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  • Great Leadership – Taking Difficult Decisions

    Teresa May quoted in a recent press conference on the reaction to the Brexit plan that has just been signed by all 27 member states – “Great leadership is not about taking the easy route, it is about making difficult decisions.”  Putting Brexit aside – I hear a sigh of relief?   This quote is at the heart of what effective leaders are faced with on a regular basis – that self questioning and draw of the easy route, which we all know rarely delivers, or taking that difficult decision which one knows will meet opposition, denial, ridicule and even refusal.

    Peter F. Drucker the management guru, once said, “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

    Making that difficult decision takes courage to stand in the face of adversity and keep moving forward, despite your inner self reminding you that there is an easier route, which may leave you unscathed, (probably not in Theresa May’s case!), but completely dissatisfied with yourself.  In other words, not living your own truth.

    Currently in South Africa enjoying the beauty of the landscape, the birds and wild life, knowing that underneath all this is a very rocky and unstable government.  The new temporary president, Cyril Ramaphosa is walking the tight rope through the land reform, and the demands of the opposition who believe it is reasonable to take away and redistribute land from farmers who have bought and worked their land, in some cases for generations, to African communities in those areas, for no compensation. Ramaphosa has looked for common ground in the negotiations and has signed off on the land reform. However, with a caveat that land cannot simply be removed from farmers, there has to be a system to request the land and process that transition, with the goal of ensuring it stays productive in supplying food for the South African people.  Did Ramaphosa take the easy route, or that difficult decision?

    Mandala walked the tightrope throughout his life, bringing liberation to the people of South Africa.  He did not stop to blame those who created the apartheid regime, he simply kept his goal in mind and moved peacefully and assertively forward towards his goal, making those decisions that had to be made despite lack of support from many his own ANC members. Eventually it all paid off with the end of apartheid, with liberation for all and a new beginning for South Africa.  Did it take courage and dedication to live his vision?  Did he have to make difficult decisions? I believe there can be no more difficult a decision to take than committing yourself to life imprisonment to serve the greater good of your people.

    Being a leader takes courage, it takes courage to make the decisions that have to be made, knowing very often that it will not please many of your followers.  However, firstly taking a decision is important, and making that decision work through a plan of action, communicating that plan to others and keeping the ship on course to overcome barriers to change, whilst inspiring followers to embrace that change, bringing about something new, different and exceptional.

    What lies ahead for Theresa May, the British government and people is going to take great courage and leadership to drive forward on the decision to leave the EU, to keep “Britain Great” and move into a new history.

  • Depression, physical activity and performance – is there a link?

    What would happen to a dog if you kept it inside, gave it water and fed it processed foods while providing a nice bed in front of the television or other electronic device, only letting it out for a few minutes several times a day to do the obvious?

    The answer I believe, is predictable – The dog would soon become miserable, overweight and perhaps even aggressive. In the western world, this is exactly what we do to ourselves – feed ourselves on instant, very often highly processed foods, sit in front of the TV or other device to entertain ourselves and only go outside on the occasion that requires we go from A to B or need to do some shopping (which we can now order in!), or another chore. Why do we wonder that chronic ill health is escalating, as is mental ill-health – anxiety, depression, low mood, and lack of energy amongst the list of symptoms and conditions.

    How can we unravel this state of affairs?

    The answer to that question is complex, and as we are all individual, the approach will be unique to each person. However, let’s make a start by looking at something as simple as movement and exercise and the difference it can make to mood, anxiety and depression. As a naturopathic practitioner, I recommend to clients on a regular basis to get outside into mother nature and to bring some form of exercise into their routine that will get them moving. The type of activity advised carefully depending on the situation of the client, symptoms and overall wellbeing. It can be anything from walking, swimming, and dance, to yoga, stretching, Pilates and Tai Chi. Many of which can be practiced in the great outdoors.

    From my own experience, I know that physical activity makes a difference to how I feel, how the day unfolds, as well as the tone and flexibility of my body, even if when I’m on my way to the gym and really don’t feel like going, that when I’ve finished my session that I feel so much more energetic and positive.

    I was very proud the other day when challenged to touch my toes that I was able to touch the floor with relative ease when my teenage godson, 40 years my junior, could barely get passed his knees!  Not sure whether his performance has encouraged him to work on flexibility as well as building muscle strength or whether his mood was affected when he realised the current state of his body is well below optimal when in his teenage years. It showed that we can’t take for granted that a younger body is naturally subtle; it takes movement and practice to achieve this.

    A recent research article published in Jama in 2022, “Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” published using the research of numerous scientists, indicates that whilst it is difficult to draw this association, 15 prospective studies showed a greater risk of depression in those that have lower exposure to exercise. Adults doing the equivalent of 2.5 hours a week of brisk walking had a lower risk of depression compared with those adults who reported no physical activity. That means that on five days of the week, 30 minutes of exercise and brisk movement can dramatically impact mood and lower the risk of depression.

    The sample size for each study was 3000+ participants over a period of 3 years or more and was based on leisure-time physical activity, either alone or combined with other activity domains such as housework and getting to and from work. Approximately 64% of participants were women and included six studies in the USA, six from Europe, one from Australia and Japan and one study that included India, Ghana, Mexico and Russia. The conclusion of the meta-analysis found an association between physical activity and incident depression and assuming lack of exercise as the causality, 1 in 9 cases of depression might have been prevented if everyone was active in line with public health recommendations. Public health recommendations suggest that 30 minutes of physical activity on all or most days of the week, even if undertaken in brief repeated episodes, is beneficial for health.

