THE LEADERSHIP LENS Newsletter <download pdf>
January 2009, © Mark Sincevich, Staash Press, LLC (dba Leading with Focus)
A monthly resource providing insight, opinion and practical information on creativity, life balance & powerful communications

Success from the Inside Out

Leeks and Kale at the Portland Farmers Market, Portland, OR, (c) Mark Sincevich

As I walked past the Barnes & Noble in Bethesda this morning there were posters in nearly every window advertising the latest diet or exercise book. One especially caught my eye, the 90-Second Workout. Immediately my rational mind wanted to ‘prove’ the book wrong, because the premise is so ridiculous. There has to be some sort of fine print or better yet a disclaimer of which I am not aware. The focus on diet and exercise books is tapping into the time of year when most people’s New Years resolutions contain the desire to loose weight. In a society where ‘we are often what we eat,’ now is the time to undo the excess and overeating of the holidays.

What if this emphasis on what goes into our bodies is only half of the story? In Marc David’s book, Nourishing Wisdom, he talks about the importance of recognizing, ‘we eat what we are.’ This means your state of mind will often determine what you eat, the amount of time you spend at a meal, how well you enjoy your food, and to a large extent the amount of nutrients you are able to absorb. Excess stress produces hormones such as cortisol, which block the absorption of nutrients. A prolonged, ‘fight or flight’ response also weakens the immune system. And when there is an emphasis on ‘grabbing lunch’ quickly or eating at ones desk, many people don’t pay attention to what they put into their bodies.

Even the food many of us have access to puts an emphasis on convenience over quality. Have you really thought about the types of packaged food available in your company’s vending machine? Even some of the places where we can eat have names not congruent with what we really long to be, think Fatz Café or Potbelly Restaurant. Marc David goes on to further state that some people who get ahead in their careers often do so at the expense of their health. It’s a matter of choices and where to spend your time. It might an easy decision to grab something in the vending machine so you can ‘close’ one more deal, but this ignores the long-term consequences of this action. It creates an internal reinforcement whereby food is seen as a distraction and less important. If you get the ‘reward’ of an extra business deal now, then you are more likely to repeat this behavior.

Grabbing lunch quickly, eating an excess of processed food or even skipping meals altogether creates excess weight and health problems. This increases insurance costs and puts people, an organizations most important resource, at risk. It also ignores a fundamental theory in psychology called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In Maslow’s hierarchy, we need to have good health, ample food, quality social relationships and stable shelter before we can start thinking of complex theories, creating new products and services and even enjoying ourselves. If you want to be more successful, you need to create a baseline of health that can sustain your success for the long term! If nutrition and health are at the base of success, what are some other essential elements up the hierarchy?

In Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Outliers, he attempts to define the elements of success. It’s too easy to say that talented people will be successful as hard work is essential too. For example my favorite group, The Beatles, performed a mind boggling 1,200 times before their initial breakthrough success in America in 1964. Another quality for success is circumstance. Returning to his hometown on the GI bill after World War II, my father attended the closest college. It was a teacher’s college, so got a degree to teach history and geography. Later he became a very good elementary school principal. However, he is much more talented with design and woodworking, and I believe he would have been even more successful if his college offered programs in art and architecture. Nearing 83 years he was able to design and build a beautiful and professional cabinet around my washer and dryer. He knows his success could not have been achieved without his health. He swims three times a week and pays careful attention to his food choices.

In these touch economic times, how much food is ‘wasted’ by hurrying, grabbing and inhaling the very thing that is essential to our long-term success? And if you are continually stressed when eating, you are not getting the nutritional value out of your meals either. In addition, the budget crises faced by many public school systems has reduced or eliminated physical education programs, so some of our children aren’t learning good exercise habits. This lack of exercise isn’t helped by the amount of ‘sitting’ time either. How much more successful could you be if you made better food choices and made time for exercise? It could start by taking the stairs and bringing your lunch to work. When a solid health baseline is present, you can achieve even more success starting from the inside out.

About Mark Sincevich
Mark Sincevich is an executive coach and the chief perspective officer of his company, Leading with Focus . He works with motivated and skilled executives to help them strengthen themselves, visualize their potential and influence their future. Mark also works with organizations to develop leaders with more focus and creativity. He does this through a unique photography angle in his speaking programs and writing. As a result of Mark's programs, his customers gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business. Mark is a member of the International Coaches Federation (ICF), the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the executive director of the Digital Photography Institute. Mark is also the author of three books including The Leadership Lens , and he is frequently quoted in the media. He can be contacted at 301-654-3010 or or www.LeadingWithFocus.com .  

Improve the success of your sales presentations by working with Mark in his Presenting with Focus program, www.PresentingWithFocus.com .