The Importance Of The Mind-Body Connection For Leadership
- Aug 24, 2022
- 4 min read
Written by: Ursula Pottinga, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As business leaders, we rely heavily on strategic planning, smart decision-making, and our organizational genius to get things done.
We lead with our minds.
Obviously, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Intellectual discipline and organizational acumen are crucial for successful leadership and goal fulfillment.
Leadership Requires Intellect and Intuition
But it is never enough. To motivate others and turn your vision into reality, you must also tap into your feelings, intuitive wisdom, and your body’s energy.
Many executives mistakenly believe that paying attention to something “soft” like intuition has no place in the boardroom. But neuroscience shows us that nothing could be farther from the truth; our bodies and hearts play a crucial role in the success of every leader.
I would like to share a quote from the amazing Dr. Dan Siegel, a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA.
He says this:
The MIND is an EMBODIED and RELATIONAL process regulating the flow of ENERGY and INFORMATION.
Our Mind Is Fed By The Energy Of Our Body and Our Relationships
Simply put, the energy of our body and the relationships around us affect the flow of energy and information to our minds.
Let me give you a simple example.
Ever been in the room with someone who is anxious? Do you remember how their stress levels influenced your own body, nervous system, and energy?
We sense each other’s energy through our mirror neuron system. If we don’t listen to these energies and disconnect our brain and body, we miss out on important and powerful information that makes us understand the very individuals we are trying to lead.
Leading By the Heart Is Not Just a Nice to Have
According to HeartMath’s groundbreaking research, our most intelligent and conscious awareness doesn’t just stem from the brain—it stems from the brain and body acting together. Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence that the heart plays a particularly significant role in this process.
The heart doesn’t just respond to “orders” sent by the brain in the form of neural signals. In fact, the communication between the heart and brain is a two-way process with the heart actually sending more signals to the brain than the other way around.
More importantly, the heart signals to the brain profoundly affect how our brains process emotions and cognitive processes like attention, memory, perception, and problem-solving.
For example, when you are stressed (or around someone who is stressed), your body “feels” this anxiety, and your heart rhythm becomes unsteady, sending neural signals to your brain that inhibit key cognitive functions including clarity of thought and your decision-making ability.
In contrast, positive emotional states appear to have the opposite effect, generating heart rhythm coherence that facilitates cognitive function and stabilizes emotions. In other words, positive emotions trigger a physiological reaction that profoundly improves how you perceive, think, feel, perform and lead.
An Experiment in Mind-Body Leadership with Horses
I recently had the privilege of watching and working with equine experiential leadership coach Ginny Telego during a 3-day leadership retreat. Through her work with horses and humans, Telego provides top executives the opportunity to understand how they can improve their relationships with others by using energy and intuition.
Ginny explains her approach…
“When my leadership clients step into the arena with a horse, their brains light up, trying to understand what they feel and see physiologically… The horse, in turn, tunes into this physiological response so it can decide how to react. In the wild, horses and mountain lions drink from the same watering hole, often next to each other. The horse’s keen ability to pick up on the energy from the mountain lion helps it determine if the mountain lion is just getting a drink or if the mountain lion is eyeing the horse as lunch material.
If someone is fearful and is worried the horse might not like them, the thought manifests itself as tension in the person’s body. They may hold their breath or have an increased heart rate. Any of these physiological responses is picked up by the horse and alerts the horse to the fact that the person may not be safe to come close to them. The horse will respond by lifting its head or stepping away from the person.”
Once the individual acknowledges their fear or anticipation they are feeling, the tension in the body releases, the horse senses a shift in the person’s energy and begins to feel more comfortable.
The idea of using “energy” to become a better leader is often an abstract idea for an executive. The great thing about partnering with horses to learn this concept is that the horses are clear about an individual’s use of energy and will respond accordingly. If a person utilizes the right amount of energy, in combination with clear direction, the horse will move as directed. It’s that simple – and it is a crucial lesson in leadership.”
This simple horse exercise is a simple testament to the fact that our brains, minds and bodies work together in unison and play a role in how others react to us.
Effective leadership therefore is a combination of intellect and intuition. If you ignore either one, you do so at your peril.
If you are interested in learning more about this, let’s talk!
For more on the neuroscience of leadership, read my blog.
For free monthly webinars on other topics contact Ursula at ursula@profoundgrowth.com. I would love to hear from you.
Ursula Pottinga, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ursula Pottinga is a thought leader at the intersection of neuroscience, effectiveness and transformational coaching and a certified Neuro-Transformational Coach. Ursula gives her clients the "User's Manual" to their brain to powerfully create awareness and shifts in their thinking and approach to business and life. She also is the co-creator of the groundbreaking Advanced Coaching Series, offered by the premier coach training institute, BEabove Leadership, of which she also is the COO. A native of Germany, she now divides her time between Minnesota and Florida, where she practices her tennis and golf game.
