Three things you often do not hear discussed together are business management, emotional regulation, and mindfulness. Business management is thought to be a mostly intellectual exercise. Mainstream thinking dictates that emotions should be kept out of it. As for mindfulness, that is something for psychologists and yoga instructors to worry about.

For the record, I don’t adhere to mainstream thinking. I have been involved in business management and entrepreneurial pursuits for most of my working career, and I am nearing retirement. I have seen first-hand just how important a role emotions play in business decisions. I have also recently learned how mindfulness can improve business management by helping decision makers better regulate their own emotions.

What Is Emotional Regulation?

Emotional regulation is more or less the ability to manage and respond to one’s emotions in a constructive and balanced way. Rather than allowing emotions to be destructive, they are channeled in such a way as to contribute to success. Rather than being subject to extremes, they are consistently more balanced day-to-day.

Emotional regulation is not natural for most people. We humans are subject to emotional outbursts. We have a tendency to experience emotional highs and lows, like riding on a roller coaster to which there is no definitive end. That is where mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness isn’t the brake that brings the emotional roller coaster to a stop. Rather, it redesigns the track system to smooth out the peaks and valleys while making the curves a lot more gentle. Mindfulness turns a terrifying roller coaster of fear into a gentler and more enjoyable ride.

How Can Mindfulness Help Business Leaders?

By now you might be wondering how mindfulness can help business leaders. First, let’s start with an understanding of what it actually is. As explained by mindfulness business mentor Scott Moore, mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing on the moment at hand without judgment or distraction.

A mindfulness session emphasizes being keenly aware of one’s thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the very moment. None of what a person is experiencing is either right or wrong. It simply is.

Mindfulness is easy to understand but difficult to master. Once mastered, it can improve business management in a number of ways:

1. Better Decision Making

Moore says that business leaders able to regulate their emotions through mindfulness tend to enjoy enhanced decision-making abilities. They are better able to approach decisions with clarity. They can avoid impulse to make decisions that are more balanced and rational.

2. Better Conflict Management

Emotional regulation equips business leaders to handle conflict better. Because they can both control their own emotions and fully understand the emotions of others, they can find ways to address workplace conflicts with both composure and productive solutions.

3. Better Stress Management

Among the biggest challenges business managers and entrepreneurs face is stress. Excess stress sustained over prolonged periods of time can lead to burnout. On the other hand, emotional regulation keeps a business leader more even keeled. Mindfulness teaches the entrepreneur to see stress for what it is, thereby not allowing it to become all-consuming.

4. Better Professional Relationships

Mindfulness and emotional regulation work hand-in-hand to strengthen relationships in the workplace. The business manager sets a more positive tone through his own words and actions. That builds trust that encourages communication. As others respond, the team gets stronger.

It is impossible to completely remove emotion from the business environment. Emotions are part of the human experience. But business management is more effective and productive when decision makers are able regulate their emotions. Mindfulness can help them learn to do just that.