Do you know your 'off button'?
I know, this may sound counter-intuitive: here you are, coming back from your summer holiday with fresh energy in your tank and a spring in your step; and I’m asking you about your ‘off button.’
But hear me out: this may be the perfect time for you to take stock of your capacity, before work madness kicks in and you find yourself on your third espresso by noon, having completely depleted all your summer reserves in two weeks flat.
For this edition, I recorded a mini-interview with Damien Stork, CEO and co-founder of CHX Performance (together with Oxford neuroscientist Chris Beedie).
I love the CHX approach because they flip the usual script. Leadership isn’t just about what we do “from the neck up.” It’s about biology and environment — an approach they tested for decades with elite athletes and high-performing executives.
Here’s why this matters: in a nutshell, capacity is the match between your self-resourcing and the demands placed on you.
You can be the exact same person, in the exact same situation - but whether you make sharp or sloppy decisions, build or break relationships, deliver stellar or mediocre results — all depends on how well resourced you are.
We may all know that on an intuitive level. But do you know what the rub is?
Those critical moments when we most need to access our clear thinking and empathic relating are precisely when we may be least able to. And that’s because we’re not very good at tracking our mood & emotions on a day-to-day basis - especially under pressure.
As Damien puts it, “we have an inflated view of ourselves that we can control how we feel and how we interact via our thoughts - and we have to challenge that.”
I hope this has whet your appetite. This is not a conversation about hacks - because, let’s face it, we all know the fundamentals of good sleep, nutrition, movement, daylight, strong relationships. The question is: why do we fail to put them into practice?
There are some personal and vulnerable stories from Damien & me in here, as well as examples from our experience working with senior executives.
Here are some of the highlights:
Why our mood & emotions are THE decisive factors in how we think and how we build relationships…
… and yet how we have lost the skill of listening to the signals they give us
Why we should stop wearing fatigue and pressure like a badge of honour: running on fumes is not high performance
Why we’re often the last to notice red flags in ourselves
Why dopamine addiction may be driving you - especially if you have a “CEO brain” - and what to do about it
I’ve learned some of these lessons about my personal ‘off button’ the very hard way - and I’ve come to believe this elusive switch determines our leadership edge to a great extent. I very much hope they serve you well.
Stay fierce, curious & well-resourced!
Alina