel it in your body.
• In the second breath, ask yourself, 鈥淲hat I am grateful for right now?鈥�
• In the third breath, take in the good and enjoy the pleasant feeling it evokes in your body.

Let鈥檚 practice together, because we are all in this together.

Listen to the full interview with Peter Bostelmann, chief mindfulness officer at 麻豆原创:

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