Do You Work In-Sync with Your Body Clock?

Why is it that early risers seem to waken automatically and easily get to work on time, while night owls need blaring radios to drag them from an unconscious state? Why are folks’ body clocks so different and where do you fit?

Start with a Psychology Today quiz to determine your body clock. You'll find a great assessment of your results here.

Hormones Activate Waking Interestingly, the hormones, ACTH from the pituitary gland and cortisol from the adrenal gland, send messages to the brain that activate you to awaken. Professor Jan Born in Lubeck, Germany, found that these two hormones increase in the later stages of sleep to precipitate your wakening. Your amazing mind, according to Born, may have some sort of conscious voluntary control that enables a person to wake up on time even if it is an hour earlier. “You will soon adapt to the new system and the ACTH secretes an hour earlier,” Born explains.

Personality Types Added to Born’s findings, "The part of the brain that regulates your ability to think clearly and solve problems is heavily influenced by the body clock," says David Dinges, chief of sleep and chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania. Your body clock is linked to mood fluctuations, fitness and even personality. “Morning people tend to be introverts, conscientious and driven, whereas night owls are more often impulsive extroverts. The owls also tend to score more highly on intelligence tests and are more likely to be depressed,” Katie Gilbert reveals.

Genetic Effect While much research is written about the advantages of working early in the morning, interestingly, Emmanuel Mignot, sleep researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine discovered that there is a genetic mutation that causes some folks to be owls rather than larks. Mignot discovered a genotype related to the preference for working at night. So your preference to be an early riser or a night owl is found in your genes!

“Do we all have to be early birds?” O Youn-hee, of The Korea Herald, asks. O Youn-hee tells the story of Park Myoung, an office worker, who “gets nervous” when others discuss Saisho’s bestselling book, Let’s Become a Morning Person. Park lamented, “It seems society demands all employees to transform themselves into morning people,” since her colleagues were showing up for work one or two hours earlier to succeed in their very competitive company. Park describes herself as a night person who usually goes to bed at 2 a.m. Park asserts that she just “can’t be an early bird.” If you also see yourself as a night owl, what then?

Body Clock How do you feel when your body clock is out of sync? Recent research at the University of Surrey in England shows that if night people disrupt their circadian clocks and try to be morning people, disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Here’s why. Sleeping patterns are influenced by the "Per3 gene," according to the study. A night person's Per3 gene is much shorter than a morning person’s, and if a night owl is forced to rise early, he or she is apt to experience “foggy” consciousness throughout the day. Additionally, these researchers conclude that a changed sleeping pattern has bad effects on a night owl's life and could take years off his life span. Ouch!

Artists - Hear a Different Drummer "Artists may have to be morning people and night people, with afternoons pretty fully booked as well," according to David McFarlane of the Toronto Globe and Mail. "The reason for this has to do with the average income of a working artist. If you're getting paid at a lower hourly rate than most babysitters, the only way to survive, other than turning to a life of crime, is to find as many working hours in a day as you can. Some people think of this as the work ethic. Some, as chronic exhaustion. Others refer to it as eating," McFarlane says. Artists often pay a huge price to share their creativity with the world.

Future Good news is on the horizon for night owls! Industry might drive a change. As more corporations become global businesses, more workers who can be productive at night will be necessary to match the schedules of workers in other time zones.

In the meantime, both early risers and night owls can benefit from Dr. Ellen Weber's 5 tips to Calm Your Brain for Its Evening Shift.

What will take place in your grandchildren's world? Will they work naturally with their body clocks? Thoughts?

Surprises Come to Those Who Listen!

Why is it that a brief message whispered from one person to the next, in a line of ten people, changes by the time the last person receives it? What does this tell you about listening?

The ability to listen well requires active engagement – your brain is not only taking in facts or information, but interpreting and organizing it in relation to past experience and knowledge to hypothesize and problem solve creatively. How might that look in relation to an everyday business deal?

Interestingly, financial writer William Devine shares that a client asked him to negotiate the purchase of some land. Trouble was the person's offer was $100,000 below asking price. Mr. Devine stayed on the phone a long time with the owner and resolved most problems, but the owner returned to the money issue and declared, "The price your client proposes will leave us well short of our projections. That makes it very tough on us."

During a pause, Devine reflected on his alternatives. Since the developer hadn't asked a question or made a counteroffer, Devine waited. Finally the owner proposed, "…it's good for us to just get the deal done, so we'll do it." Devine declared, "I had saved a client $100,000 by simply immobilizing my jaw." Mr. Devine made a great choice because he was not merely focusing on his own agenda here, but listened actively to make a choice. Would you have listened and allowed silence? Would you term yourself an engaged, active listener?

Try this listening quiz to see where you stand. List A, B or C as shown below to answer.

A = less than 20% B = 21 – 59% C = 60% or more

1. Do you think about other things when someone is speaking? _____


2. Do you “tune out and turn off” a speaker when you are not interested? _____


3. Are you easily distracted when someone else is talking? _____


4. Do you quickly begin developing arguments in your mind if someone presents ideas opposite to your beliefs? _____


5. Do you plan what you want to say as someone else speaks so your voice can be heard at the first possible pause? _____


6. Are you uncomfortable with silence when no one speaks for a couple of minutes? _____


7. Do you allow “catch phrases” to destroy your focus? _____


8. Do you mainly listen for facts and jot them down rather than formulating bigger ideas? _____


9. Do you look away from a speaker’s eyes during a conversation? _____


10. Do you listen more easily to recreational topics than ideas that challenge your mind? _____

Eight or more A responses and B responses: you are a good listener, but you can target areas to improve.