    In 2019 depression was the leading cause of mental ill health-related diseases and a major cause of disability worldwide, affecting approximately 280 million people and accounting for more than 47 million disability-adjusted life years in 2019. These figures are pre-Covid and, therefore, reasonable to assume that this figure has increased due to fear, isolation and loneliness as a result of lockdown. In fact, a World Health Organisation (WHO) study published in April 2022 states that “global prevalence of mental health disorders increased by a massive 25% across the board”. Young people and women being the worst hit.

    What is the cost to your organisation not only in loss of revenue but also in levels of service, morale and medical aid costs if the individual is provided company medical aid?

    • Depression makes it difficult for employees to focus and engage with their day-to-day tasks. As a result, it lowers their productivity and contributes to the cost of presenteeism
    • The effects of depression can also be so severe that employees find it difficult to go to work at all. 
    • Despite nearly 1 in 5 employees reporting a current mental health diagnosis, less than 1 in 10 are currently seeking support for their mental health. Just under a third of employees have previously received support for their mental health and 61% of employees have never received support for their mental health. (Champion Health

    “Workplace depression is responsible for 109 million lost working days in the UK every year, at a cost of £9 billion to organisations,” according to Champion Health UK.

    Mental ill health including depression are complex, multi layered conditions that require attention on all layers, including addressing the emotional foundation through an approach such as counselling, addressing lifestyle changes that are contributing to mental ill health, diet and nutrition as well as movement and exercise that is in the form of leisure exercise and not simply about things that have to be done around the house, getting to and from work, and other daily chores.

    How easy is it for you as an organisation and employer to encourage support for those struggling with mental ill health to speak out and admit they are struggling and need help? To achieve recommendation of exercising 30 minutes a day, is it possible for employees take some form of exercise as part of the working day, irrelevant of their location which is considered an essential aspect of the working day and part of the company culture? Below are some suggestions that might easily be added into a typical working day:

    • Hold meetings while walking, preferably outside
    • Allocate a couple of time slots each day for exercise and movement, for example 30 minutes of Tai Chi, Yoga or Qi gong in an outside area to encourage employees to take a break from computers, from equipment and enjoy exposure to “mother nature” and not only move, but also focus on breathing techniques which is a fabulous way to reduce anxiety and stress. If you don’t have the luxury of an outdoor area, these activities can also be done inside. Doing exercise together in a group adds the additional dimension of fun and support.
    • Provide showering facilities for those who use bicycle or run or walk to work or for those that want to do these or similar activities at some point during the working day, but who hold back because there are no facilities when they can freshen up.
    • Dedicate an area for movement and exercise that might include table tennis tables and other options for those that wish to be a little more competitive when exercising.
    • If you have a multi-floor office, stop the possibility to access an escalator from the different floors, instead encouraging all to use the stairs.
    • Organise 30-minute dance classes or simply a room with music to stimulate the joy of dancing and free movement
    • Sponsor a time slot at the local swimming pool for your employees a couple times a week.
    • Have a “bring your dog to work day” once a month, to encourage walking at break times
    • Create a “mood” room that allows for free flow movement and creative dance.
    • Create a 10-minute system, whereby for 10 minutes in every 90 minutes everyone stops to stretch away from their desk.

    These suggestions are by no means exhaustive. What you can do to support your employees to remain mentally and physically well will depend on the type of business, the available space and the desire of top management to breed and live such a culture that embraces mental and physical health. Research has shown the direct link between exercise and mental ill health, therefore proactively building a policy into your organisation to minimise mental ill health, can only be a “winner” for employees, employers and all the organisation stakeholders when presenteeism decreases, absence and sickness (mental and physical) decreases and productivity and performance improves.

    While there is more to consider when treating mental ill-health, being proactive and minimising the risk of it developing in the first place is common sense. Putting practices in place to “breed” a healthy workplace, starting from the top and rolling it down is definitely easier and more cost-effective receiving a good return on investment through stable productivity, minimal illness and presenteeism, good staff morale and overall performance that results in bottom line success.=

    References:  

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter-Reaburn/publication/269598423_The_mental_health_benefits_of_regular_physical_activity_and_its_role_in_preventing_future_depressive_illness/links/5539aa010cf226723aba31ea/The-mental-health-benefits-of-regular-physical-activity-and-its-role-in-preventing-future-depressive-illness.pdf

    Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Matthew Pearce, PhD; Leandro Garcia, PhD; Ali Abbas, PhD, et al https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2790780

    https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2022/04/11/pandemic-responsible-25-increase-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide-who-study-finds

    https://championhealth.co.uk/insights/depression-statistics/#:~:text=52%25%20of%20employees%20are%20experiencing,currently%20seeking%20mental%20health%20support

  • Could your leadership be causing mental ill health

    This blog takes the form of a case study that encompasses both my professional roles as a healthcare practitioner and corporate wellbeing training provider. The aim of the case study is to encourage you to decide, for yourself, what could have been done differently.

