Your Leading Brain - Swimming 101 & Our New Chief of Staff

In the New York times on Sunday, January 25, there is an article on Rahm Emanuel and his role in the Obama administration. Of course, the thing I am paying attention to, as an executive coach of leaders who are facing the same integration issues (albeit under a slightly less global spotlight), is how he is integrating into his role.

We have a very public canvas upon which to see how all of the Administration members slide into, adapt, and perform as they create the great art that is global politics.

As with the President, Rahm appears to work out - a lot. A former ballet dancer, according to the article, he also exercises and influences a great deal in the gym and he...swims. A mile at a time, so says the reporter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/us/politics/25emanuel.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=sunday%20rahm%20emmanuel&st=cse

Those of you who are not swimmers will probably stop reading here. But I encourage you to read on. Those of you who are swimmers, immediately appreciate how I take notice of this fact that Rahm swims. He's in your club. Those of you who are beginning competitive swimmers, as I am, sit up a bit straighter. You, like me, may ask yourself,

"Does he swim straight, with his arms over a barrel, and maintain momentum, and flick his hips... or does he sink with each stroke?"

Swimming, to me, is somehow a more honest effort of maintaining momentum than running. Both can be very difficult sports. However, once you start swimming, you have to keep swimming harder in order to maintain your initial momentum and not allow your hips to sink in the water. You can't stop, if you want to compete. You actually have to keep trying harder as the swimming gets harder, and unlike running, where you can slow down to grab a cup of water...pausing in swimming actually undercuts your momentum so that your next stroke is even harder.

So the lesson - work hard, then harder, then harder still, just to keep the momentum of your initial strong start. There is no - pause.

Paradoxically, you also have to lengthen, flatten, and rotate your body, so that you are peddling yourself as if your body is a surf board. It's the constant kick, combined movement and stretch of both arms, and pull through the water in coordination with your breathing, that creates the beautiful lines of a swimmer in the water.

It takes a tremendous amount of work to achieve that grace. And I, after a year of swimming, am no where near it. Full disclosure.

The NYT article mentioned Rahm's swimming, but the reporter apparently didn't swim with Rahm to see how he swam. Just as executives can learn a great deal from their own composure in a game of golf, so can they learn a great deal from how someone swims. How much effort. How much grace.

Swimming is an honest sport, especially if you try to swim fast. It can take years to master the art of your body in water, just as it may take years to master any physical art form.

There are few other sports, however, will teach you flexibility, strength, and grace under pressure, than preparing for an open water swim.

What's hard about appreciating swimming is that as a spectator, you only see the arms, and occassionally the head, especially if you don't know what else to look for. Like politics, you wonder what's going on beneath the surface.
Watching Rahm swim would have told us something about how he maintains his momentum after he gets tired.

As Chief of Staff, and the point that the article was also making, is that it's likely he'll need to keep swimming hard, harder and even harder still, if he wants to maintain grace in the office.

Food For Thought: Review of "The Corporate Athlete"

In the first of many book reviews on the subject of leading and endurance, I am going to start with the obvious first choice: The Corporate Athlete: How to Achieve Maximal Performance in Business and Life, by Jack L. Groppel (Author), and with support from Bob Andelman (Author).

Don't read this book unless you have already started working out.

In fact, the Corporate Athlete is not just a book, for some it's a way of life. Acquired in 2008 by Johnson and Johnson, the Human Performance Institute is the physical manisfestation of the book. And therein lies the problem with the book. Your brain needs deep thinking, distraction free, simple concepts to help jump start behavior change. Instead, Dr. Jack means well by being inclusive, but ends up with chapters that meander, with too much science and too much evangelism. It may very well put a beginner off from the very promise of regaining control of life as it relates to leadership.

Dr. Groppel's pedigree is impeccable and his lifelong passion and career involvement in the institute and its courses impressive. This from a press release about the group:

Human Performance Institute™, which develops science-based training programs to improve employee engagement and productivity, will operate within the Johnson & Johnson Wellness & Prevention business platform.

