Search Inside Yourself

A Profound, Practical & Accessible Approach to Mindfulness & Emotional Intelligence

Much of contemporary mindfulness is based on the newly emerged field of “contemplative neuroscience,” which looks at the effects in the brain and overall health of contemplative practices such as different forms of meditation and mindfulness. In the contemporary mindfulness practices such as those offered through the “Search Inside Yourself” curriculum, many of the exercises and skill building are derived from this neuroscience basis and are adapted for the full, busy lives people are living in the contemporary moment. The mindfulness skills that are taught in SIY, in other words, are highly practical and accessible. The goal of SIY as a contemporary set of mindfulness practices is greater well-being, thriving, sustainable high performance (at work) and leadership.

“Search Inside Yourself” (SIY) was originally a mindfulness and emotional intelligence curriculum developed to help employees thrive in the midst of a very dynamic, fast paced and complex culture. In 2012, the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) was spun off from Google as an independent non-profit educational institution in response to high external demand for the SIY program and tools. Today SIYLI operates in over 50 countries and is taught to tens of thousands of people every year, including being continually offered at Google.

SIYLI’s mission is to make science-based mindfulness and emotional intelligence skills practical and accessible. That means by definition SIYLI operates across sectors, cultures and traditions. SIYLI’s success comes about in large part because it draws on neuroscience as a foundation for the development of the useful mental habits and skills such as mindfulness and emotional intelligence that can be accessed during everyday work and life. Grounding SIY in science and the application of mindfulness in everyday work and life situations (for example, in handling difficult conversations or negotiations) gives it a universal and practical language. It also grounds the curriculum in very strong evidence-based practices that nurture both brain changes and personal transformation.

One important outcome of SIY is increased emotional intelligence, which means greater self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. These qualities are especially important for leaders to possess, at a time when our personal lives are completely saturated with information overload and overwhelm, and when our organizations are experiencing rapid change or growth, such as Google (where SIY was developed).

SIY builds the skills of mindfulness and emotional intelligence in a way that is practical and accessible for busy working professionals and leaders and helps them navigate complexity and change while managing and leading themselves and others effectively.

The SIY curriculum has been delivered for over 10 years now in over 50 countries around the world. The effects of SIY are measured pre- and post-program, and some of our client organizations have measured the sustained effects as far as 6 months after training. We have found some statistically significant changes in participant’s reported levels of performance effectiveness, leadership and wellness as a result of the program. Some outcomes include:

• SIY Participants reported a greater ability to focus and optimize their mental state. In terms of prioritization for example, 49% of pre-program participants report that they take time to prioritize versus 71% post program.
• SIY Participants reported greater resilience and mental readiness to meet daily challenges: for example, 34% reported being able to bounce back after a challenging situation pre-program, versus 60% post-program
• SIY participants reported increased ability to maintain calm and poise in challenging situations, from 34% pre-program to 60% post-program

We also have some very compelling case study and return-on-investment data and the value of SIY to organizations. One of our major client is SAP, the German enterprise software company. Every year we put thousands of their employees through the SIY curriculum, and the outcomes are quite compelling. We know for instances that SIY participants report 6.5% greater employee engagement, 9.2% better well being, 13.8% better ability to focus, -7.6% less stress, 6.9% better communication and 5.2% better collaboration pre versus post SIY. SAP has indicated there is a 200% return on investment on SIY and mindfulness programming. And SAP was recently voted one of best places to work in the world. Mindfulness isn’t just a “nice to have” offering, it makes good business sense.

Whether you are interested in either personal transformation or professional development or both, SIY has much to offer. The mindfulness and emotional intelligence skills you will learn in SIY are at once profound and also practical and accessible. We hope you will join us for this extended session of SIY at the Garrison Institute. The very special session will be co-lead by SIYLI CEO Rich Fernandez, the former director of executive education at Google and one of the earliest teachers and co-creators of the SIY curriculum.

To learn more about the March 13-15, 2020 “Search Inside Yourself” program led by Rich Fernandez and Heather Jelks, please click here.