Mostly B responses [4-7] with some A responses: you are not truly an active listener and you can benefit at work by rewiring your brain by using new active listening strategies.

Some C [1-3] responses, plus [4-6] B responses: you can benefit by purposefully engaging in active listening on the job beginning today.

What do recent discoveries about the brain reveal about our ability to listen? Our ability to listen well is affected by multi-tasking, distractions, and our ability to construct a “play-back loop” for a message.

According to UCLA psychologist Russell Poldrack, “Tasks that require more attention…will be particularly adversely affected by multi-tasking.”

Insightfully, Poldrack found the brain's hippocampus plays critical roles in processing, storing and recalling information. For the task learned without distraction, the hippocampus was involved. However, for the task learned with the distraction of beeps, the hippocampus was not involved; but the striatum was. The brain’s striatum underlies our ability to learn new skills.

"Multi-tasking makes it more likely you will rely on the striatum to learn," Poldrack said. "Our study indicates that multi-tasking changes the way people learn."

These researchers suggest that you should avoid multi-tasking when trying to learn something new that you hope to remember. Do you sense multitasking affects your attentive listening ability?

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University show that your brain is forced to process messages as you listen which requires much more from your working memory. Ellen Weber describes working memory as, “your mental capacity to hold onto a few different facts while you noodle them to solve a problem or to create something new…”

To scientists' surprise, there were two big differences in brain activity patterns while participants were reading or listening to identical sentences, especially at the level of understanding meaning. During reading, the right-brain was not as active, which opens the possibility that there were differences in the nature of the comprehension you experience in reading versus listening.

Second, while listening was taking place, there was more activation in the left-brain region that usually activates when there is language processing which requires recall. The greater amount of activation in the left brain suggests that there is more language processing and working memory storage in listening comprehension than in reading.

“Because spoken language is so temporary, each sound hanging in the air for a fraction of a second, the brain is forced to immediately process or store the various parts of a spoken sentence in order to be able to mentally glue them back together in a conceptual frame that makes sense… to re-play spoken language, you need a mental play-back loop” according to Marcel Just, Carnegie Mellon psychologist.

Leaders in a boardroom often think fast on their feet, process information and communicate ideas based not only on written reports in a meeting, but even more crucially, their ability to listen actively.

Tips to rewire your brain for active listening:

1. Probe with questions to take speaker "deeper." What are you curious about?


2. Detect tone and purpose. What’s in it for the speaker?


3. Focus on key points so you can repeat them later


4. Jot down key words quickly


5. Wait before judging what speaker says. Consider speaker’s approach first.


6. Read and outline main points from articles with “complex” ideas to learn how to process many-sided issues when you're a listener.


7. Do not be distracted by hot or politically incorrect words


8. Keep your eyes on the speaker as you use a receptive body stance


9. Consider content and not delivery bumbling


10. Mentally summarize and form a picture of the whole


11. Value silence at times

Ready to grow skills for more active listening? How might you be an even better communicator no matter what? I'm working on allowing silence more in conversations. Do you suppose $100,000 is just around the bend?

Spark Your Spatial Brain for Viral Change!

We all develop favorite routines! Have you selected a place for pens, paperclips and stapler in or on your desk? Interestingly, Harvard researchers have located a place in your brain that attaches meaning to the way we choose to organize pens, paperclips and stapler. But what happens when you move these old standbys to a new location? What difference does it make if you change?

“Learning new categories,” Harvard neurobiologist, Freedman, says, "can cause dramatic and long-lasting changes in brain activity." Harvard Medical School researchers recently identified an area of the brain where such memories are found. They learned neuron activity in the parietal cortex encodes category and meaning of familiar visual images. Brain activity patterns actually changed dramatically as a result of learning something new. Here’s how…

You and I were not born with a built-in ability to sort out categories such as, computer, legal pad or business card. We attach meaning to objects through our visual experience. We make sense of these by categorizing sights and sounds around us. For example, if someone shows you a new gadget such as a French Press, and both explains and demonstrates how to use it, your brain categorizes memory of the process as it links to the object.

In launching this research, Freedman and Assad taught monkeys to play a simple computer game in which the monkeys grouped sets of visual motion patterns into one of two categories. They monitored neuron activity in the parietal cortex and the middle temporal area, while monkeys played this game. Interestingly, the experiments show parietal neuron activity mirrored monkeys' decisions about categorizing the two visual patterns. On the other hand, differences in the visual appearance among the set of motion patterns affected neurons in the middle temporal area, but category membership was not encoded here.

Over several weeks, researchers retrained the monkeys to group the same visual patterns into two new categories. Parietal cortex activity was completely reorganized as a result of this retraining and visual patterns were encoded the according to newly introduced categories. Thus, changing a routine activates your working memory.

So what? What difference does this make to a business leader? By activating our visual or spatial intelligence in new ways we rewire our brain. In so doing we bring fresh perspectives to work “traditions” and can create viral success.

