A mindfulness toolkit to optimise incident management and business continuity exercises.

Mindfulness is the daily practice of noticing our present moment experiences (thoughts, emotions and physical sensations) with curiosity, non-judgment and equanimity (accepting what is). Scientific research shows that the regular practice of mindfulness can help lower stress, boost the immune system and increase productivity. Recognising these benefits, companies such as Google, Nike and Goldman Sachs have incorporated mindfulness programmes into the workplace. Among the positive results reported, these companies have observed a reduction in sick leave, improved collaboration between employees, and projects being completed more effectively. But these are only some of the benefits that mindfulness can offer. Other advantages include improved emotional regulation and better decision-making during a crisis. This suggests that those C-level executives and recovery teams who play key roles in restoring mission-critical processes following business-disruptive events would benefit from mindfulness training. This paper will explore how and why mindfulness can help optimise incident management, the training tools required, and how to build mindfulness into a business continuity management training and exercise programme.