Brain Aware Leadership
A 'how to' reference manual for leaders (& their coaches)
Elite performance requires continued learning
Karl Anders Ericsson (author of "Peak") differentiates (unthinking) habitual repetition, which strengthens existing ways of doing things, from (mindful) deliberate practice, which allows you to change and continually improve. The book is hard work - I use PERFECT to capture his ideas...
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P = Purpose - Be clear why it feels important and positive for you to change, improve or learn
E = Environment - Step away from your normal / real life routines to create a psychologically safe context, in which you can practice (ie play with) doing things differently WITHOUT risk.
R = Representation (of success) - Create a mental picture (or physical simulation) of what you are trying to achieve - what it feels like, looks like, or allows you to do. A coach may help with this.
F = Feedback - Use self-observation, or feedback from others, to observe objectively - WITHOUT criticism - the results of your experiments. Feedback is simply to guide your ongoing exploration.
E = Experimentation - From successful experiments identify what helps you (eg a thought or image). Then use this in real life situations until you have developed a new (unconscious) habit.
C = Curiosity - Base your experimentation in curiosity: What happens if...? Watch out for 'fear of failure' as ANY fear will kill curiosity. It will stop you trying new things and hold you in old habits.
T = Triggers (to new learning) - Stimulate your curiosity by allowing everyday events to raise new questions to explore. Or be inspired by the perspective, knowledge or skill of a mentor / teacher.