Why not try mind mapping to spark change? Rather than use computerized versions, I suggest you dig into the resources of your noodle. Here’s one way to launch…

1. Imagine something in nature that represents jumpstarting a “stuck” tradition.

2. Draw the image in the middle of a paper

3. Jot down single words quickly that describe what you’d rather see happening. As words come to your mind surround your image with them [By doing this quickly you’ll be surprised what your subconscious or “gut” delivers!]

4. Reflect to edit and change words so they give you a sense of “Where to from here?” [If necessary transfer to fresh paper.]

5. Connect words to your image with lines

6. Enhance by

highlighting priorities and important points with specific colors
adding pictures or graphics to words
assigning codes such as asterisks, exclamation points, letters, and numbers to show relationship between concepts and further organize your map

In Thinking for a Change, business leader, Michael Gelb, lists six advantages for Mind Mapping:

Synergy Mind Mapping integrates the "left-brained" aspects of our mind's functioning-logical, language, mathematical reasoning, attention to detail, ordering, and analysis-with the more "right-brained" elements dimension, rhythm, color, picture, symbols, imagination, and synthesis. Mind Mapping "rescues" these "right brain" elements, previously relegated to the realm of doodling and daydreaming, making them a productive part of our planning and problem-solving.

Speed Mind Mapping's non-hierarchical, networked format makes it much easier to get started and to generate more ideas in less time.

Seeing the big picture Mind Mapping lets you see all your ideas on one sheet of paper, making it easier to see the "big picture." Codes, symbols, colors and arrows allow you to highlight relationships and see connections, thereby encouraging "systems thinking." Putting your ideas in images and symbols awakens the power of visualization.

Fun Mind Mapping makes the process of crafting a vision, mission, plan or values statement lively, colorful, and fun.

Broad participation and ease of communication Mind Mapping makes it easy for people without MBAs and PhDs to think strategically, while enabling MBAs and PhDs to attune to reality and think creatively.

Memorability Pictures, colors, and key words are easy to remember. A properly constructed Mind Map is almost impossible to forget. Many groups frame the Mind Maps generated in collaborative sessions and hang them on their office walls to provide daily inspiration.

OK, if you’ve never used spatial intelligence to spark change, why not give it a try! Let me know your viral results.

Amazingly, Your Brain Can Dance!

Has watching extremely fluid tango or hip-hop dancers intrigued you to the point that you anticipate dancers' next moves? Why do some dancers captivate while others bore you? The answer’s in your brain according to Ivar Hagendoorn, Dutch researcher and choreographer. Interestingly, your brain “dances” as you anticipate dancers’ or star athletes’ next moves. You make connections through motor imagery.

Hagendoorn describes motor imagery as “the kinesthetic feeling of movement without actually moving.” For instance, if you play golf, perhaps you visualize your swing, the clubface hitting the ball, and the ball rolling into the cup as you line up at the tee. Neuroscientist Marc Jeannerod’s findings show that motor imagery corresponds to covert activation of the motor system. The prefrontal cortex, which stores short term or working memory in your brain, is set in motion but the actual motor command is inhibited.

“Seeing a skill performed properly the first time has positive impact on fresh learning, the crisper the demonstration, the fresher the experience,” according to Bruce Weinke, divers' coach. Weinke suggests, “Drawing on feelings of harmony and flow provides durable reinforcement for kinesthetic memory through the imaging process.” Recent research in visual imaging shows that your brain’s motor and visual cortex are highly active when you are engaged in these lightning fast predictions.

How does your brain cope with lightning fast movement? Vision researcher, Romi Nijhawan explains that once a light particle hits the retina, in 50 to 100 milliseconds it is transformed into an electrical impulse as it reaches the visual cortex. Neuroscientists propose that the brain makes up for the delay by envisioning a moving object’s path. For instance, tennis pros read opponents’ movements to quickly position themselves to return a power serve.

You’d be surprised that visualizing movements can make you tired. Have you ever come home from a football game or a dance feeling exhausted? Rizzolatti’s research shows that observing movements activates the same muscle groups and motor circuits in the brain as if you executed the movements. Using the working memory is exhilarating since it takes energy and focus.

The aesthetic makes the difference between engagement and boredom when you’re watching a performance. For example, fluid dance movements and phrases, different and more exhilarating than your expectations, bring delight. On the other hand, when a dance is conventional and everything fits patterns you have experienced in past, you are soon bored. How might principles here apply to your work?

Has your brain danced lately? Brain Motor Imagery Visual Imagery Spatial Intelligence Hagendoorn

How Does Your Brain Make Sense of What You See?

Do you generally trust your perceptions? If you see it, do you believe it? Please consider the following scenes from Vurdlak’s Mighty Optical Illusions: Which pig is larger? On what did you base your decision?


Do the pigs in the foreground look larger than the one in the background? Dimensions of foreground and background can tickle our brains. Vurdlak explains that the pigs in the foreground are exactly the same as the one in the background.

Optical illusions, as you see illustrated here, can easily fool us because they draw from “lower level” knowledge. Interestingly, optical illusions trick our brain, and lead to inappropriate interpretations because we have not given the images our full attention.