    The client in question, is a lady late 50’s who was employed by a high school as the assistant director of the school, a job she has been doing for some years already while also continuing to teach the pupils an academic subject. An active person who was working long hours every day, five days a week in school and some part of her personal time to catch up, mark papers and do other administrative tasks, she seldom did less than a 10-hour day. Her husband also works, and her children are also of working age.

    About 3 years ago, as a part of some kind of change in status and re-organisation of the school, all teachers were asked to re-apply for their jobs to continue employment at that school. Each teacher would be hired based on the new requirements. My client was not re-hired, nor was she given an explanation as to why, she was simply told that her job was no longer needed as of tomorrow. No redundancy payment was offered. That would be a dramatic shock for most of us. Lack of appreciation, feedback and thanks would make anyone angry, likely followed by sadness at having the job and career you love crudely removed with no further contact. From May to September of that year she did not feel well, she lost interest and enthusiasm for life, but tried to regain this by taking up a role as a volunteer in a local charity shop.

    At a similar time, her father died during Covid and this seemed to tip her over the edge into mental illness, specifically severe depression combined with anxiety. Her father also suffered from depression and anxiety. She stated that she remembers shaking uncontrollably at the loss of her father, and perhaps to this day has not yet come to terms with this loss through the normal grieving process.

    Certainly, we can debate if how she lost her job was according to the law? That is not the purpose of this blog and therefore we will avoid going down that route. The client is now on four medications for anxiety and depression, some of which are also negatively affecting hair growth, leading to an increase in hair loss. In addition, she is putting on weight, both of which negatively impact how she feels about herself. Her quality of sleep is poor due to twitching caused by one of the medications she is taking. To aid sleep she has been subscribed Zopiclone, a common sleep medication which can cause drowsiness during the day. In her own words, she “has no reason to get out of bed and most of the time feels blank and tense,” therefore can spend the whole day in bed sleeping with no desire to get out of bed. In order to end this cycle, she tried to commit suicide. Luckily, she was not successful.

    She had her gall bladder removed approximately 10 years ago and despite this has no  difficulty in digesting most foods. However, looking at this energetically, the gall bladder – “How can you have the gall to……?” is a representation of rage, extreme anger that has been suppressed within the body, ultimately damaging the functioning of the gall bladder until such time as it has to be surgically removed. This is an example of how suppressed negative emotions manifest on the physical level to show us what it is we need to deal with. Does removal of the gall bladder mean we have dealt with these negative emotions, or do they still remain in the body as the person’s behavioural pattern remains the same?

    She is under the guidance of the mental health team in her area, but at best is staying numb to life, at worst is not living. After several years of guidance from this team, she and her husband, whose life has also been tipped upside down, decided to try something different and on recommendation from one of their friends who was treated successfully for similar conditions, have sought a health consultation with me. The main goals for treatment are:

    • To get better from severe depression and anxiety to live her life as before.
    • To improve her quality of life and reduce medications.

    This gives you the background of this client. Now look at this situation from a leadership perspective and answer the following questions:

    1. How did this person end up with severe depression and anxiety when previously she was a capable, active woman who up until losing her job we can assume was able to take responsibility and get things done?

    2.  What role did the school management team/leadership play in what this lady is today?

    3. What could have been done differently from those responsible to lessen the emotional impact on this individual anticipating that redundancy for anyone is often a shock?

    4. Why is thoughtful, nurturing leadership of others so very important?

    5. How can leaders balance a nurturing style of leadership with accomplishment of organisation goals? (A school is also an organisation)

    6. What are the key things for the leadership team to learn from this case?

    7. What have you learned from this case about how you address difficult, possibly life changing situations from this case. 

    If you feel affected by this case study then you maybe interested in this new course on how to lead compassionate conversations. 

  • Being Grateful for 2020

    I was listening to a concert last night on Radio 2 with Rick Astley and the BBC concert orchestra. Rick led a rocking concert that was further enhanced by the wonderful orchestra.  Why do I refer to this concert?  In 2018 I wrote a blog around singer/songwriter Rick Astley and the release of his back then, new album entitled “A Beautiful Life”.

    At that time, Rick said something very pertinent in answer to the question “Why a Beautiful Life?  In his answer he explained that in fact he has had a beautiful life, with the exception of a few curveballs.  Most importantly, he continued with words to the effect that it is all about how you look at life and how you regard things that are thrown at you and things that happen to you, and I might add things you do to yourself.

    This comment has led me once again to think about life and the beauty of each day.  This year has been an extremely challenging year for most people irrelevant of position, age or gender.  Perhaps if you are Bill Gates your year has been rather exciting with the promise of producing a vaccine that is claiming to save the world from Covid19. That aside, with the difficulties of this year, it is easy to focus on how bad this year has been and to miss the small things that each and every one of us has access to. 

    WHAT DO WE HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR IN 2020?

    What do we have to be grateful for in 2020?NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE LIVE

    Living in the Vale of the White Horse I have magnificent rolling countryside all around that is there for me to enjoy.  The power of nature calms the sympathetic nervous system, decreasing the feelings of anxiety, low mood and frustration. Taking advantage of this gift is a daily occurrence for me and each time, irrelevant of weather, never ceases to be a beautiful experience.  Living in England, most of us have access to a park, waterway or open space to enjoy.

