If you are a supplier of services, you tend to want to impress a potential client with how hard you will work and to assure them that they are important to you. You certainly don’t want to do or say anything that might risk them going elsewhere for their work.
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 allof our interests. We want to assist you in having a conversation about the benefits of MBC with potential clients and suppliers.
Every conversation will be different and for those conversations to be effective you will need to be authentic and to really believe in what you are saying. As with any important conversation, it is very helpful to take the time beforehand to think through what your objectives are for 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 throughout.
We set out below some ideas to help you start a conversation about your membership of the MBC and introduce the principles of the Charter to a potential client or supplier. 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 you have done it once, it tends to be easier the next time.
In addition to the ideas set out below, you might find it helpful to refer to the written materials we have put together for emails and proposals which are in the “Communication templates” section under Resources in the members area of the website. You may also wish to watch the short videos onthe MBC website to get some inspiration. As a signatory you can register for the Members area using your work email address. If you have any problems accessingit then please email richard@mindulbusinesscharter.comor info@mindfulbusinesscharter.comfor support.
The suggestions below are intended to work, by and large,for suppliers as well as clients – you might need to adapt them a little – but for suppliers please know that we have tested them out with clients, and they have given them their endorsement.
Template 1
“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. Please take a look at www.mindfulbusinesscharter.com for more information.
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.”
[Let me give you an example – as a team we made the decision to [e.g. avoid having meetings over lunch time/ to reduce the volume of emails outside of office hours]. It has made a material difference to how we work together and how we feel. It doesn’t mean we can’t ever [meet over lunchor 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 and more mindful that is at the heart of the Charter.]
Template 2
“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. Please take a look at www.mindfulbusinesscharter.com for more information.
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.”
[Let me give you an example – as a team we made the decision to [e.g. avoid having meetings over lunch time/ to reduce the volume of emails outside of office hours]. It has made a material difference to how we work together and how we feel. It doesn’t mean we can’t ever [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 and more mindful that is at the heart of the Charter.]
Template 3
“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. As part of our broader commitment to that we are signatories to the Mindful Business Charter. Please take a look at www.mindfulbusinesscharter.com for more information.
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. 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.
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.”
[Let me give you an example – as a team we made the decision to [e.g. avoid having meetings over lunch time/ to reduce the volume of emails outside of office hours]. It has made a material difference to how we work together and how we feel. It doesn’t mean we can’t ever [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 and more mindful that is at the heart of the Charter.]
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