On the other hand, careful examination of visual imagery helps us to discern distance and size estimations, contrasts, structural factors, mental rotation, and influence of knowledge. Giusberti’s research shows that understanding visual imagery takes longer and moves us past initial assumptions, as we make sense of the world, since we put in motion higher cognitive processes.

Our minds deal with complexities of visual problems by looking for simple solutions. The brain looks for relationships and patterns to group similar items as it unravels the puzzle. As this process occurs, we perceive these pieces as a whole. Psychologists call this a Gestalt effect, in which your mind fills in the missing pieces.

You’d enjoy playing with some very amazing illustrations of optical illusions and optical perceptions available at German researcher, Michael Bach’s web. He presents 66 topics available topics.

Outstanding optical illusions can be viewed at Akiyoshi Kitoka’s illusion pages:
Some of my favorites on this site are Sunflowers and Typhoons with Blue Eyes.

What do you think of the illusions found at a web very aptly named, At the Persistence of Ignorance?

Jean Constant also presents very interesting phenomena at her web.

What did you learn about initial interpretations of what you see?

Morality, Environment and Surprising Wraps

Kittens, kittens everywhere…I don’t believe we just have two!

In the midst of a family picnic at our old Stagecoach Inn home, as our four grandsons and five other children played, Ginger, an abandoned orange tiger cat, appeared with a small kitten in her mouth. Then she gently placed this furry struggling, wide eyed prize at the foot of my daughter-in-law. She repeated the step as she brought two more kitties into this fray of children. What an astonishing act for a cat!

Have you ever heard that cats are not only smart, but they’re also philosophical? I wonder what question Ginger asked that led her to bring three cherished kittens into the midst of eight little boys and one two-year-old girl! If ever a cat wanted to have her kittens “rescued” or adopted, her timing could not have been more perfect. This was the most amazingly incongruous event I have ever witnessed. Cats are usually very protective of their litter and would instinctively take kittens a million light years away from little boys. And here's more...

Ginger was not ours originally– she was a very friendly abandoned pet. We have a large old horse barn nearby and my guess is that someone, who did not want to be responsible for this cat simply dumped her. People who do this really irritate me!

Good news is that my daughter-in-law took the kitties since she “found homes” for them. And I had Ginger spayed. I paid about $150.00 – a small way of showing respect for the beautiful woods and acres that surround my home. In the vein of Thoreau, I did my two-bits to prevent feral cats from upsetting the balance of nature. Now, I can live with myself as a lover of the world around me. And Ginger can enjoy peaceful naps.

Moral decisions about our environment can appear in very surprising wraps… Sometimes we have to step up to the plate and pay the tab. Fact is, I've already received so much more than I gave. Has that ever happened to you?

Why Do You Do What You Do and Where Are You Headed?

Are you in a fast lane that prevents reflection? Busy day follows busy day…. Have you ever used reflection as an opportunity to change and grow? The answers you find can make a powerful difference in your professional life. Pause to answer the following questions thoughtfully and see where your answers lead you.

Why [name your work]? Why have you chosen your work? List the desires that helped you choose to do what you do. Why [your work] per se?

What problems in [name your work] currently take away the romance you once enjoyed on the job? List these problems and be very honest.


What do others suggest to help you overcome the barriers you listed? Using this list, email at least one or two problems that prevent you from being who you want to be on the job. Write this problem without jargon, very simply so that someone outside your field can understand it. Then email at least 10-15 leaders outside your field and ask what they would do to solve the problem.

Where to from here? Using the suggestions you received, write an action plan using the solutions you know can make a difference. And remember, action means acting and not just having good intentions.

Reflection is key to growth since it prevents stagnation. Reflect is the fifth step in MITA Brain Based approaches. Why not reflect more often to become a new you? Ellen Weber says, Your brain is wired for renewal…are you?

The first three questions are adapted from Tammy Lenski’s book project, What is it about Mediation that Calls to You?. You’ll find great ideas for growth at her site no matter your field.

Reflection Question Growth Change

Writing Collaboratively: Sparks and Cinders

What happens when two people decide to write an article? Sparks and cinders emerge. Two people double brainpower. Collaboration sparks creativity between two people that is not available to one. But hammering things out, can also dampen art. Then, how can two people weave ideas into a smooth, coherent and yet artistic piece?

Interestingly Ellen Weber invited me to join her to write an article for Business Strategies Magazine, Rochester, NY. Since Ellen has published several books and articles, I leaped at the opportunity to write and publish jointly with someone who sees writing as art. At the MITA Center, Ellen and I enjoy many brainstorming sessions in our work, so I was really curious to know how this could stretch this to writing.

Collaborative writing has unique possibilities and challenges. Possibilities doubled what we each brought to the table: different perspectives, extraordinary experiences, and unique educational backgrounds. Ellen is a published author and at this point I consider myself an apprentice. Challenges could have loomed if Ellen had taken the lead, but with great integrity, she kept the whole project on equal footing. In the end, I believe her generosity made the project more than ordinary.

Challenges included organizing ideas to best advantage, keeping flow through one unified voice, deciding who would write initial pieces, and polishing to connect well to our audience. We pounded these out in give and take sessions. Compromise is key for a unified vision to emerge.

How does genuinely successful collaboration work in writing for publication? In my mind, collaboration demands skill, respect, responsibility, trust, risk, and a few good laughs.

