Makers Mindful Coder Series: Week 6 — Dream Team
A 9 part series of Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence topics from our Daily Meditation sessions at Makers. Take a sneak peak into what our learners experience.
Welcome to Week 6 of our meditation journey, where we explore the powerful intersection of teamwork and mindfulness.
As we delve into this week’s topics, we’ll look at how combining skilful teamwork with the principles of mindfulness can create an optimal environment for teams to thrive, especially in a dynamic setting like Makers coding Bootcamp. This week we covered the following topics:
Embracing ‘Beginner’s Mind’ in Teamwork
When our learners start Makers they are all beginners, which can be challenging in itself, sometimes more so as a career change. We invite them to embrace the mindfulness concept of ‘beginner’s mind’ which is to approach situations with openness, curiosity, and a lack of preconceptions — this can help to stave off unnecessary pressure and nurture a growth mindset.
In the realm of teamwork, adopting ‘beginner’s mind’ means embracing the unknown and being receptive to new ideas and perspectives. This helps to foster creativity, encourage collaboration, and paves the way for innovative solutions.
By letting go of ego reactions and welcoming fresh insights, learners can navigate challenges more effectively and achieve greater cohesion.
“The journey of learning to code in a team is a shared adventure, where each milestone reached is a testament to the power of collaboration and mutual support.”
Cultivating Patience and Persistence
Patience and persistence are two virtues that are often tested in a team setting, especially in Makers where complex problems require time and dedication to solve.
Mindfulness practices help cultivate these qualities by teaching us to remain present, stay focused, and endure through challenges without becoming overwhelmed.
By integrating mindfulness into our teamwork, we learn to approach tasks with patience, celebrate small victories, and persistently work towards our shared goals.
Fostering Open Communication
Approaching teamwork mindfully means being aware of when and how to communicate. Open communication is the lifeblood of effective teamwork. Whether you are working with your pair on a challenging piece of code or planning out a team project before you dive into the work, clear open communication helps optimise the experience for everyone.
By developing open communication learners utilise tools like active listening, expressing themselves clearly, and engaging with empathy. This results in increased effectiveness and responsiveness to the needs and capacity of the team by fostering more trust and awareness.
Building Empathy and Understanding
Empathy and understanding are essential ingredients for building strong relationships within a team. Mindfulness practices help cultivate these qualities by encouraging us to connect with our own emotions and the experiences of others.
By developing empathy, learners can better support each other through challenges, collaborate more effectively, and build a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
Reflecting on Growth
It’s useful to reflect on the growth and personal development that occurs when these two concepts are combined. By integrating mindfulness into our teamwork, learners not only enhance their collective performance but also foster individual growth.
We see it over and over again at Makers, teams that embrace a mindful approach are better equipped to adapt to change, overcome obstacles, and achieve their goals, both as a collective and as individuals.
This week’s reflection questions:
- How can embracing a beginner’s mind in future team interactions enhance your collaboration and problem-solving?
- How will patience and persistence influence your team’s approach to challenges and projects moving forward?
- In what ways can you improve open communication within your team to enhance collaboration?
- What steps can you take to build empathy and understanding within your team, and how will this impact your work together?
- What lessons have you learned from this week’s teamwork, and how can these insights inform your strategies and goals in the future?
At Makers, we support the holistic growth of our learners. While honing technical skills, integrating a thoughtful and intentional approach to teamwork is key in creating success.
This week’s exploration of the synergy between teamwork and mindfulness aims to empower our learners to foster not only coding expertise but also be equipped with the collaborative and mindful mindset to navigate the bootcamp as well as their future careers with joy and confidence.
See you for the next instalment — “Wellbeing and Joy”
Makers Joy Team