    HEALTH

    Sadly this may not be true for everyone. However, I am personally grateful for my energy, health and overall wellbeing.  2020 has and still is challenging everyone’s health through lack of social contact, breathing in our own toxins expelled from the body through the requirement to wear a face mask in public.  Living in an environment of fear which constantly keeps the immune system on alert, giving it no rest.  The importance of being compassionate and kind to oneself and others is critical and will continue to be critical to supporting good health, likely well into the new year.

    WONDERFUL, SUPPORTIVE CLIENTS

    When things are tough, there is no better time to celebrate clients who are there for you and support you despite the constant changing circumstances.  This makes being in business worthwhile and to each and every one of my clients I am extremely grateful and thank you for your continued support.

    UNDERSTANDING TEAM MEMBERS

    The stress and pressure on team members to make the move to work from home, and make a good job of it, overcoming external barriers, such as noise, fluctuating internet connection whilst balancing work and family demands and stabilising a boss who is trying hard to work with government decisions that impact the business climate as well as provide security. For your understanding, I am very grateful.

    GOOD FRIENDS

    Those who check in from time to time to touch base and take the temperature of how I am adapting to the new working requirements, lending an ear to vent thoughts and frustrations as and when needed. To each and everyone of you, I send heart felt thanks.

    This year has been a year that has opened up many doors that perhaps we did not want to go through, such as how we interact and care for others in our communities, especially those we do not know.  How truthful we are and how truthful are those around us, especially those in leadership positions?  Are we protecting our comfort zones, lifestyles and image in sacrifice for having the courage to speak the truth, supposedly fooling all those we lead, or have we withdrawn to a safe place to see out the battle?

    This year Covid has forced us to choose how we resonate and look at “setbacks”, one that is common to our global population.  Are you a person who has reacted emotionally in some way and festered on the consequences, or have you taken the opportunity to understand the message, learn, grow and develop, thus moving yourself forward from under the Covid cloud? In the first place, your choice has probably been based on a combination of how you perceive this situation, your intuition and the facts.

    One of the most important aspects of working through perceived negative situations is the emotional aspect of the situation.  Currently “it” just happens to represent the impact of Covid on each one of us personally, combined with the impact of government decisions, whether you agree with them or you do not. Emotions experienced might be anger, frustration, bitterness, disbelief, shame and guilt amongst others.

    Harbouring emotions is both unproductive and damaging mentally and ultimately physically.  To be an effective leader we need to be able to rise above any situation and look at the cause of why something happened, rectify it with those involved through helping them understand why this particular approach was not constructive, giving necessary guidance on a more constructive way to approach the situation, agreeing on a way forward.  Always avoiding the desire or need to blame someone or something, allowing those involved to take responsibility for their actions, change behaviour, and therefore grow and develop from the experience.

    As Rick Astely so carefully and clearly put it – “Life is beautiful”.  It’s all about how you see it?  Leadership, whilst it can be challenging, is beautiful for all concerned, those being led and those doing the leading.  It all depends firstly on how we see each situation and each person, secondly how we react to it and thirdly how grateful we are for all the little things that when added up are considerable, attracting more of the same.

     

    Wishing you all a healthy, happy and beautiful 2021.

     

    To find out more about how Green Key can help you and your leadership journey, contact Rachel directly.

  • Brain Health – Natural Agility

    Mental health issues have been escalating dramatically over the last two years, mostly due to the pandemic and to restrictive measures put in place during this time. Data in the Samaritans report, June 2021 is based on over 4 million contacts and highlights the growth trend in mental health issues:

    “Young people have struggled with family tensions, a lack of peer contact and negativity about their future prospects, as the pandemic has affected both their social and economic opportunities, and some people who self-harm have struggled to resist hurting themselves without their usual coping mechanisms.”

    “Middle aged men have found themselves feeling they need to be strong in the face of immense financial and workplace changes, creating a situation that feels both out of their control and one they must cope with alone.”

    “Healthcare workers have struggled with feelings of anxiety, trauma and mental fatigue from their work during the pandemic, alongside the impact of being surrounded by serious illness and death at unprecedented levels, while often struggling for support and resources.”

    Every day almost 600 people in the UK are diagnosed with cognitive impairment and/or dementia. (Alzheimersresearch.co.uk). Mental ill-health covers a vast range of named conditions including attention deficit disorder (ADHD), autism, eating disorders, anxiety and generalized depression which in some cases leads to self-harm and/or suicide, as well as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Turning to the government or even an employer to ask them “What are they doing about this?” is a reasonable question, but it is also a question that can be reflected backwards to each one of us. What responsibility are we taking for maintaining our personal mental wellbeing and even broader, our health and wellbeing as a whole?

    In the UK alone we drink 1.5 billion caffeinated drinks a week, including tea, coffee and colas. We eat six million kilos of sugar and two million kilos of chocolate as well as 120 million alcoholic drinks every week and smoke 1.5 billion cigarettes. The reasons for doing this are many – satisfying cravings, handling stress, boosting low energy, insomnia, lack of time, personal enjoyment and so on. As far as pharmaceutical drugs go that are prescribed by the doctor to help with sleep disorders, anxiety and depression, a staggering 532 million tranquillizers, 463 million sleeping pills and 823 million antidepressants every year! With the escalation in poor mental health since the start of the pandemic, it is likely that the consumption of pharmaceutical products is increasing exponentially. 

