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Neuroplasticity & Performance: Your Brain’s Superpower

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Your adaptable and agile team is able to hurdle whatever arises along the way. Promoting proper maintenance for the brain, however, will help you extend your endurance for the marathon.

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Neuroplasticity is crucial because it underscores the brain’s incredible ability to adjust. It is a foundation of our ability to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

What is Neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s remarkable ability to restructure itself by forming and reorganizing synaptic connections between neurons. This process involves changes in synaptic strength (synaptic plasticity), the physical reorganization of the brain’s structure through the creation of new neurons and connections (structural plasticity), and the brain’s ability to redistribute functions in response to injury (functional reorganization).

In essence, neuroplasticity allows the brain to adapt, learn, and recover by altering its neural pathways, forming new connections, and sometimes even relocating functions to different areas. This adaptability is fundamental to learning, memory, and recovery from injuries, indicating that the brain is not a static organ but a highly adaptable and dynamic one.

Neuroplasticity is likened to your brain being a super-flexible muscle. When you practice something your brain changes and gets better at that thing.

Think of it like this: when you learn something new, your brain makes connections between brain cells. It’s like building roads between cities so they can be traveled between. The more you practice or learn, the stronger these connections get.

Practical Points

General health practices (good sleep, eating healthy, making time for exercise, etc.) are great for the brain’s neuroplasticity, but what are some others?

Play Chess and Learn to Juggle

Even if you’re unable to finish a game of chess, but only able to start one (on one of the many available and free resources), engaging with this type of problem solving has proven to be excellent for our brains. Not convinced? There is compelling research detailing the difference in brain matter of those who do not play chess and those who are highly skilled at it. It seems to be a worthy investment of free time. 

There is also research that juggling, as a dual-task activity, can strengthen the brain’s abilities to be neuroplastic. It might be time to store that set of juggling balls in your desk drawer for between tasks.

Journaling and Reflective Writing

Maintain a journal where you regularly reflect on your experiences, decisions, and leadership challenges. Writing about your thoughts and feelings can promote self-awareness and emotional processing, both of which are associated with increased neuroplasticity. This practice can also help you gain insights into your leadership style and identify areas for improvement.

Implementing a New Status Quo

We have heard of the wonders of meditation and mindfulness, but it can be quite difficult to make time for them. Here is a new angle to consider. By taking time out of your busy life to calm your mind, you are hard wiring in neural pathways to return back to that state. This means, when life gets tough, you will have an easier time ziplining back to some degree of that state you experience when you slow down, listen to yourself, and focus on something simple like your breath.

Adopt a Growth Mindset

Make it a habit to reframe obstacles as learning experiences. This shift in perspective can make it easier to adapt to change, overcome challenges, and habitually form strong new synaptic connections.

Creative Hobbies, Lean into Them

It can be easy to discount a creative hobby with so many other things to do. When we’re aware that these hobbies are helping keep our brain strong, we may have more motivation to pursue creative hobbies such as painting, music, writing, or crafting. These activities spur on creativity and divergent thinking, promoting the formation of new neural pathways associated with innovation and problem-solving.

Taking Stress Reduction Seriously

It can be hard to believe there’s a good reason to stop and intentionally reduce our stress when there are many important things that need to be done. It only seems to slow us down. However, when we understand that we’re rewiring towards a more positive status quo, even in the face of stressful activities, we may find reason to take our stress reduction journey more seriously.

Purpose Driven Brain Formation

It helps to have a strong reason behind your pursuit. If you have an interest to make a change, cement new habits, and reinforce growth, it is worthwhile to attach a reason to it. Do it for your wife, children, and their future, or for your future earnings potential, or for your community, or for all three. When you make it concrete in your being why you’re engaging with this hard work, you will find yourself able to sustain it over the long run. The stronger and clearer the purpose, the greater dividends it will pay.

Having good habits at the ready to implement is a good way to stay ahead of the curve. Instead of trying to steer away from a negative habit, have a task ready to begin practicing and you’ll rewire your brain towards the new habit, overwriting the bad one.

