It can be hard to start a conversation around MBC. It is not something we are used to doing. If we are a supplier of services, we tend to want to impress a potential client with how hard we will work, how they are the most important thing to us and so on. We certainly don’t want to do or say anything that might risk them going elsewhere for their work. As a client or supplier, it can be easy to take the view that how the other works is not our concern.
MBC, of course, is about being brave and recognising that ensuring healthy and effective ways of working is both the right thing to do and in all of our interests.
Every conversation will be different and for those conversations to be effective one needs to be authentic and to really own what you are saying. What is set out in this note, therefore, are simply some ideas to help formulate what you might say, and how you might say it. If you are nervous about it, practice with a colleague maybe, or a client or supplier you trust. The most important step is the first one, broaching the subject, and like most things, once we have done it once, it tends to be easier the next time.
As with any important conversation, it is very helpful to take the time beforehand to think through what you want from the conversation, what you want to say and how you want to say it, and to try as far as possible to remain calm and present through the conversation and to hold in mind those objectives you had for the conversation.
Aside from the ideas set out below, you might find it helpful to watch the short videos on the MBC website to get some inspiration. You can also look at the written materials we have put together for emails and proposals which are in the Resources section in the members area of the website – remember that because you work for a signatory you can register for that area using your work email address. If you have any problems accessing it then please email richard@mindulbusinesscharter.com or info@mindfulbusinesscharter.com for support.
The suggestions below are intended to work, by and large, for suppliers as well as clients – you might need to adapt a little – but for suppliers please know that we have tested them out with clients, and they have given them their endorsement.
“As you would expect, we are absolutely committed to providing you with the best quality advice and support, and doing so as efficiently as possible. That is good for you, but it also good for us and for the health and wellbeing of our people which is also a priority for us. One way in which we look to achieve that is through the Mindful Business Charter.”
“One of the commitments we make to our own people, and to all suppliers that we engage and work with is that we want you to be able to work in healthy, sustainable and effective ways. We want to create the environment for that, and we want to give everyone the permission to say what they need and to speak out when they feel what is happening is not helpful. The Charter is a key part of how we make that happen. We are not in the business of working our people or your people into the ground. If we are being too demanding, if we’re not living up to our promises, if we’re doing stuff that is causing your team stress, then we absolutely want to hear about it, and we hope the same is true the other way round.”
“The health and wellbeing of our people is critical to us – we believe that focussing on that is the right thing to do as well as making good business sense. As part of our broader commitment to that we are signatories to the Mindful Business Charter.”
“We are always keen to foster trusting and respectful relationships with our suppliers/clients. We have found that using the Mindful Business Charter as a basis for that is really helpful.”
“The Charter provides some common language and a framework for helping us be more mindful, more aware, of how we are interacting with each other and how that might impact on each other. It is about creating the permission and space to be able to talk about how we are all working and to be able to push back and challenge when we think things aren’t working as well as they might.”
“The Charter is not about not working hard, or slacking. It is about enabling people to do their hard work in the most effective ways while reducing as far as possible the stress that can otherwise be associated with our work, which is bad for our health but also inhibits the best quality thinking and working.”
“It is a two-way thing. Yes, we want to take care of our own people and their wellbeing, but we also want to do the same for you and your people. The Charter is about giving us the language and framework to do that for the benefit of both teams.”
“We believe that we will work best together, and enable our respective teams to do their best work, if we create the environment for them to work efficiently and with as little stress as possible. The Charter is about enabling us to do that.”
“We all know that stress isn’t good for us – it is bad for our health, and it also means we don’t think as effectively as we otherwise would. Working along Charter lines enables us to minimise that stress. Of course, there will always be stress in what we do but if we can get rid of the unnecessary stress then that should benefit us all.”
“Please be assured, we will always put in the hours when we need to, and our firm commitment is to the best quality client service we can provide. The Charter is about enabling us to do so as effectively and healthily as possible. We are not talking revolution – a lot of what is in the Charter is common sense stuff that requires small changes and a little more deliberate thought.”
“Take a look at the Charter – it is at www.mindfulbusinesscharter.com. Tell me what you think. It is something we are committed to – we’re not going to impose it on you of course but we have found it to be helpful and to really make a difference, so we’d love to work on that basis with you if you are up for it. And it isn’t about fundamentally changing what we do or how we do it, but making small changes and being more deliberate, so that we can be more respectful of each other and our teams and work more effectively and healthily as a result.”
“The Charter is not a list of dos and don’ts. We don’t have to do anything in a particular way. What we do with it is absolutely for us to discuss and agree. What it does do is give us that permission to have the conversation and some ideas to think about in terms of how we work together.”
“Let me give you an example – as a team we made the decision to [add example eg avoid having meetings over lunch time or really try to reduce the volume of emails outside of office hours]. It has made a material difference – it doesn’t mean we can’t [meet over lunch or email out of hours] but it just makes us stop and think, do I really need to do this. It is that idea of being more thoughtful, more mindful, that is at the heart of the Charter, and enabling everyone, especially the juniors, to feel they can speak out and challenge stuff. “