Leading Through Physical Intelligence
By Steven P. MacGregor
Much of the focus in considerations of broader notions of intelligence in the workplace has centred on the concept of Emotional Intelligence. However, the concept of Physical Intelligence (PQ) also creates sustainable value, by countering the dangers of neglecting the body, such as sickness, stress, and burnout. Leadership development rarely incorporates education on our physical selves, yet a growing body of research in different fields, from cardiology to neuroscience and biochemistry, emphasizes the clear link between the brain and the body. Deep insight into either of these two areas increasingly requires careful consideration of the other.
My work over the past 10 years (see outbox) has been guided by a consideration of behaviour and habits, and has involved reminding busy professionals that they have a body. New behaviour which promotes movement and exercise, may positively affect workplace dynamics, since the work environment will better support natural human behaviour. Simply put, it is a much more natural human trait to move and exercise than to sit in a chair for eight-to-ten hours a day. Being able to support more natural human behaviour allows us to move beyond the health benefits of PQ to supporting engagement, creativity and ways of working that are fit for the future.
The Sustaining Executive Performance (SEP) program, delivered to over 20,000 managers worldwide since 2010, was the platform that would raise issues of PQ with an often sceptical executive class. A focus on performance as such allows us to take a broader view of management life – towards true sustainable leadership – which has wellbeing at its core, and further allows us to challenge certain long-held management orthodoxies. What does a successful business career look like? For starters, it must involve: intention, resolution, and aspiration. Should it involve bold objectives, ambitious plans and, perhaps, the fruits of achieving those targets? Reserved parking, chauffeur services and business-class air travel may help to simplify an executive life and in doing so they may help to focus on the business at hand, yet therein also lie dangers for health, which is ultimately needed to drive that business performance.
Consider the following statements, which are representative of a typical ‘successful’ executive. To what extent do they apply to your own life today?
- Spending a large part of the day ensconced in an office behind a large desk.
- Glorifying four hours’ sleep. Being the first to arrive and the last to leave.
- Always online, busy, hyper-reactive, and multi-tasking.
- Enjoying endless sumptuous business dinners. Mindless eating at home and work.
- No time for, or legitimacy placed on, physical training.
So, what are some of the subtle behaviour changes, new habits and ways of working you could change in your own life and implement in your organization? A brief summary of the five elements of SEP is included below, with a focus on content closely related to PQ.
MOVE
This element looks to cultivate more incidental movement in a sedentary life – it is not about finding time separate from work for moving, rather it is about how to integrate more dynamism within typical work practices that will improve both health and managerial performance. When we move, we energize ourselves, through increased blood flow to the body and brain, and an increase in metabolism. This is our first law of SEP: that movement creates energy, not, as we tend to believe, that movement expends our energy.
The current professional environment is characterized by a largely sedentary existence that has serious consequences for our health, wellbeing, mood, and productivity. On a simple level, we spend an excessive amount of time seated, with Harvard Business Review noting that “sitting is the smoking of our generation”. This is due to the lack of awareness regarding the dangers of a sedentary life (as per tobacco pre-1960s) and for the effect that a sedentary life has on life expectancy, with research showing it to be similar to that of as being a medium to heavy smoker. Forget about sky-diving then, having an office job may be one of the most dangerous things that you can do!
We have designed and constructed a modern world in which movement is harder than ever, and, as found by research by the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business School 40% of a manager’s week is spent in meetings. Yet, there are significant business benefits of more mindful movement. For instance, standing meetings, as practised by many in the Agile programming field over the years, are much leaner than the traditional alternative, and cut down the wasted time of poorly focused, overlong meetings that characterize much of the working week. A standing desk, as used by Ernest Hemingway when writing all his books, may help contribute to the three-to-four hours’ recommended daily standing time at work, which gives an equivalent calorie burn of running ten marathons a year.
RECOVER
Recovery is valued as a key driver of performance in fields such as sport. Yet, in business it is largely ignored, with a machine-based view of work still prevalent in most organisations, where hard work is assumed to operate in a linear, always-on fashion rather than as a response to and as made possible by the natural oscillation of human rhythms. Work is work – we do not call for excessive breaks at the expense of getting things done. We do, however, acknowledge the growing research and cases that show that sustainable work performance is driven by an adequate attention to recovery.