     

    Typical Symptoms of Mental Ill-Health

    Each mental ill-health condition has its own symptoms, but some of the most common signs in adults include:

      Rather than turning to a doctor when the symptoms have become intensified and you are feeling desperate for help so that you can return to “normal” life, what are some of the things each one of us can do to manage and take responsibility for our mental health and overall wellbeing? 

      • Memory loss
      • Poor focus and attention
      • Slow processing of information due to confused thinking
      • Regular headaches
      • Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
      • Excessive worrying or fear
      • Feeling excessively sad or low
      • Extreme mood changes
      • Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
      • Avoiding friends and social activities
      • Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
      • Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired with low energy
      • Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
      • Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
      • Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)

      Sustaining Optimum Mental Health

      As with all serious illness, it doesn’t simply arrive one day, it has been coming for a while, and your body has been giving you the messages necessary to get you to change something, a long time before it becomes a full-blown illness.  

      Optimum brain health and preventing cognitive decline is made up of a combination of things, each of which requires consideration and inclusion into your daily and weekly routine:

      • Maintaining an overall healthy digestive system and gut health. The gut has a direct link to the brain via the gut-brain axis, therefore an unhealthy gut will affect brain health overall.
      • Managing stress levels so that the fight and flight response of the nervous system are switched on only when you are under threat of some kind.
      • Keeping blood glucose balanced avoiding excessive highs and lows
      • Feeding the brain with the right foods including essential fats and amino acids that make up the brain’s messengers as well as the correct balance of vitamins and minerals.
      • Keeping the brain active.
      • Adequate quality, uninterrupted sleep of between 6-8 hours nightly.
      • Keeping hydrated.
      • Plenty of fresh air daily – minimum 30 minutes per day, twice per day.

      I will not be covering each of these points in this blog, but you can find more information about optimising brain and mental health in our course “Brain Health Mental Agility.” 

      Foods Essential for Good Mental Health

      Dr Dale Bredesen in his book “The End of Alzheimer’s Programme” refers to essential foods as the “Brain Food Pyramid” and essentially is the reverse of what the “recommended food pyramid” has been. Cognition enhancing foods and practices, such as fasting, healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables are at the base of the pyramid going upwards to protein and fruit with indulgences such as chocolate, alcohol and the odd dessert at the top. As the brain has potential to consume 40% of all carbohydrate in your diet to generate necessary energy needed to do things and for an agile brain, it is necessary to ensure an adequate supply of complex carbohydrates found in whole grains and non-starchy vegetables

      When there is inadequate glucose in the body or extreme highs and lows caused by a “sugar or caffeine fix”, it will directly affect mental and brain health leading to fatigue, insomnia, irritability, poor concentration, forgetfulness, depression, digestive disturbances and several other symptoms.  In order for the body and brain to receive enough glucose and to avoid the need for energy boosts, eating slow releasing carbohydrates, such as whole grains, beans and lentils is beneficial to a consistent energy flow, whereas refined carbohydrates overload the system with a fast release of sugar, triggering a rapid increase in blood sugar of which any excess is stored in the liver and muscles until the stores are full and then it is converted to fat.

      The brain also has a massive demand for essential fats. Cutting out fat from your diet is the equivalent of dehydrating the brain! Alzheimer’s, fatigue, ADHD, depression and memory problems have all been linked to a deficiency of essential fats – Omega 3’s and 6’s. Termed essential fats because the body cannot manufacture them and therefore have to be supplied through what we eat. Rich sources of essential fats include oily fish, such as herring, mackerel and sardine, eggs, flax seed, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, olive oil, green leafy vegetables and avocados.

      Good brain and mental health is reliant on the effective functioning of neurotransmitters in the brain which are made from amino acids – protein.  Essential amino acids, those that cannot be made by the body can be obtained from grains and pulses, fish, meat, nuts, seeds, eggs and some vegetables such as peas, beans, broccoli and spinach. Eating a balanced diet will almost certainly provide enough protein for most health needs.

      Brain health is also reliant upon B vitamins, especially B12. These vitamins if deficient will negatively affect how you think and feel. A regular intake on a daily basis through diet essentially and only if under stress or recovering from illness, through supplements or herbs, is vital to supply the brain with the energy and food it needs. Food sources of B vitamins include green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, meat, yeast extract, cheese and avocados. In addition to B vitamins, Vitamin C and zinc are also very important to maintain a healthy brain. When under stress, suffering some kind of infection, or with premenstrual syndrome, demand for zinc to support physical and mental health increases. The contraceptive pill and drinking alcohol regularly also depletes levels of zinc in the body.   

      Good brain health is dependent on a healthy body, especially healthy gut and that means a diet of fresh, organic food if possible as well as foods free from additives. In other words, foods that you prepare yourself from base ingredients.

      Useful Herbs

      There are several well-known herbs that can be used to support diet and lifestyle choices to maintain healthy brain function and good mental health, including:

      Gingko biloba, this prehistoric tree has been around a long time!  Main actions include

      • Increasing blood circulation
      • Gingko and gingko extracts are used for its anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant properties, cerebral glucose utilization, neurotransmitter regulation, and vasomotor effects.

      Bacopa monnieri, better known as Brahmi. This herb has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to enhance cognitive function for centuries. Main actions include:

      • Enhancing nerve impulse transmission by repairing damaged neurons, and stimulating neuronal synthesis in the brain.
      • Increasing antioxidant activity in the hippocampus, frontal cortex and striatum, decreasing loss of cholinergic activity. The cholinergic system of the brain is involved in the regulation of attention and higher-order cognitive processing. Down-regulation of the cholinergic system has been observed in aging as well as in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

      Enhancing cholinergic neurotransmission = improvement of cognitive properties: memory stability and attention sharpness.

