Staying in the Flow

Most of the time in business we lead with our heads. We must evolve as leaders by becoming more creative, compassionate and courageous – so important within organisations, teams and personally.

The latest research in neuroscience (see mbraining.com) shows we have three “brains” that allow us to do just that. We have complex, adaptive and fully functional neural networks, or brains, in our heart, our gut and our head. Each intelligence brain has diferent wants and needs, and when out of balance will create things like stress, confict, mental burnout, fear and anxiety – which aren’t conducive to high performance. BEING IN THE FLOW When athletes and coaches are “in the fow”, they are alert, calm and focused, allowing them to perform at a consistent level, and remain

ADRIAN HALES (FISM) is a professionally certifed mBIT trainer and coach. He is an expert in overcoming stress and burnout, rectifying underperformance, and increasing motivation and confdence. He works with new and developing managers, and directors and executives, to help them become compassionate, creative, courageous leaders. Email him at inspired@adrianhales.com or visit adrianhales.com balanced when doing so. It allows them to excel consistently, makes them more resilient, and increases their wellbeing.

Imagine you are a ship sailing for a new destination, and in order to reach it you must remain calm, focused and alert so you make constant progress. Now, imagine that the wind blows only slowly and gently – you won’t reach your destination quickly enough. Next, imagine the wind picking up and throwing you around – pushing you of course and causing fear and anxiety. For you to reach your destination in good time, while remaining stable, you want wind that is neither too slow, nor too fast, but balanced between the two.

Flow is the balance between what the Chinese refer to as Yin and Yang. Staying on that balanced path is what they call Tao or Dao. You’ll know when you have been in the fow – perhaps when you last experienced doing a task and time fying by? Or when everything you

seem to touch just works? You are “in the zone”, performing at your best, in control and excited by the progress you are making. WHAT TAKES US OUT OF FLOW? We all have basic human needs – to be accepted, to be liked, to feel secure, to be valued for the work we do, and to feel equal. When these needs are not met, the by-products are negative feelings, underperformance and job insecurity. This creates a lack of trust, reduced confdence and inaction. Because we are following our head, and our three brains are not in sync, we leave a trail of misaligned values, broken relationships, unfulflling work, confict and fear for our security and identity. We have lost our way as teams and leaders.

HOW DO WE REMAIN IN THE FLOW? Sometimes leaders will say, “My team is just not good enough.” But change starts with leadership, because a basic human need is to follow a hierarchy. So, if you are a leader in business, a new manager or an aspiring manager, it’s important for you to prioritise your own personal and professional development.

Numerous studies in neuroscience, behavioural modelling and positive psychology have proved that using your three brains allows you to be more efective and aligns your energies so you remain in the fow. You can use memories and feelings to craft alignment and improve your ability to make decisions.

Imagine you could operate at your highest expression, wisdom and decision-making ability. What could that mean for you personally or your team in business? Here are some things I do to create and maintain fow and peak performance: l Meditation – focus on being still and breathe in and out. When your mind wanders, bring your focus back to the present moment with the breath. Notice how the breath feels on your lips. Aim for 5 to 10 minutes to start with l Yoga – this stimulates your autonomic nervous system (ANS) through challenging holds and positions, ensuring you stay balanced, focused and calm l Breathing – our ANS is what enables us to be in fow. Access this by breathing in for 4 to 6 seconds, and breathing out for the same amount of time, for about 5 minutes in total. After this, you will notice you are in a state of calm alertness l Health and ftness – it’s important you have ftness sessions that challenge you and keep you in peak physical condition, building your physical and mental resilience. You should ebb and fow between challenging sessions and those that regenerate you, such as swimming and stretching l Personal development – ensure you are not an analogue leader in a digital age; there are countless courses, blogs, videos and qualifcations, so ensure you prioritise this to enable you to change, grow and transform, so you can continue to excel l Coaching – learning to develop your team should be a priority because your people have untapped potential. Coaching enables you to navigate and guide them to higher performance. What books and courses could you go on? And how will you apply that new knowledge? l Values alignment – ensure you understand what your unconscious motivators are for each member of your team, and build those values into your mission to create alignment and motivation throughout the team l Feedback loop – when we don’t have a feedback loop it creates burnout, so ensure people know specifcally what they have to do to be successful, and how they, and you, will know when they get there. In team meetings, ensure you create open discussion and, instead of seeing criticism as negative, ask yourself what is being learnt, how you will share your feedback, and how people want to receive that feedback.

CONDUCT YOUR OWN MBIT PROCESS

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are in a calm and focused state (see the guidance on breathing on this page). Start by asking what you want more clarity on:

1. THE HEART BRAIN: WHAT DOES MY HEART TRULY WANT?

Highest expression is compassion Prime functions: EMOTIONS – How does this make me feel? How do I want to feel? VALUES – What’s important to me? What conflict am I experiencing? RELATIONAL EFFECT – How can I connect with this person? What do I desire?

2. THE HEAD BRAIN: WHAT DO I REALLY KNOW?

Highest expression is creativity Prime functions: THINKING – Is this useful or not useful? Is this true? How do I know? What stories am I holding on to? What new stories could I create? COGNITIVE PERCEPTION – What is my perception? What are others’ perceptions of me? MEANING MAKING – What does this really mean?

3. THE GUT BRAIN: WHO AM I DEEPLY BEING?

Highest expression is courage Prime functions: CORE IDENTITY – Who am I? What do I identify with? SELF-PRESERVATION – What needs are not being met? What needs, if met, would I identify with most? MOBILISATION – What actions could I take? What’s stopping me? What could I do instead?

For each question, note useful insights and positive learnings you see, hear, feel and sense. What do you feel like doing differently?

Note: mBIT = multiple brain integration techniques