To find balance in this piece, I asked Ellen, “In your mind is collaborative writing beneficial?” I was really surprised as she responded, “No, not always. Writing is a very private skill and not one I am able to share very easily. One person recently approached me and I felt it would not work well for me or for him. Collaborative writing works only if skills are matched, there is common vision, a general feeling of trust and good will.”

Ellen continued to elaborate, “Writing is not just about the linguistic. It is art and is deeply intrapersonal. It takes me to fragile places and then leads me deeper into mystique. I write to know. I do not write because I know, but because writing helps me find out. That’s why I don’t tend to like writing with others. It can happen, but it is very rare.”

Now she paused and changed pace, “When there is an exception, writing is more fun, it surprises you by joy, and a rainbow emerges as new ideas come bursting forth in colors that play with the sun. Whether it’s one or two authors, the writing process is similar -- you do the same linguistically, but it is also different. When you write together, new answers emerge and the tributaries move you into new spaces. Once flow comes -- answers follow -- and it is a delightful adventure.”

We began by brainstorming and asking “How could MITA brain based strategies help us find solutions in Rochester’s struggling economy?” Ellen and I jotted each down initial ideas. We then agreed to keep some and toss others. With the “keepers” we developed a rough outline. We divvyed up initial writing. We made choices and exchanged back and forths and dropped the fog.

I tended to free write first, circle any gems. And polish the piece. Questions led the way.

We met, exchanged pieces and complimented each other’s contributions. At this point I thought her words were very generous. Throughout the process we encouraged each other. At this point we exchanged our pieces so that each of us could polish one another’s.

Finally we worked on transitions and then checked to see if our introduction and opening sentence would hook readers. The last check was to see if we had great bookends. That is, does the conclusion close what was opened in the introduction? When all of pieces were polished and framed as one and headings added, we were ready to submit. Here are the results.

Thanks, Dr. Ellen Weber, for willingness to share your writing space and teach me so much more about writing, generosity, art and life.

Celebrating Targets Achieved!

Celebration MITA Brain Based Serotonin Cortisol Intelligences

Do you set and celebrate targets for yourself? At MITA International Brain Based Center, celebration of achievement is distinctive. Last week Ellen Weber and I were part of a foursome winning a trophy at the annual Rotary 7120 District Golf Tournament and Business Strategies published our article, Brain Based Strategies Propel Business.

Why is celebration so important at MITA? Celebration of learning provides a sense of achievement in the culmination of the five MITA steps: Question, Target, Expect, Move and Reflect. How do these steps make a difference?

Ellen and I have golfed for a few years now and this was our first time to win a tournament. Past tournaments did not go well because one of the two of us fell into a “cortisol” spell and lost the easy flow required to keep our game at the top of our ability. By naming the problem and planning ahead, we could also overcome it. We discussed specific strategies to bring more serotonin to our game and to our team to enable quality play at the tournament.

Question: Each of us asked: “How can I bring more serotonin to my game when poor shots come?”

Target: Ellen: take my mind away from the immediate problem to picture my best golf shot and think I will do that next. Robyn: compliment each person on good shots and banter with other players to develop a sense of good will rather than focusing on times I “flub it up.” Both strategies focus on the positive. In past without realizing it, our minds began rehearsing a whole litany of what went wrong and how to correct it. We had the sense of focusing on good shots and just remembering the flow and enjoyment of these. It worked.

Expect: The benchmark for us was to stick to positives all the way both in our mind, talk and body language and to avoid negative thinking and rehearsing what went wrong. We wanted a score under par at the end of the tournament.

Move: includes using several of the eight intelligences to achieve our goal.

Bodily kinesthetic: appropriate golf stance and swings based on past good performance. Positive body language especially when some shots do not go as expected.

Interpersonal: build a team sprit throughout tournament, by bantering and complimenting good shots

Intrapersonal: focus on positive shots and immediately take mind’s focus from any negative thinking since negatives destroy

Logical-mathematical: savvy choice of clubs for distance

Spatial: visualize positive results ahead of each shot. Dress well for the game since how you look often reflects in how you feel during an event

Musical: whistle a tune in your head after a few good shots and especially after a bad shot. Music can change your brain waves and actually bring more serotonin to your game.

Naturalistic: enjoy the beauty of the course. Take time to breathe it all in and enjoy the trees or birds and the sunshine. This brings well being.

Reflect: “Where to from here?” How might you adjust to improve even more? Reflections lead us to keep learning and growing.

Celebrate: We celebrated by publishing an article in Business Strategies and winning the trophy for the Rotary 7120 District tournament. What targets are you setting this year and how will you celebrate?

Can Business IQ Be Measured?

Business IQ Business Intelligence Business Smarts Intelligences

Interestingly IQ has long been used as a basis to determine peoples’ smarts. But what do your results on an IQ test mean when it comes to business? While many folks perform well on IQ tests, does that necessarily mean they have business smarts? Have you ever seen a “book smart” person who could not find his way around a parking lot, let alone design a logo or use that design to win customers?

To be successful in business takes much more than merely the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences on which our schools currently base most learning and standardized testing.

According to Howard Gardner Ellen Weber and Doug Hall, business leaders and workers alike need many intelligences to meet daily job demands. Ellen Weber asks, “How are We Smart Anyway?” Consider just a few facets for each of the multiple intelligences and see if you agree.