Human Performance Institute™ is both a campus-based institute (Orlando, Florida) and client-location provider of training programs, including its Corporate Athlete® course, designed to manage energy to create and sustain high performance. Human Performance Institute’s technology of managing energy is measurement based and grounded in the sciences of performance psychology, exercise physiology and nutrition.

You'd think that this would be a good book for a beginner. It's jam packed with the author's desire to cover every topic related to well being, with a smattering of understanding and testimonials from reformed executives. You know the formula.

However, the Corporate Athlete book is dense, and reading it is somewhat like having a well meaning relative shake a finger at you (at the end of a bulging bicep). Good information, trusted source, but the whole finger-shaking experience is incredibly unpleasant.

The beginning of the book makes a case for healthy living, and the exhorts you to TRY TRY TRY, and the end of the book provides the scientific rationale (and the nutrition chapter especially, excrutiatingly complete). There's no escaping, and by the end (if you manage to get through it), you may feel some empathy for the fast food eating, workaholic executives who are cited in the book as having been transformed. You wish them well, and you thank (your higher power), that you aren't them.

In fact, because the book keeps hammering on the same theme ("wake up people! and jog!") the desire to go grab a burger at certain points may be extreme, especially after the passage where author Dr. Jack Groppel feels so much guilt about eating fried calamari after a hard day, that he describes peeling off the saturated-fat coating so that he can enjoy his meal, somewhat, without guilt. What, no grilled, low fat calamari on the in-service room menu?

Quelle horreur!

And yet, despite my revulsion, I love this book. And because I allowed Dr. Jack to keep shaking his finger at me, for some reason, some of what he wrote has started to impact my behaviors.

My problem is, I can't recommend it if you're just starting out. And, by the way, it promises too many benefits for executives that physical exercise alone cannot improve.

Let's be clear. You can have a very fit body, and be a very intellectually dull and motivationally weak executive. It won't matter if your biceps are beautiful, if you're not working on other aspects of your leadership, situps and pullups won't work.

At the Human Performance Institute, you will learn in 2.5 days as much as you will be able to retain at this book. The difference is that you'll have a support group to help you work through your resistance and to help you make changes.

In reading a book like this, with no support group, you may simply come up against your own resistance. If you're already an athlete, Dr. Jack will speak to the inner-you who can make choices based on the science he offers. If you're just beginning, I suspect all the cheerleading and finger shaking will remind you of that well-meaning relative, and the book will simply gather the same amount of dust your last treadmill, exercise bike, or snowshoes have...

Passing this book along to friends may very well position you as the finger-shaker. That is not where you want to be positioned as a leader. You may recommend this book after you read it, but I in turn recommend that you do so with plenty of equivocation and caution, much like I am doing now.

Gritty Training Log Guest - Traininggoals.com (Lisa Rainsberger)

Having trouble just getting out the door?
What to do when inspiration is not enough.

1. Plan your work day around the most probable time you will actually do the workout. If you are not a morning person then don’t plan to do your workout in the morning. Try scheduling your day around a noon workout or right after work.
2. Call up a friend or arrange for someone to join you for your workout. Having someone rely on you adds a huge element of accountability. Misery loves company…
3. Make your car/office your locker room. If you have your training gear with you if and when an opportunity arises you will be able to sneak out for a workout. The worst thing is finding you have time but you don’t have your gear. Prior planning…
4. Commit to doing the first 20 min. of your workout. It is very easy to talk yourself out of your workout however if you can get past the first 20 min. you will typically warm up, blood sugars will promote a more positive feeling and if all fails at least you will have trained for 20 min.
5. Set a goal prior to each week. “I am going to run 5 days this week”. If you have short terms goals established along with your long term race goals it is easier to stay focused on a week to week basis. Many times we have a long term goals 6 months away and it is very easy to get side tracked. Having a short term goals helps to keep you stay on track.
6. Have a training plan that is right for you. If your plan is too aggressive it is easy to sense failure in your training and you might shy away from your training. On the other hand, if your training program is not challenging enough the reward for training hard loses its charm. Be sure to work with a coach on establishing a race plan and a training plan that is right for your current ability level.
7. If you are having a hard time getting out the door for your workout, try running to a location and having someone pick you up. Leave early and run to the kid’s soccer game or ask someone to drive you out, drop you off and you run home.
8. Run from various locations. Always running the same route adds an element of boredom. Drive to a trail that seems appealing.
9. Stop the chatter…don’t let your head talk you out of training. Just put your shoes on and get out the door.