Neuroplasticity in and of itself is not inherently good, it is dependent on what habits we mold our brain around. If you have been getting out of bed on the first alarm every morning for the past 20 days, keep it up, you’ll surely rewire your brain even more after 200 days. If you pick your nails while nervous, try to end the habit now. The more you continue the more you’ll wire in and strengthen that negative response to stress.

Uncovering your brain’s potential is a roadmap for upgrade and resilience in every facet of your life.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

Lifelong Learning, No Longer a Chore

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Lifelong learning is not a continuation of high school, it’s the creation of your own university.

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Our learning builds assets, for ourselves personally, for the organizations we work for, and for our future earning potentials. When soaking in the world’s lessons and learning opportunities, we become better at value creation and realization.

The thought of continuous learning may conjure images of tedious routines and forcing in information. We then may be tempted to perceive it as a tiresome chore. What if we could reframe this perspective and discover that continuous learning can be an organic, enjoyable, and intrinsic part of our leadership journey?

Key to this process is shifting our focus from the notion of ‘forced learning’ to ‘self-motivated learning.’ It is a transformation that centers around our core interests, which greatly helps fuel the development of a more versatile skill set.

There are many ways to learn beyond formal learning, let’s begin:

Learning Styles to Fit Your Needs

Allow your learning to be a multifaceted process that adjusts to your needs. There are three major styles of learning:

Formal (such as an established course, a training program, a workshop, etc.)

Social (can be formal or informal, such as discussion and collaboration, coaching & mentoring, on-the-job training programs, blog reading & email exchange, etc.)

Self-directed (such as researching & reading, podcasts or instructional videos, journaling for further clarity and insight, experimentation & exploration of learning possibilities, etc.)

Practical Implementation

Embrace Microlearning

Break your learning into smaller, digestible chunks. Microlearning involves short, focused learning activities that can easily fit into your daily routine. It can be as simple as watching a standalone 10-minute video (or a video as part of a series), reading an article, or solving a quick problem related to your learning goals.

Mentorship

Seek out mentors or advisors who can guide your learning journey. A mentor can help you set goals, provide feedback, and offer valuable advice based on their experience. This one-on-one interaction can be a powerful catalyst for your growth.

Set Clear Learning Goals

Define your learning objectives. What specific knowledge or skills do you want to acquire or improve? Having clear goals helps you stay focused and motivated for a long road.

Allocate Time for Learning:

Schedule dedicated time for learning in your daily or weekly routine. Treat it with the same level of importance as other valued tasks.

Practice Reflective Learning

After learning something new, take a moment to reflect on how it can be applied to your role, organization, or general life. This helps cement your understanding and ensures practical application.

The Small Wins

Acknowledge your achievements, even the small ones. Recognizing your progress and successes will keep you motivated and reinforce the joy of learning.

Examples of Success

Warren Buffett’s Reading Routine

Buffett attributes a large part of his success to his reading habits. He reads between 500 and 1,000 pages per day, absorbing information on a wide array of topics, including business, history, and psychology. His lifelong diverse reading habit has shaped his investment strategies, insights, and decision-making. Committing to a reading regiment is emulating Warren Buffett.

Jeff Bezos’s Customer-Centric Learning

Jeff Bezos insists on starting with the customer and working backward to develop products and services. His customer-centric approach involves constant learning about customer preferences and needs. Successful leaders can be like Bezos by prioritizing customer feedback and learning directly from the end users.

Fitting Subjects & Your Personal Enthusiasm

When you identify which subjects are the most fitting for your present self & future direction, your enthusiasm will naturally pour in. This formula is the secret to your journey taking off strong and remaining sustainable.

Uncovering what you’re naturally drawn to & interested in is the right start. Narrowing down your options and choosing that which makes practical sense for your future direction is the closer.

When we are organically interested in a subject, the learning happens with less friction and more regularly. Choosing your subject matter is the keystone to a successful start. 

Long Term Vantage Point

Imagine yourself 2, 5 or 10 years down the road, after having invested a couple hours per month (or more) on a subject of interest to you. You will be connecting to this field of study more easily and naturally. You will be bringing new insights to the table and connecting them to your work, forming helpful ideas for your team, and holding a deeper understanding of the matter. 