      Centella asiatica, more commonly known as Gotu kola is also traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat memory loss and can be found listed in the Ancient Indian Ayurvedic herbal text “Caraka Susmita” for dementia treatment.  Main actions include:

      • Neuro-protective effects against oxidative damage
      • Rejuvenates nerve brain cells increasing longevity and memory
      • Protects cholinergic neurons from toxic side effects of aluminium (well known for its negative affect on brain health). On this topic in order to limit the build-up of aluminium toxicity in the brain, avoid cooking with aluminium foil and cookware – the “convenient” non-stick cookware.

       Note: It is best to take herbal remedies under the supervision of a specialist practitioner to ensure there are no contraindications when taking pharmaceutical medication or when pregnant.

       

      Hydration

      Of course, simply taking herbs is not the complete solution. Good quality and adequate sleep, fresh air on a daily basis and hydration in combination with a diet mentioned are also very important. As the brain is made up of approximately 85% water to keep it functioning women need to drink 2 to 2.5 litres (8-11 cups daily and men 2.5-3.7 litres (10-15 cups) though individual needs may vary depending on activity levels. When your brain depletes 1% of water, you’re likely to have a 5% decrease in cognitive/brain function. Without adequate hydration the brain becomes sluggish, you might experience brain fog or suffer headaches, both of which are often the first sign of poor hydration in the body. Before reaching for that Panadol, try drinking a glass of water first.

       

      Tips for reaching your water quota each day:

      • Use a litre bottle to help keep track of how much you are drinking. Make a note the number of refills you are doing during the day.
      • If you don’t like plain water, add some lemon or some herbs such as mint or cucumber to flavour the water. Avoid sugar based squashes.
      • Avoid sugary foods that are high in sodium as this causes dehydration.
      • Eating watery fruits, kiwi, watermelon and other varieties of melon as well as cucumber and tomatoes can be another way to keep hydrated.
      • Drink herbal teas.

      As Alzheimer’s is now the third leading cause of death in the USA and continues to rise and the UK is not far behind, it is not someone else’s responsibility to manage your mental health and prevent cognitive decline. Maintaining good mental and physical health is complex, includes more than what is written in this blog, but not difficult once you understand what is required. As President Truman once said, “The buck stops here.” Getting the right help from a professional practitioner before symptoms before acute, to support steps to preventing cognitive decline and re-balancing mental and physical health will provide the joy, energy, health and wellbeing each and everyone of us deserves.

      Brain Health Mental agility course subscription options

       

       

      References:

       The End to Alzheimer’s Programme, Dr Dale Bredesen.

       https://neurogrow.com/water-your-brain/f

       https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/dementia-information/quick-guide-dementia/

       https://media.samaritans.org/documents/Samaritans_Covid_1YearOn_Report_2021_BJCM8rI.pdf

       https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Warning-Signs-and-Symptoms

    • Do Financial Bonuses Enhance Performance?

      I read with interest the article in a recent Sunday Times (Business section) “Bosses:  Is the Party Over?” by Ben Laurance.  The article was about Neil Woodford of The Woodford Patient Capital Trust, who after many years of paying bonuses to his fund managers has decided to scrap them altogether.  Woodford is compensating his team members with a rise in base pay.  The question is “Will these actions enhance or discourage performance”?

      Woodford  believes there is very little correlation between bonus and performance, which can lead to short term decision-making and wrong behaviours.

      In the banking and larger finance industry, bonuses are common place and one could argue expected, particularly by senior members of staff.   Benefits to the organisation for paying bonuses, apart from the supposed incentivisation is to focus team members to the goals and if the incentive is well thought through and set within achievable limits, financial targets will be achieved and perhaps even over achieved.   Thus, driving company growth and market share.

      What are the down sides of bonuses?  Large bonuses as seen in the banking and financial sectors experienced reckless behaviour by individuals who were taking huge risk chasing their bonuses with little regard for the stability of the bank or institution.  This is when the EU stepped in to limit bonuses for bankers to no more than double the base pay.  Research on the impact of this move by Irem Tuna of London Business School and Anya Kleymenova of the Booth School of Business in Chicago, suggest that this move did indeed reduce risk-taking.  However, at the same time turn over of executives in financial firms increased.  It is not clear if this is the only factor for this apparent negative spin off.

      The article by Ben Laurance focuses mostly on well paid executives in the finance world, but this question is still relevant to all industries and positions.  What is the solution to ensuring a company is able to recruit good people, and give an incentive to firstly do a good job and secondly remain focused to the goal, without taking undue risk as well as working effectively within a team if this is required?

      I am of the belief that poorly designed bonus schemes will drive poor performance of individuals and teams.  In my time and with personal experience, I have seen many situations where the financial incentives for one department, usually sales, creates problems for other departments who have to deliver what was promised, irrelevant of timing and other specifications of the sale.   This has the effect of creating tension, driving poor communication and teamwork as well as resentment, leading to de-motivation.    In addition, poorly set targets can have the adverse effect if the targets are set too high or too low.  In the first instance, giving up before the person has even started and in the second not trying particularly hard which again means teamwork suffers at the expense of the few.

