What’s on my short list of things leaders can do to make better decisions? Engage the wisdom of the body.
In last month’s issue “You Can’t Eat Just One: I Bet You Can” I wrote about people who automatically say “yes” to intriguing ideas or requests for help without assessing their capacity to say “yes.” Though the article focused on external checks, there’s a powerful internal check–your gut. The “yes” we get from here is consistently better informed than one made ‘from the neck up’ or and most certainly, one that is a habituated, knee-jerk reaction.
Recently, I was coaching a senior leader around a challenge. Her voice was high and uneven, with thoughts pouring forth. The client was, in U.S. American vernacular “all in her head.”
I asked the client to stand and to “bring your attention to your core” and “to settle into your body.” The client’s rate of speech slowed. There were more pauses, her tone became more even, and the client’s perspective shifted to strategic rather than reactionary. I could tell the person’s energy was rising and indeed, the client validated this perception.
It’s such a simple thing. To engage our body.
If you want a different perspective, drop your attention and awareness into your core. If you can stand, stand. If you can only sit, shift your overall posture so you sit differently. What does your body have to say about things? You might be surprised.
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