Lisa Rainsberger is the last American woman to have won the Boston Marathon. To see this and other professional accomplishments, please visit www.traininggoals.com.

Food For Thought - PBS' CEO Exchange - Interviews with CEOs

If you're looking for something to listen to on your MP3 Player while you exercise, you may want to check out PBS' CEO Exchange. It appears to have many relevant topics (and even some people I know), and is produced both in broadcast, written and podcast form. No excuses not to check it out for your own learning and benefit. I will be writing reviews of episodes later. For now, here's the link:
http://www.pbs.org/wttw/ceoexchange/podcasts/podcasts.html

Gritty Training Log - January Schedule

To see this training log in larger detail, just click on the image. Please do not attempt to replicate these workouts; these are customized for me. They give you some idea of the build up for an IM. If you're interested in a similar event, please consider hiring a coach with certification to train you properly. As always, seek the assessment of a physician before engaging in any vigorous physical activity.

Gritty Training Log: Equinox Tier 4 - The Assessment by Coach Beth Sullivan

Poked, Prodded, Twisted... who needs it?

We have all been "assessed" at one point or another, so we are all too familiar with the uncomfortable process it can be. As daunting as they can be, assessments are an extremely helpful tool in providing important information about the subject.

At Equinox, the Tier 4 fitness assessment can be an arduous process, but as fitness coaches it is invaluable. It allows us to get a firm grasp on the person we are working with inside and out, so we are better equipped to help them to succeed. It is roughly a 2 hour process, but as they say "time flies when you are having fun!".

The first step is the metabolic assessment. We measure the subjects Resting Metabolic Rate as well as their Exercise Metabolic Rate. Metabolic what?? A persons RMR is the number of calories used to maintain basic life functions, such as brain activity, heart and lung function, tissue growth and repair, and internal organ functions. RMR is typically 60-75% of total energy expression in a relatively healthy individual. When training for something specific, every calorie counts. This gives us the individuals exact number of calories to consume each day! The EMR gets a little more complicated. We are looking for the individuals capacity for work. In basic terms we are looking for a persons cardiovascular ceiling, "VO2", and how efficient they are in getting there. From here we can develop a very specific training protocol to maximize efficiency and raise the "ceiling". A side effect from this training? Faster times!

Next in line, posture. Oh boy I can't stress enough the importance of good posture! I could talk for days actually, but for the now I will discuss our assessment of it. We do two postural assessments. First is a static assessment. We place stickers on landmarks of the body from head to toe and take two pictures; a front view and side view. No,this isn't going on the Internet, we download it into software where we can establish any muscular imbalances or excessive deviations from "normal postural alignment". Second, we look at dynamic posture using a Functional Movement Screen. This shows us how your body moves in different positions. From here we can develop a plan to correct any of these problems, and either fix the current pain or prevent it from happening in the future. Postural problems combine for the majority of our aches and pains so it's worth taking a closer look at!

Body Age! How old is your body? For this test, we measure a number a different things and combine them all to get an average body age. While this is all very exciting, the importance of this test really lies in what we are measuring. We measure blood pressure, body composition, waist to hip ratio (more explanation coming), and we also give the subject a self-report questionnaire that addresses nutrition, prevention, and stress. Waist to hip ratio is just what it says, the ratio of one's hip measurement versus their waist. This number is a marker for determining your risk for Coronary Heart Disease. When combining all of these measurements it can show us what your body age is! Could you be 18 again? Absolutely!