      Some of the most effective bonus schemes I have seen and worked with have had a balance between quantitative and qualitative targets, for example financial targets and targets around positive customer feedback or decreasing customer complaints and some team goals that encourage all team members to communicate effectively and work together whilst also focusing on their own personal goals.  This means the company/team shines as a whole and not just an individual or group of individuals.

      The last question I will leave you with is “Can we solely attribute performance or non performance to a bonus scheme?”  Surely leadership plays a part in creating the right environment for effective performance in meeting department and company goals whether financial or otherwise?  It would be interesting to analyse Mr Woodford’s leadership style.

    • Building Loyal Customers from Dissatisfied Customers

      One of the biggest areas that I address with my customers through training and development of personnel is building and maintaining customer rapport and loyalty, whether that be from the very first contact with the customer or at any other stage in the customer journey, including when the customer is not happy with your services.

      Assuming that everyone is in agreement with maintaining customers and building loyalty, rather than looking for new customers to replace them, what needs to take place when a customer complains? Here are two scenarios:

      Scenario 1

      Customer: “Good afternoon, Mr X, I am calling about the recent holiday my wife and I went on which was organized and reserved through Sun Travel.”

      Agent: “Good afternoon Mr X, how may I help you?”

      Customer: “We have returned from our holiday and can only say that it was a complete and utter disaster from start to finish.  The flight out was delayed, not your fault, but still not a good start!  The hotel was overbooked so we were re-booked into a hotel down the road, at best was 2*.  Our tour guide spoke little English and appeared to only be interested in going home.  From here it does not get any better!”

      Agent: “Oh why didn’t you tell us before coming back and we would have sorted this out?  Now there is very little that we can do! I will put you through to my manager.”

      Scenario 2

      Customer: “Good afternoon, Mr X, I am calling about the recent holiday my wife and I went on which was organized and reserved through Sun Travel.”

      Agent: “Good afternoon Mr X, how may I help you?”

      Customer: “We have returned from our holiday and can only say that it was a complete and utter disaster from start to finish.  The flight out was delayed, not your fault, but still not a good start!  The hotel was overbooked so we were re-booked into a hotel down the road, at best was 2*.  Our tour guide spoke little English and appeared to only be interested in going home.  From here it does not get any better!”

      Agent: “Mr X, this is extremely disturbing to hear.  I am so sorry for everything you have been through, and to be quite honest, very surprised!  Certainly we would have liked the opportunity to solve these issues whilst you were still on holiday, however that is not possible now as I understand you have already returned?

      What I am going to do is firstly call the hotel to find out what happened and then to discuss this with my manager to find a solution, which sadly will not be as good as if you were still on location in Spain.  Mr X, please give me until tomorrow morning latest to come back to you?

      What are the main differences between these scenarios?

      Level of listening – in scenario 1, we see selective listening which means we are listening for what we want to hear.  In scenario 2 – empathetic listening, which shows the relevant concern, interest and empathy to the customer.

      Empathetic listening gives the customer the understanding that you firstly have heard, secondly that you care and thirdly that you want to solve the issue and that you care about your customers.  Selective listening means you only want to hear the information that you can use to support your own argument and in this case almost blames the customer for not informing Sun Travel whilst still on holiday.

      Authority level – In the first scenario the agent is very quick to hand over the problem to the manager and abdicate any responsibility.  In the second scenario we see that the agent is confident, assertive and keen to sort out the situation, and has decided to discuss everything further with his/her manager once all information has been gathered. The situation was not simply escalated to the manager, showing an understanding of how to solve customer problems as well as some authority for the decision.  These two points help to put the customer at ease, giving time to do this thoroughly.

      Giving out authority to handle customer complaints confidently and competently is vital to building customer loyalty, giving the customer a feeling that they are in the right hands and will be looked after. To give out authority means training team members on what is expected of them when a customer complains and what is their jurisdiction in terms of financial compensation they can give before having to escalate the decision to the next level.

    • Challenge or stress – it’s a fine line!

      The dictionary defines stress as “a pressure or tension exerted on another object; a demand on physical or mental energy; or forcibly exerted influence usually causing distress or strain.”    In short stress is any factor, positive or negative that requires a response or change.  In medical research it is widely recognized that chronic ongoing stress can lead to illness, aggravate existing disease conditions and accelerate aging.

      There is a need to be in constant interchange with our surroundings and it is this interchange that creates stress.  If looking at reality this is simply a fact of life.  There is no way to avoid stresses in life.  Every organism, including man must be able to adapt to changing environmental and social conditions in order to survive.  However, over time the continual need to adapt to change can disrupt the metabolic balance of the human organism.

      Common stressors for people today include most aspects of life – family, financial, emotional and environmental, nutritional factors, as well as personal and work-related stresses and relationships.    According to research nearly half a million people in the UK have work-related stress that is making them ill, leading to the need to take sick leave.  It is estimated that 12 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to stress-related illness and in some cases even injury. (HSE.gov.co.uk)

      Stress in the work place can be a result of different factors, in general there is a mismatch between the requirements of the job, the employee’s capabilities, the resources available and the needs of the worker.