It doesn’t take a massive scheduling investment to integrate a new field into one’s life.

The Unseen Progress

An intriguing aspect of organic learning is that it often goes unnoticed. It’s the gradual accumulation of knowledge and skills that occur in the background, like slow plant growth in a forest. You may not realize it, but you are constantly evolving and becoming a better leader as you delve deeper into your interests and engage in the world around you.

What About the Bottom Line?

Learning may directly contribute to the bottom line in some cases, while indirectly in others. There are many benefits to keep in mind when developing a culture of learning at your organization: enhanced innovation and problem-solving, improved employee performance, competitive advantages, talent attraction and retention, better customer understanding, scalability and expansion capabilities, risk mitigation, more efficient decision-making, cost reduction, revenue diversification, and many others.

Learning is an investment worth the returns.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

Elevate Your Speech, Elevate Your Organization

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The impact of our speech cannot be overstated.

The way we communicate daily significantly influences the dynamics within an organization. While many might associate elevated speech with the grand stages of public speaking, it’s essential to recognize the pivotal role of our everyday interactions. If teams are constantly speaking about the pitfalls ahead, they will be highlighted and overly focused on. If, however, those same teams speak about, and work towards, the successes to be earned ahead, the pitfalls along the way will be seen as obstacles to hurdle over.

Let us delve into the importance of everyday speech, how it shapes us, and practical approaches for improvement.

Our Speech Guides Our Focus

The words we choose to articulate hold a profound influence over the collective focus of any organization. Our speech molds the tone of discussions, dictates the trajectory of decisions, and shapes the direction of actions. Through intentional language, we have the power to positively illuminate objectives, kindle innovation, and steer attention toward pivotal matters. Conversely, thoughtless or careless speech can lead to confusion, discord, and misuse of precious resources. It is imperative to recognize that when we communicate, we are not merely conveying information; we are sculpting the path that our organization will travel.

Professional Approach While Still Allowing for Meaningful Connection

Striking the right balance between professionalism and meaningful connection is crucial. Achieving this equilibrium lies in how you communicate. Maintaining a professional demeanor is foremost, but it does not necessitate sacrificing empathy or authenticity. The most effective communicators are those who can convey professionalism while being approachable and relatable. This balance ensures that respect and trust are nurtured, paving the way for collaboration and a harmonious work environment.

Stronger Confidence

Confidence is not solely a natural quality, it can be cultivated and enhanced through speech. Our internal confidence is often reflected through our speech; however, our speech also influences our internal confidence. Owning our words and conveying them with certainty has a profound impact.

Noticing Speed, Tone, and Inflection

The subtleties of speech go beyond the choice of words. Speed, tone, and inflection are also vital aspects of effective communication. Pay close attention to how you deliver your message. Are you speaking too quickly or too slowly? Is your tone conveying enthusiasm or apathy? Are you using the right inflection to emphasize key points? Recognizing and adjusting these elements can significantly impact how your words are received.

Noticing for Yourself How You Sound

Self-awareness regarding your speech is indispensable. Take the time to notice how you sound. Recording your conversations or presentations and listening to them can offer valuable insights. You may notice patterns in your speech regarding subject matter, time of day, set & setting, and physical & emotional state. For now, take note of factors that affect you positively and those that hinder your performance. Self-awareness allows you to identify areas for improvement, refine your communication style, and ensure that your words align with your intended message.

Practicing

Enhancing speech is an ongoing journey. If you’d like to be communicating differently, actively working on communication skills could make the difference. Whether it is for general communication, a specific conversation, public speaking, team meetings, or self-talk, you may feel comfortable in one setting, while wishing to avoid another. Noticing what works and translating those skills could help strengthen weaker areas.

Practice helps you develop the fluency and confidence needed to communicate effectively. It’s not about rehearsing a script, but about being prepared to communicate with clarity in a multitude of situations.

Clarity in Speech

Being understood is one of the initial steps. If it is a matter of enunciation, try practicing over-enunciation on various sounds and example words. As you enter into normal conversation, you may find that the exaggerated practice has trained your mouth to speak more accurately.

