Sarius Performance International

Leadership 101 Revisited

When I began my career, leadership development was really about knowledge; learning stuff in a classroom and then trying to apply it. Then along came Daniel Goleman with "Emotional Intelligence" and self-awareness, emotional connection and feelings came to the fore. That was 1995.

20+ years later it is time to acknowledge the role of the body. Yep - that inconvenient thing that drags around your brain. The belief that your body is somehow separate from your mind (dualism) has a long tradition in Western philosophy most famously being championed by Rene Descartes.

It is this belief that we challenge in our new book: "Fit to Lead". Knowledge is important. "Emotional Intelligence" is important. Your physical state is every bit as important.

Neuroscience is on our side. Everyday, more research comes out showing the impact that your body has on everything that you think, do and feel.

At one level, it is just basic, common sense; if you are physically healthy, then you are set up to perform better. However, even at that level, people often miss the link. For example, when you live a sedentary life and eat junk food, you are not just impacting your waistline, you are impacting your whole body and that includes your brain!

What is becoming increasingly clear is that movement and nutrition do not merely slow down decay, they can also improve cognitive abilities and develop important qualities such as resilience. Yep. That's right. Your body can make you smarter and help you to develop as a leader.

http://consciouslifenews.com/new-finding-different-types-exercise-affect-different-parts-brain/11121031/#

In "Fit to Lead" we focus in on two particular types of movement: "Dynamic Energetics™" and High Intensity Interval Training. These movements offer you the possibility to develop capacities such as: certainty, tenacity lightness, excitement and calm.

When you exercise you are building new neural pathways that are not only useful in physical health:

“Exercise affords the body an opportunity to practise responding to stress, streamlining the communication between the systems involved in the stress response. The less active we become, the more challenged we are in dealing with stress.” Dr J. Kip Matthews

So, do you need to be an athlete to be a leader? No you don't, but if you are willing to incorporate your physical state into your development plan, alongside your mental and emotional states, you will notice impacts that go far beyond the physical.

At Sarius Performance we use "The 5 Pillars Of Performance" methodology to recognise the equal importance of these 3 elements. In order to sustain any development or growth, then practice and support are also critical.

Our new book, "Fit to Lead" examines all 5 of these pillars, beginning with the 4 challenging questions of personal development and the impact of 'mood' upon performance. In the second section, we examine the role of the body and nutrition before developing a new leadership model in the final section. The leadership model focuses on Purpose, Energy, Resilience and Movement. Throughout the book we stress the importance of including the Physical State Pillar in your pursuit of peak performance and powerful leadership.

Fit to Lead is available online at fittoleadbook.com and Amazon (physical and e-book) as well as on-shelf in Singapore, Malaysia and Blackwell's bookstore in Oxford, England!

Marcus & Sari Marsden: Co-founders of Sarius Performance International and co-authors of "Fit To Lead"

Marcus is a PCC certified Coach and Leadership Development and personal development specialist with more than 25 years of experience.

Sari is a PCC certified Coach, NASM certified Personal Trainer, elite trainer with Nike+ Training Club and a Championship winning Fitness Physique Competitor for Team Singapore.

“Fit To Lead ~ Transforming Your Leadership With The 5 Pillars Of Performance”

May 2017 - the publication date of our first book: “Fit To Lead”

We look forward to sharing it with you all. It is a book that raises the role of your body (physical state) to its rightful place alongside your thoughts (mental state) and feelings (emotional state).

For a long time, leadership was all about what you knew, your thoughts and beliefs. Then emotions and feelings came along - Daniel Goleman and his “Emotional Intelligence”. Now is the time of the body and your physical state.

For many people, their body is simply the inconvenient thing that drags around their brain and they only pay attention to it when it breaks down.

In fact, your body is an amazing receiver, sender and transmitter of information. The way you hold and move your body sets the context for everything else.

Shifting your physical state offers you the opportunity not only to transform your body but also to develop emotional and mental capacities and experiences that can transform your results and your leadership.

The 5 Pillars Of Performance

At Sarius Performance we use the 5 Pillars Of Performance in all our training and coaching.

They form the basis of our Fit To Lead workshops and feature throughout our first book: “Fit To Lead ~ Transforming Your Leadership with the 5 Pillars Of Performance”

The internal pillars refer to your Physical, Emotional and Mental States. Although we separate them in the model, of course, in reality, they are all intricately intertwined and inter-connected. The way that you have shaped these states in your history combine to shape the results you are able to create.

The way you think and feel about a situation, the way you shape, hold and move your body will set the boundaries of what you see as possible, the range of choices that you have. As you learn to observe, impact and re-shape these three states you can begin to create new results.

However, if you want to sustain these new results, you need to also incorporate the external pillars: Support and Practice. It is the willingness to accept support, develop practises and then consistently practice that will cement the new results.

We term our work “Active Synergy Coaching”. “Active” because it always involves movement, not just talking about things or reading. If you want to make something new happen, then you need to move your body. “Synergy” because when you combine the 5 Pillars and are willing to work on all of them, then you create real synergy and transform your results and your leadership.

#IAmFitToLead

What do you think of, when you think of a great leader?

Most likely, someone who has a compelling vision and is good at enrolling people into it.

What do you think of, when you think of an athlete?

Most likely, someone who has a strong body.

 No doubt, these pictures have an element of truth to them and when you break them down, they contain three elements:

Having a compelling vision of how you would like the future to turn out, begins with your purpose - your mental state.

Enrolling people into your vision begins with your ability to emotionally engage with other human beings – your emotional state.

Having a strong body begins with your physical state.

In fact, all three elements are present in both leaders and athletes!

Today, in the “fitness world” there are so many physical techniques, that it has become overwhelming: should I use kettleballs or free weights, should I do yoga or pilates, should I do Crossfit, Muay Thai, or Bootcamp ?

Rather than simply focus on your physical state, maybe the secret to optimum performance lies in embracing your mental and emotional states? What is your purpose and can you stay emotionally connected to it?

 Similarly, in the “leadership world” there are so many theories that it has become equally overwhelming: EQ or IQ or SQ? (spiritual quotient, not the airline!) “Blue Ocean Strategy” or “From Good To Great”? There is even a bestseller now called: “Your Strategy Needs a Strategy!

Rather than simply focusing on your mental and emotional states, maybe the secret to optimum performance lies in embracing your physical state?

Are you using your physical state to help you achieve optimum performance?

 At Sarius Performance, whatever your goal, we believe in bringing together all 3 elements, in order to generate your best ever results.

 What are you fit to lead for? Come and find out on August 21st.

Expect to think, feel and move. Come dressed appropriately.

Sarius Performance Co-founder, Hapsari Marsden is now a proud member of the Nike Training Club in Singapore, where she will work with young women on getting fit and healthy at an early age.

There is a great app to download too !

http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/womens-training/apps/nike-training-club

#JustDoIt