The principal means of recovery is sleep, but it may also include notions of break time, time outside, and in varying workspaces and tasks. Sleep has enjoyed a significant amount of attention in a business context over recent years. Even companies knownfor hard business cultures, such as McKinsey and Accenture,are turning their attention to the topic, making the call for sleeptraining for all managers in an organisation and for the installation of nap rooms. A key message for a high-pressure environment where results are expected each day is that “a good day begins the night before.”
It remains to be seen, however, the extent to which the culture of such organisations actually changes, as evidenced by the behaviours of the senior leaders and the hungry young associates who aspire to be them. It certainly won’t happen overnight.
FOCUS
Focus regards the ability to do quality work without distractions. Many of the societal and technological changes of the last ten years, which are principally due to the use of smartphones, are a significant source of these distractions. Yet, distractions may also come from a lack of a well-designed workspace or from operations that prevent people from getting quality work done. Our brains are serial processors, which means that multitasking is impossible, at least without the likelihood of making errors and/or increasing task time.
For any organisation, consideration should be given to the high-quality, focused work that needs to be completed with accuracy, and the means by which that may be protected. Certain staff need to be reactive and on-call, yet recognizing that two different types of work exist, and that distractions can cause stress as well as error, is important. On a simple level, are there enough workspace options that support private, focussed work?
FUEL
What, when, and how we eat can affect our energy, mood, and decisions. Simple fluctuations in blood sugar can affect all of the above and can be easily remedied. A comprehensive view on available eating choices in and around the workplace, kitchen design (if appropriate), and eating areas for employees is increasingly required in today’s competitive workplace.
Eating while travelling is a specific area of difficulty we find in our executive coaching. Being hostage to the food available at an airport, train station, or petrol station can lead to a spiral of poor eating choices, compromised business decision-making, and weight gain. When we are tired or stressed (frequent companions during travel) we often make a beeline for processed starchy carbohydrates. These are high glycaemic index foods which give us an instant boost through the rapid release of glucose into our bloodstream, but this habit also leads to a cycle of spiking and crashing our blood sugar levels. Witness the behavioural changes in children after the consumption of sugar as an indication of how easily adult decision-making may be affected Weight is also gained through the surging of insulin which is stored as fat.
A simple remedy relates to a basic understanding of human anatomy: the size of our stomach is approximately the size of our fist, though a little longer. While our stomach also stretches, this fact tells us that we can achieve satiety by snacking on an amount of food that fills the palm of our hand, such as nuts and dried fruit. Travelling with a ‘survival pack’ will therefore get you through the sticky moments of the journey until you reach a destination where a broader, healthier menu is available.
TRAIN
Whereas MOVE regards incidental movement as part of a professional day, TRAIN looks at dedicated physical exercise. We consider how to legitimize and then integrate athletic training in a busy professional life.
How do you fit exercise into your life? Is it best to exercise before going to work, rising early as many busy executives do? Try and fit it in (and therefore benefit from the energy boost) in the middle of the day? Or wait until the end of the day after the core block of work has been completed? The choice will depend on the individual. We see most going for the early morning option, but see massive potential in the middle of the day, and view this as being more common in the future as companies loosen their out-dated adherence to nine-to-five desk-time.
As with the FUEL element, a consideration of dedicated physical exercise while travelling may be useful. The key to exercising on the road often relates to hotel planning before the trip, and it’s not what you think. The three elements of executive fitness – incidental movement, aerobic (heart-rate) intensity, and strength-based exercise – can be achieved by not stepping near the hotel gym, using the internal stairwell of the hotel for a walking or running-based interval session, with the The sSeven-Minute Workout, first developed by exercise physiologist Chris Jordan at the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute. These exercises may be easily completed within the confines of a hotel room and there are now many apps available to help guide you.
The Sustaining Executive Performance model therefore takes many of the elements of the multiple intelligence view and makes them usable within the working environment. We see such behaviours as becoming part of the standard toolkit or basic managerial competence in the future. Indeed, many of the millennial generation already integrate some of these behaviours as a matter of course.
What is your own daily professional reality according to these five dimensions? I’m realistic, and don’t expect you to focus on maximizing all five at all times. Indeed, the best approach is to think about what you need at a specific time according to the professional context. The positive and mindful leaders of today and tomorrow, changing the business landscape for the better, will benefit from considering more closely their PQ.