Celebrating Successes

Leadership is not solely about correcting mistakes but also about celebrating successes. Positive reinforcement through speech can be a game-changer. A simple “great job” or “thank you” can have a profound impact on employee morale and create a ripple effect.

Being Okay With Silence in Communication

Silence can be a powerful tool in communication. There is often a tendency to fill every moment with words, but silence can create space for reflection, deeper understanding, and more thoughtful responses. Being comfortable with moments of silence demonstrates confidence and respect for others in the conversation. It’s a subtle yet impactful aspect of elevated speech.

The power of speech within an organization is not limited by your role. Your daily interactions shape the culture and success of your company. By focusing on your speech, you can guide and reinforce your organization’s focus in a positive direction and promote healthy practices.

When we think of “upgraded speaking,” we may be tempted to focus on public speaking, but our speech, arguably, makes a bigger impact on ourselves than the people around us.

Speech can be seen as an active compass and directional guidance. In other words, speech helps us program ourselves; that which what we speak about, we focus on, align ourselves with, and help bring further to fruition.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

Navigating Fears and Concerns for Long-Term Success

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Often perceived as stumbling blocks on the path to success, setbacks can be transformed into the very fuel that propels leaders and their organizations forward.

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Fear is fuel for growth.

Whether you are feeling fear of technological disruption, market competition, financial instability, current leadership, reputational damage, talent shortages, regulatory changes, or something else, handling the concern in an upgraded manner could help bear fruit in previously unplanned ways. Embrace fear as an engine for innovation, driving the organization to explore uncharted waters with confidence. When you exude confidence to your team about the potentials ahead, they will reflect this notion and become excited about the opportunities ahead.

Let us explore principles that will empower us to work with our fears and concerns, to transform the present into a better situation than before the concern arrived.

Acknowledge Fear’s Alarming Advantages

Fear often arises when we venture into an unknown territory, signaling an opportunity for growth.

Understandably, an initial step is healthy acknowledgement. Further than this, effectively recognizing the potential benefits may release pressure from our perspective on it. Effective recognition includes building systems to allow for teams to proactively act upon arising concerns, as will be discussed further on in the article. 

Fostering Fear’s Transformative Power

It’s critical to create a culture where employees feel comfortable expressing their worries without fear of retribution. Encourage open and honest dialogue, turning fear into a catalyst for positive transformation. By providing a space for team members to voice their concerns, decision makers can gain valuable insights into current and potential pitfalls.

Each organization will have different needs to make this space a reality, explore and discuss with your peers and leadership teams as to what kinds of implementations will make this become a reality. Some may find that an anonymous suggestion box, read regularly and followed up upon, to be the right direction; other teams may find that a monthly gathering specifically intended to discuss concerns within the company may be the best option.

The Power of Perspective

Leaders must develop upon their knack for zooming out and examining the big picture when occurrences threaten to pull the ship under. Challenges, when viewed through the lens of the macro-level, often reveal new opportunities. Understand that difficulties are not permanent roadblocks but temporary detours on the path to success. Leaders who remain steadfast in their commitment to the long-term vision can steer through the storm.

Accounts seated in investments are often instructed not to pull holdings when a potential fear arises; we can use this as a framework to keep ourselves centered, that the future will have ups and downs. Staying centered now will give us the best footing for success later on.

Harness Collective Wisdom

Leverage the collective intelligence within your organization. Encouraging collaboration will allow for diverse perspectives to shine through. By engaging the collective wisdom of your team, leaders can tap into fresh ideas and innovative solutions that may not have been apparent when facing obstacles in isolation.

Communicate a Clear Vision

One of the most potent tools for combating fears and concerns is a clear and inspiring vision. Effective leaders articulate a compelling long-term objective that rallies the team, even in rough waters. This vision serves to guide the ship through uncertainty.

Adapt and Innovate

Leaders who are open to pivoting, adjusting strategies, and embracing innovation in response to challenges can navigate the ship through turbulent seas. Change and adaptation should be seen, not as signs of weakness, but as proof of resilience and leadership. Fears and concerns can be powerful forces of adaptability.