Spatial: design logos, and develops good graphical displays such as PowerPoint to express an organization’s distinctives and vision.

Interpersonal: use excellent social interaction skills such as salesmanship, ability to formulate questions and answers well during board room sessions, or skill in developing new clients through networking. Especially strong acumen in team or collaborative settings. Ability to communicate well with diverse people.

Intrapersonal: disciplined leaders who are ethical and full of well-being. Rather than being needy of others to fill their desires, they are altruistic and give much to others. They are strong in spirit and soul. Besides this, intrapersonally intelligent people easily laugh at themselves. Does this sound opposite to the know-it-all who might well brag about a high IQ and turn everyone off?

Bodily-Kinesthetic: active in sports or exercise to provide the brain with plenty of oxygen for optimal functioning. Uses good body language when communicating with others. Learns to look into peoples’ eyes, smile, shake folks’ hands or gives daily pats on the back.

Naturalistic: follows practices that enhance the environment in the world and workplace. Walks in parks or woods to understand vision through metaphor or to see a big picture in nature. Uses green engineering in buildings to enhance his and workers’ productivity.

Musical: listens to background music to enhance creative flow during problem solving or writing sessions, since music moves the brain waves to enhance work.

Logical-Mathematical: activates logic, organizational and numeric skills with acumen, for profitable business plans, wise cash flow and favorable risks in borrowing and investing.

Verbal-linguistic: uses words and language well for communication in speaking and writing at top organizational levels.

For fun, you would enjoy a survey Ellen Weber designed to determine your current intelligences profile. Keep in mind that intelligences are not fixed, but you can grow strong in those you see as currently weak, just by actively engaging in these daily. Our brains have plasticity that enables change.

Though verbal and numeric are more easily measured since they form the largest part of standardized and IQ testing, creativity and risk taking in other intelligences are full of surprises and ambiguity. Educators recognize Bloom’s taxonomy as a way to order intelligence. And now, Bloom’s New Taxonomy lists creativity at the highest level of cognition. Creativity defies numeric measurement!

Yet, in Intelligence Reframed, Howard Gardner defines intelligence as the ability to create products or solve problems, which have value in the culture where they are produced. This is the new definition of intelligence. Business ventures or products are either chaff, wheat or possibility seeds if developed more fully. In the end, consumers' purchases count to reveal your business smarts!

What do you think? Are several intelligences needed in business? Can business smarts really be measured by IQ tests?

Challenges to the Brain

Intelligences Spatial Logical-Mathematical Intrapersonal Challenge Brain

Did you know your brain not only thrives on challenges, but rising to meet them builds mental muscle? Yesterday, in How Do You Use Art to Invent at Work, Dad challenged Ellen Weber and myself to design a Jackson Pollock art piece and then post it in his or her blog successfully and artistically. OK, I'm using my brush and my technological acumen to take you both on as you use the picture to represent something you've accomplished in the last 24 hours. Pictured below, do you see the tee, fairway and green and the foursome in the huge Rotary District golf tourney Ellen and I won?


OK, why not try this yourself. In so doing you'll bring three of the eight intelligences to the forefront: spatial, in designing your picture; logical mathematical, in using technology to copy the photo and post it in the right format for online; and intrapersonal to see if you can stay calm and keep a good serotonin level in your brian when things do not go as you would like!

OK, Ellen and Dad, how did yours turn out? Folks what do you think?

How Do You Handle Guilt Trippers at Work?

Guilt-Tripper Rewire Brain Manipulation

Do you consider yourself a pretty good Joe or Jane on the job? One problem “nice folks” face is saying NO! especially to guilt-trippers. Why? Folks with integrity feel they have to please others.

Say, as a good Joe on the job, you serve on committees, prepare the office holiday party and keep shelling out money for good causes. And all the time you’re ANGRY and seething inside because you simply don’t want to be bothered and you don’t have time.

Avoid finding yourself in guilt’s clutches! Richard Carlson offers sound advice in Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. He says, “the very best way to avoid being bothered by them is to make peace, not with the guilt-trippers but which yourself.”

How so? Well, you can’t please everyone and it’s not your job to do so! Once you come to terms with being OK with it if folks are upset with you, you’ve adopted the mindset you need to kick this problem…. even if you see steam exploding from the guilt-tripper’s ears!

Begin by setting boundaries with just about everyone – like a friend who wants you to car pool or a couple who will just die if you do not come to their dinner party. Try it – the more you do it, the easier it gets! And the more you consciously say “no” to folks who lay guilt-trips on you, you’ll be rewiring your brain for the person you’d most like to be!

Caution – stay polite. In using good tone as you say no, you establish boundaries and remain calm and respectable. The guilt-tripper can choose to be upset and angry with you, but his disappointment in you says nothing about the real you.

Guilt-Trippers Manipulate. Realize that guilt trippers – the folks who send you on guilt trips are actually manipulators. They want something from you and they don’t want it to cost them!

Next time someone wants you to come to a party, because you’re fun and, “It’ll be a bore without you,” just say, no and hold firm. Guilt trippers who’ve had you on a leash don’t like letting go!

If you are too easily swayed by guilt, you might enjoy reading information about emotional manipulation and down to earth insights.

In the meantime, the next time a business associate asks me to run an ad in his paper, I can say no and not even flinch! You?