      The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge.  Clearly these concepts are not the same.  Challenge, if at the appropriate level, energizes us psychologically and physically.  It motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied, proud and perhaps even excited about what we have achieved Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work. The importance of challenge in our work lives keeps us learning, growing and developing.

      A challenge becomes stressful when there is either rejection that the goal cannot be achieved because it looks and feels overwhelming or when job demands cannot be met, due to employee capability and or lack of necessary resources.  Very quickly the situation can change from focused and motivated to achieve, to exhaustion from trying and the sense of ability to accomplish has  turned into feelings of stress.

      We know that what is stressful for one person is not necessarily stressful for another because of individual characteristics, including coping mechanisms, previous experience, level of maturity and possibly personality. The questions therefore are how can we as managers and leaders:

      • challenge team members, use this challenge to motivate, but not stress them to a point of no return?
      • identify when the line between challenge and stress has been crossed?

      Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory helps to answer these questions.  His theory is ensuring that there is a sound relationship for the employee between effort and performance.  These feelings of motivation and satisfaction are further increased if the individual and or team can see the relationship between good performance or outcomes and reward, especially if it is a reward that is valued.  Feedback cannot be underestimated when challenging team members, as well as working with Vroom’s model.  Both gaining feedback and giving feedback, help us as managers and leaders to understand whether the challenge is about to become stress.

    • Conflict Management

      What is Conflict Management?

      I was looking at the term  “conflict management” the other day and realized that it is often used interchangeably with “conflict resolution”.  The difference, however is that the concept of conflict management is based on a premise that not all disputes end in resolution.  Additionally, conflict management is the practice of identifying and handling conflict in a sensible, fair and efficient manner.  Therefore, in summary “conflict management” is any collection of actions, responses, processes, and/or systems that help manage, improve, or prevent the deterioration of relationship dynamics.

      A part of effective leadership is conflict management.  When parties involved cannot resolve the dispute, leaders use strategies to manage the dispute and acknowledge the differences.  Conflict management brings awareness to the parties in a dispute of their options.  It allows examination of their own assessments, to communicate their feelings and to choose options that avoid defensive or aggressive reactions.

      Words to the Wise

      We often think that other people see the world in the same way as we do, and overestimate the degree to which they understand our approach and actions.  As leaders of ourselves and of others, it is important that rather than making assumptions, we ask for clarification.

      Be willing to take the first step in opening up the conversation.  The fear of rejection may lead to closed body language and lack of eye contact, which may be perceived by the other person inaccurately.  Go out of your way to make eye contact, and open up the conversation constructively.

      Skills for Managing Conflict

      Various skills are utilized in managing conflict:

      1. Open Communication (questioning openly, active listening, reflecting, feedback and focus)
      2. Establish Ground Rules to ensure the discussion is constructive and productive
      3. Confront Current Issues – not the people and not the past
      4. Use Listening Skills – for both logic (content) and feelings (emotions).  Listen to understand – paraphrase, repeat, summarize to check understanding.
      5. Keep Emotions in Check and be aware of the emotions of the other party.
      6. Use humour to relieve tension (when appropriate)

       

      Linda Tropp, Ph.D Director of Psychology of peace and violence concentration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

    • Dancing on the Same Spot?

      “There is more to life than just increasing its speed.”  Gandhi

      Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with your workload and issues in your personal life, that you don’t know where to start?  Consequently, you find yourself dancing on the same spot, further increasing your heartbeat, cortisol and stress levels?

      That’s exactly where I have been recently, procrastinating and putting off my actions instead of beginning the process of  “Eating into the Elephant”.   I cleaned out the kitchen cupboard, wrote a couple of birthday cards, cleaned the download box in my computer, invited my neighbour round for coffee and generally filled my day with low value tasks and tasks that were not even included on my list of things to be done!   By the end of the day totally exhausted and even more stressed because I realized that I had just wasted a whole day procrastinating!

      How do you get off that same spot before you wear a hole in the carpet or run out of time?   Focus on reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed.   Eating the elephant whole is not possible, so do it in bite size pieces keeping in mind the overall goal of eating the whole elephant.  The following three steps helped me:

      1.  Create a “To Do” list – I took everything that I have to do out of my head and put it to paper.  Seeing the tasks rather than just thinking about them had a calming effect.  All of a sudden things became more manageable as I could see what was important, evaluate approximate time needed and understand the urgency of each one.

      Picking out the one that is most likely to take the largest junk of time, even though it was not the task with the closest deadline, created further calm – giving space for thinking as well as writing, creating and doing.  (If a deadline had been really close, I would have started with that task instead.)

      2.  Using the most productive part of my day for the most brain-oriented task was also helpful.  We all have biorhythms which when we understand our own biorhythmic pattern can use this to our advantage to do the most intense, difficult or demanding item on the list when our biorhythm is at its most energy dense and when having less energy, for example after lunch, using that time to clean out under the kitchen sink (if you really must!), update client files, enter data etc.  This means the lower energy time can still be put to good use, but does not take so much effort or brainpower from an already low energy time in the day.  Overall result – higher productivity, and less anxiety!

      3.  Applying Pareto Law of 80/20 helped eat into several tasks at the same time, whilst also ensuring I was working on the most important tasks on the list.  Twenty percent of my activities, achieved eighty percent of the results, as it would likely yours

      Enjoy your dance, put in the rhythm and steps that stop you from dancing on the same spot and procrastinating. Work smarter, not harder.