Resilience, as a North Star

In moments of adversity, leaders must demonstrate that resilience is their guiding North Star. By cultivating resilience within themselves and their teams, leaders can ensure that the ship endures the storms and emerges stronger on the other side. Developing and understanding how an individual and a team will demonstrate this will be key for moving forward effectively.

A ship doesn’t need to travel the optimal path for every moment of the journey in order to be successful. More realistically, it is expected to travel the general direction towards the goal while being corrected along the way. We can step back from the specific situation at hand and consider how it will guide us through the waters we are navigating. We can allow ourselves to settle more successfully into our wider ranging perspective, where we’re no longer derailed by the current circumstances.

Leaders who can harness potential and remain focused on the long-term vision are best equipped to traverse unexpected circumstances. They understand that fear, when approached with the right perspective, becomes a powerful ally rather than an adversary. In practicing and developing our connection with this, we ensure that the ship remains on course, riding the waves of adversity, rather than feeling pushed away by them.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

Managing Information Overload Efficiently

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A newspaper has large sheets filled with loads of tiny font, why is this not like today’s information overload?

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Intuitively we understand the answer to this question, those printed articles are not being launched at us (unless we were standing outside, decades ago, and somebody was slinging it at our front door).

It is important to stay up to date and to be continuously learning, however, how we do so will make all the difference.

As we know very well, dealing with the constant influx of information from various platforms and sources can be overwhelming. Let’s better manage this by employing a combination of these and your own strategies:

Set Clear Goals

Define your objectives and what you aim to achieve by consuming information. Having clear goals will help you stay focused on relevant content.

Practice Information Triage

Quickly scan information to identify key points, and decide whether to delve deeper or move on. The Eisenhower Matrix (urgent/important) can help prioritize tasks and information.

Set Information Boundaries

Be assertive in what you choose to consume and for how long. Avoid falling into information rabbit holes.

Prioritize Your Information Sources

Identify the most valuable and relevant sources for your personal and professional needs. Unsubscribe or unfollow sources that don’t provide significant value.

Set Specific Information Consumption Times

Designate specific times during the day for checking and processing information, such as morning and afternoon “information breaks.” Avoid constant multitasking.

Create a Filtering System

Use email filters, social media lists, and news aggregators to sort and prioritize information. Categorize content based on its importance and relevance. Not everything that is shared needs to be read, even by sources you gain value from. Even this article if you’re already content with this skillset!

Develop Information Consumption Rituals

Establish a routine for managing your information, ensuring that it becomes a structured part of your daily life, and that you’re able to stay level-headed throughout consumption. For those who need to read lots in a short amount of time, reading beforehand may prepare the brain for information intake. For those who may be overwhelmed by news headlines, practicing meditation beforehand may be an effective intro. Tailor your routine to your needs.

Limit Notifications

Disable non-essential notifications on your devices. Only allow notifications from apps and sources that are essential to your immediate needs. Allow yourself the option to go and retrieve that which you need, when you need it, without overloading yourself from the outset.

Employ the Pomodoro Technique

Use time management techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves focused work intervals (e.g., 25 minutes) followed by short breaks. This can help maintain productivity while managing distractions.

Stay Present

If we are lost in streams of information, we may reinforce our behavior by telling ourselves that what we’re doing and reading is important. Develop your own mindfulness techniques to stay present and avoid getting lost in a constant barrage of information. When needed, don’t be afraid to employ your own technique to help you recenter and regain focus.

Use Information Management Tools

Utilize tools like note-taking apps, task managers, and bookmarks to save and organize information for later reference. That piece may be important to read, but it may not be important to read right now.

Unplug Regularly

Allocate time to disconnect from all digital devices to recharge and reduce information overload. This reset is invaluable and can be felt physically as well as mentally and emotionally.

Learning How to Learn

Invest time in improving your information management skills. There are courses, books, and seminars available that can help you become more efficient in handling information.

Declutter Regularly

Periodically review and clean up your information sources, unsubscribing or unfollowing any that are no longer relevant or useful. Actively associating with or not associating with a source will also guide you on what your priorities are.

Effective information management is a continuous process and it’s important to adapt your strategies as your needs change.

Let us regain control over the constant information flow and use it advantageously.

Let us keep centered, read, and grow in the directions that are the most fitting.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

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