Are You an Ear or a Mouth?

Listening Communication Skills Brain Based Listening Quiz

Listening is as important to communication as good speaking skills. A Chicago Tribune story shows that people too often confuse communication with persuasion. “Rather than a tell-and-sell approach, effective communication is interactive.” How do you communicate with others?

Are you planning what you’ll say next as others are speaking? Have you ever considered that this tendency is related to our fast paced culture, which thrives on fast food and fast lanes? We haven’t left much time for meaningful conversation, much less to listen.

Our culture has fashioned the way most of us speak and listen. For instance, when you’re engaged in discussion do you hear pauses? If you’re honest, you’ll say rarely. In the U.S. we feel awkward if there are pauses in conversation so someone quickly jumps to fill them. Next time a group is engaged in conversation note what happens when there is even a short pause. How can we change this tendency?

Rate yourself as a listener. Take this quiz and when you finish you’ll see your score. I was brutally honest as I answered and clearly see that I have areas needing immediate attention. How did you do? I’m jotting down the ones I checked “no” and I’ll take action. Are you willing to jump in, too?

Here’s how you can rewire your brain for more effective listening. By taking action and practicing new strategies daily, you can become a great listener, one that others love to engage in conversation. Here are some excellent brain based strategies from Michael Powell’s book, Mind Games:

1. Listen with your face…. What expressions might show other folks that you are engaged and interested in their points?
2. Maintain good eye contact and face the speaker with your whole body.
3. Stop what you’re doing during... and that includes talking.
4. Look for nonverbal cues – body language and tone of voice.
5. Don’t argue mentally or be a judge of what the person is saying. Only speak to clarify (by asking questions) to gain understanding. Or, show verbally that you are hearing what is said by briefly repeating a key point.
6. Use your mouth as a receiver of information rather than a broadcaster.
7. Try to feel the speaker’s experience.
8. Form a mental picture that represents what the speaker is saying.
9. Ask two footed questions, that touch the topic and engage the speaker to bring in more of her experiences.
10. Show in some way that you respect the speaker’s stance even if you do not agree with it.

I’m starting by “listening with my face.” Where will you launch?

How about Stretching Your Assumptions?

Assumptions Trust Gut Intuition Decision-making






For fun consider the pictures above. Next take this quick survey in relation to all the people in the pictures, not just one by one.

1. My first reaction is that that I would enjoy meeting all these folks. __Yes __No
2. I would enjoy talking to these people more so I could get to know them. __Yes __No
3. If I were a Humans Resource Manager, I could honestly interview all these folks fairly and objectively as I consider them for a position. __Yes __No
4. I would welcome these all these folks as neighbors. __Yes __No
5. I would be happy in introducing these folks to my friends. __Yes __No
   

OK – quickly jot down the number of yes and no responses you made. Keep your responses since you’ll need them again later.

Are you in the habit of revisiting your assumptions, the basis for making on-the-spot decisions? To gather insights, I visited several blogs. Here’s what I learned from folks working in a variety of fields:

Do not trust your gut in relation to customers: Tom VanderWell points out that it is not wise to trust our gut when it comes to customers. This is one area that can make or break a business. Tom advises folks to use not just an insider lens, but it is extremely important to use an outsider lens as well. What are your experiences?

Trust your gut: On the other hand, Dad recommends that we should trust our gut at times.

Check out Dad’s insights about a job interview to see what he means. Quite frankly, if the evidence is truly there, shouldn’t we trust our instincts at times!

Uncover, consider, reflect: Dr. Tammy Lenski, shares, “Many mediators work from the assumption and belief that the parties know best what will work for them, and truly know best how to resolve the dispute that’s gotten stuck if we, the mediators, can help clear the debris out of their way. If you’re a mediator who works from such an assumption, then you help people explore, uncover, consider and reflect. You come to them as a guide instead of as an expert who knows what they should do and exactly how they should do it. You don’t live their lives and you understand that you’re glimpsing only a tiny sliver of them during your brief time in their presence.” Do we really know it all?

Don’t make assumptions about people: Training for Change points out that one of the worst mistakes facilitators can make is to go into a training session with assumptions about people. Read this to see the reality:
“I went to a one-on-one discussion with a young anarchist from a fairly privileged background and an older college-activist from what I thought was an equally or more privileged background. Many of my questions were geared towards exploring the differences between the two communities. It turned out that the college activist had grown up on a farm, as a migrant worker, and had struggled to put herself through college. She felt little or no connection to the wealthy, relaxed students she saw all around her. She was older and felt that the campus activist community was not hers, and didn't really feel that she had a community to claim.” So can you usually go by your gut?

Develop opposite assumptions to move past tradition: Dr. Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business, advises folks who want to move their firms ahead and bring out new approaches to develop “an opposite set of assumptions from those in the firm’s current traditions.” By so doing, you will not be stuck in a rut of tradition and unwillingness to change. Have you ever tried stepping into opposite shoes? This strategy works well to revisit your original beliefs?

Now revisit your original answers. What did this exercise tell you about your own beliefs? Did you see prejudice? Are you OK with difference? Most of us tend to believe that we are open-minded and open to people who are different from us. Judging from your original answers is that true of you?

Nutrients to Turbo-Charge Your Brain!

