World Economic Forum Book Club discussion

Chapter 9: Beginner's mind: From a blank page to the same page

Who meditates here? Today's chapter looks at how meditation has helped Marc Benioff not only personally, but also professionally in dealing with Salesforce. We all tend to ignore problems and hope they resolve themselves. By June 2018, our author had too many of these problems. His schedule was too hectic, he wasn't spending enough time with his family and friends, and most importantly, did not have time to think.

He decided to book a true digital detox. A two-week holiday with his wife, leaving his phone and iPad back home. Even though he meditates daily, it just feels as if he goes right back to the races once it's finished. "Turns out it's incredibly difficult to scale back when everything seems urgent and important." And he loves job, he's passionate - which makes it even harder to disconnect.

This is why he believes taking a long step back from everything and approaching it with a "beginner's mind" is a way of "opening yourself to curiosity, gratitude and learning." Letting go of the pre-conceived ideas we have and starting fresh. He writes that he hardly is the first CEO to preach mindfulness, but it truly has become "an essential business strategy."

This two week detox helped bring up a solution which had been lurking at the back of his head for months. He was to make Keith Block, Salesforce's COO, a co-CEO of the company.

"If I was to maintain my sanity and be the kind of leader Salesforce deserved, I would need Keith to step up and lead the company with me."
This would mean giving up some control, but as he unplugged and meditated on his time off, he realised he could delegate and trust the people around him more.

Do you meditate? Does it help you clear you mind? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to comment your questions for Marc Benioff!