As fitness coaches it is our job to guide you toward your goals in a safe and effective manner. This assessment really gives us a window into who you are and how you work, but more importantly we hope the subject is able to see what we see. I say this because often times we don't see our own limitations and road blocks, but when we are able to figure them out on our own, our success rate increases exponentially. This is your journey, we as coaches can only open the doors and turn on the lights, from there, it's all you! Happy Training!

Welcome to Your Leading Brain

The New York Times reported on December 31, 2008, that researchers have discovered how blood sugar has been linked to memory decline. Why should we care?

Spikes in blood sugar can take a toll on memory by affecting the dentate gyrus, an area of the brain within the hippocampus that helps form memories, a new study reports. High glucose seemed to affect the dentate gyrus, part of the hippocampus.

Researchers said the effects can be seen even when levels of blood sugar, or glucose, are only moderately elevated, a finding that may help explain normal age-related cognitive decline, since glucose regulation worsens with age.

The study, by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and funded in part by the National Institute on Aging, was published in the December issue of Annals of Neurology.

“If we conclude this is underlying normal age-related cognitive decline, then it affects all of us,” said lead investigator Dr. Scott Small, associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. The ability to regulate glucose starts deteriorating by the third or fourth decade of life, he added.

Since glucose regulation is improved with physical activity, Dr. Small said, “We have a behavioral recommendation — physical exercise.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/health/31memory.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Do you know where your dentate gyrus is? Do you know where your hippocampus resides inside your head? I suspect that by the end of the century, we all might know a bit more about our brains and how they operate.

But we don't care about naming brain parts, not really. Just as we typically don't think of the names of bones or muscules in our feet when we walk, nor the way different enzymes work when we digest food when we're out to dinner, naming how and why our brain is working is not something that typically makes its way into a business meeting.

But we do care about brains. We care about them because they are the seat of our consciousness and who we are. And we also care about others' brains, in essence, because as leaders we care about what we think, and we care about what others think.

If we're in charge, we care ... a lot. We view behaviors, we see outcomes, and if we work our way upstream to becoming even more effective, we come to understand people better (with ourselves as our primary teachers).

My name is Dr. Nancy Picard. I am a psychologist working with people in leadership positions, helping leaders to be more effective. Not right, which is often the mistake we make in attempting to lead, but effective. I will explain more about that later.

That's a little dry, tho. Clients don't come to me asking, "Nancy, can you make me more effective?" What do they explicitly ask?

1. I want people to understand why we're engaged in driving our strategy.
2. I want people to care about what we're trying to accomplish, to get on board with me and to go the extra mile to make things happen.
3. I want us to be successful, wildly successful, because we're the best and we can win.

How can we achieve that? Now, rather than later? How can we take what you want, and help you be more thoughtful about what it means to lead? Are you interested in the kinds of ideas that people like me typically offer?

As we explore the intersection between your body, your mind, and your ability to lead and influence others, I am going to make the case each week for the rationale, including relevant business book reviews (Food For Thought), the research (Your Leading Brain), Micro Executive workouts that you can do in 5 minutes to influence with more panache and effectiveness (Micro Exec Workouts), and the reality of accomplishing what I propose and what I learn on the way (Gritty Training Log).

Like anything in life, we rarely act alone in trying to accomplish something bigger than ourselves. My partners who will also share their thoughts are the superb trainers at Equinox Fitness' Tier 4 Program; performance coach Lisa Rainsberger, the last American woman to have won the Boston Marathon (1985); clients and leaders and and others in partnership invited to blog with me; and you.

This is a place where current clients, interested readers, and anyone in a position to lead may want to occasionally check in.

Until then, take both hands. If you can, place them on each side of your head, holding your ears. Inside your hands, you'll find there are about 3 pounds of you responsible for how you're reading, thinking, feeling and figuring out if you want to come back to read more about this blog.

This is your leading brain. What might happen if you cared about it, a little more, than you do today?