One of the challenges we all face is the immense change taking place in our lives. No matter where we live or work, things have radically shifted, leaving many of us uneasy and looking to our leaders for reassurance.
However, our leaders’ performance has left us equally unsettled due to their knee-jerk reactions rather than long-term strategies on how best to lead their teams, businesses, and countries out of this current situation. Without leaders we can trust, our future looks bleak.
But I believe there is a leader we can all trust and that is the leader within ourselves. Developing strong self-leadership skills is now more critical than ever before. And the first step is learning how to access our inner resources by tapping into our critical thinking and common sense.
The next time a situation presents itself and you’re feeling confused or unsure of what is the best decision or direction to take…
Stop
Be still for a minute
Take 3 deep breaths – on the first breath, exhale with a big sigh…then take 2 short breaths after. Like this….
Does this remind you of anything? It’s the way we breathe after having a good cry…
This exercise has proven physiological impact because it oxygenates our brain and body, releasing a series of hormones which help us calm down, and engage our critical thinking and common sense.
After these 3 breaths, take a step back, literally and view the situation from a new perspective.
You will be surprised at how this simple mindset and bio-hack can help you become a better leader, make better leadership decisions, and take wise action.
Remember, when in doubt, don’t!
Stop, be still, breathe, step back and let the leader within guide you.