Brain Food Memory Alzheimers Antioxidants Free Radicals B Vitamins Selinium Zinc Magnesium Ginseng

Good news from neuroscience is that our brains are growing and ever changing and we can actually influence their functioning by what we eat. For instance, here’s just two amazing breakthroughs mentioned in Jean Carper’s book, Your Miracle Brain:

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers fed a group of young men a diet high in the mineral selenium for about three months. Selenium is found in grains, garlic, meat, seafood (oysters, swordfish, tuna) and Brazil nuts or a supplement. This diet sent morale soaring: The men reported feeling more clearheaded, elated, confident and energetic. Researcher, psychologist James Penland, says the extra selenium lifted the men's moods even though they had no signs of selenium deficiency. In other words, undetected selenium deficiencies may lead to bad moods.
2. Two types of vitamin E -- the antioxidant powerhouse -- can prevent surgery for some folks with severe narrowing of the carotid artery in the neck, one of the biggest causes of stroke. Cardiologist Marvin Bierenbaum of the Kenneth L. Jordan Heart Research Foundation in Montclair, N.J., gave 50 patients a vitamin E combination of 100 milligrams of alpha tocopherol plus 240mg of tocotrienols. This duo acted as a RotoRooter through the blockages in 40% of the patients.

Diet and Exercise Curb Memory Problems: New studies show the kinds of memory problems that most people fear about aging can be avoided or at least postponed, by diet and exercise. The brain is particularly susceptible to free radical damage because it is exposed to a large amount of oxygen. It's the body's most active organ, consuming about 20 percent of the body's oxygen. Free radicals enter our bodies through pollution, fried food and even normal metabolic processes of the body.

Fact is, fatty membranes that cover all our brain cells are particularly subject to oxidative damage. Free radical damage is implicated in cognitive decline and memory loss as people age and is thought to be a leading cause of Alzheimer's disease.

Good news is that a steady level of antioxidants -- including vitamins C and E – boosts strong memories. Ongoing studies suggest that taking supplements of vitamins C and E can keep your brain functioning well and prevent the risk of Alzheimer's disease and slow the progression of memory loss. The two vitamins appear to act synergistically to prevent age-related dementia. Together C and E cut the risk of Alzheimer’s by more than 60 percent.

Eating right raises serotonin levels: If you have an important morning meeting, Douglas Kalman, director of clinical research at Peak Wellness, suggests eating a high protein breakfast to help raise your serotonin levels, which produces hormones that make you feel alert.

If you're feeling sluggish midday, boost your serotonin with a small dose of carbohydrates, such as fruit or an energy bar. Also, drink lots of water. A craving for sugar can be the initial stages of dehydration.


Brain Foods To Turbo-Charge Your Health: In her recent book, Brain Power, Laureli Blyth suggests you begin with:

* Balanced, high-bran diet
* Nutrients, vitamins and supplements
* Hydration with Plenty of Water

Blyth shares details that can help keep your memory strong:

BRAIN BOOSTER VITAMINS

B1............Helps memory, focus and well being

B3...........Improves energy and is needed for biochemical functions of the body

B5...........Considered the Anti-Stress Vitamin

B6...........Activates memory and thinking

B12.........Prevents nerve damage by maintaining the fatty sheathe that surrounds the nerves. When deficient, leads to sever brain and nerve impairment

E.............Wards off memory problems associated with aging

C.............Protects against cognitive impairment

Foods containing these vitamins include: green vegatables, brown rice, tofu, nuts, sunflower seeds and eggs.

BRAIN BOOSTER MINERALS

Zinc...............Boosts memory – found in apples, pears, beans oysters, ginger, peas

Magnesium..Enhances Circulation and prevents calcification from eroding brain cells – found in Almonds, cashews, soybeans, seafood, blackstrap molasses.

BRAIN BOOSTER NUTRIENTS

Lecithin..........Found in soybean oil, and is a good source of choline, the building block for acetylocholine, the neurotransmitter primarily responsible for comprehension, learning and memory

COENZYME Q10 A vitamin-like nutrient that plays a major role in energy production. Supports the body, helping to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Ginseng..........Known for its rejunenative powers and used as an energy tonic and stimulant.

BRAIN BOOSTER ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants – fight free radicals that kill brain cells and lead to mental decline. Eat brightly colored fruits, and berries and green leafy vegetables.

Tea - Plain black tea (such as Lipton's, Twinings or Bigelow) or more exotic Asian green tea -- in five ounces of boiling water. Let it brew for five minutes and drink it. In an instant you've taken in about 1,200 ORAC units of antioxidants -- about a third to a fourth of the total daily recommended amounts, according to Tufts University researchers.

AVOID: saturated animal fat in fast foods such as burgers and shakes. Do not use too much polyunsaturated vegetable oil , such as safflower, sunflower and corn oils, that can set up chronic inflammatory responses in brain tissue, thought to eventually lead to subtle brain damage, strokes and Alzheimer's disease. Eating trans-fatty acids, in processed foods such as salad dressings, fries, doughnuts and most margarines, also can foster blood-vessel damage that is detrimental to blood circulation in the brain.

I’ve been studying brain foods carefully and I’ll snack on a few almonds. Think I’ll add that tofu and orange juice shake Ellen Weber mentions. How about you?