I now know having waited with a great deal of anticipation that earning this title was not a guarantee either.

Rather than bask on my moment, I thought I would share 2 concepts when it comes to achievements given the leaders I have coached and leaders I have observed and met.

1. The 10,000-hour rule

Consider the 10,000-hour rule that Malcolm Gladwell elicits in his book titled Outliers. In the book is an intriguing chapter that highlights gifted individuals, be it musicians such as the Beatles and Mozart, athletes and programmers such as Bill Joy, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, and Bill Gates of Microsoft, who were able to achieve stardom through practice or 10,000 hours of what they liked so much. More importantly, Gladwell adds, “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”‘[1]

Gladwell explains that the reason the Beatles did so well is not because they would have one-hour play sessions in Liverpool, but rather in Hamburg, Germany where they played in strip clubs for up to 8 hours. On their first trip to Hamburg in 1960 The Beatles played 106 nights for five or more hours per night, and this pace continued till 1962. By the time they were recognized in 1964 the band had performed live an estimated twelve hundred times. “Most bands today don’t perform twelve hundred times in their entire career.”[2]

The Beatles were a prime example of reaching their pinnacle because of the 10,000-hour rule. So, if practice is the thing that makes you good, is that the key to determining if you’re a leader?

Think about yourself now in your profession, job or trade; whether it be advising clients, fixing sinks, flying planes, writing code, operating on patients or management of teams, how many hours have you dedicated to this activity? 1000 hours? 2000 hours? If you’re an airline pilot, that question is easier, since pilots track the number of flying hours. My father had a good friend who was an 18-wheeler truck driver, and he told my dad one day that he was quite proud of having driven 1.5 million miles in Canada.

When you’re leading teams, however, how do you know how many hours of management time you’ve covered? OK, we often refer to how long we’ve worked in business, how long we’ve practiced dentistry or how long we’ve worked in engineering since graduating, but how many hours were attributed to leading people, repairing cavities, writing business plans or presenting in front of boards? The question remains elusive. More importantly, if you believe and agree with Gladwell’s theory of greatness, how does one meet this milestone if one cannot account in a simple way the magic number of 10,000, like a pilot?

Whether they prove 10,000 hours or not, anyone can do amazing things versus their peers, but you gotta put in the time. There are no shortcuts. Stephen Covey said in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,that “Many of the great things in the history of our civilization have been achieved by the independent will of a determined soul.”[3]

I’m not sure he was referring to the spiritual concept of us holding a soul, but rather to a determined person.

I like the way Gladwell adds that “Achievement is talent plus preparation. The problem with this view is that the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted the smaller the role innate talent seems to play and the bigger the preparation seems to play”[4]

I have not achieved 10,000 hours yet in Coaching, more like 2000 hours but Gladwell has given me the motivation I need to forge on.

2. Team effort

This is a real simple concept and let me use Warren Bennis to make a point. He once said:

“Our mythology refuses to catch up with us. And so, we cling to the myth of the Lone Ranger, the romantic idea that great things are usually accomplished by a larger-than-life individual working alone. Despite evidence to the contrary –including the fact that Michelangelo worked with a group of 16 to paint the Sistine Chapel – we still tend to think of achievement in terms of the Great Man or the Great Woman, instead of the great Group.”

The message?  Every time you notice someone achieving something noteworthy, a pinnacle of some sort or greatness remember that this person did not do it alone. There was a team behind him or her to make it possible. It cannot be otherwise and thinking that you become an expert or an authority on your own is a myth. Again, my reading, observing people and following successes of various leader reaffirms to me that there are no exceptions.

In my case, fellow coaches Anda Suta and Ioan Nicut kindly guided me down the PCC path. Then Carly Anderson’s one-on-one mentoring work and guidance was instrumental to making sure I properly develop the core competencies as a professional coach. Carly was diligent and relentless to make sure I meet the “markers”. Adding to this was effective, no nonsense Coach training from Andrew Neitlich. I also to have recognize my staff and clients that helped facilitate my application not to forget my Maria who never wondered about my obsession for doing it right, nor to give up.

There you have it. A team, my team behind the achievement.

Last point: Does this mean I’m a great coach? I’d rather say that I’m becoming a great coach to pen Marshall Goldsmith’s view on becoming a great leader. Goldsmith would caution you that the minute you think that “you have arrived and you’re a great leader” …think again. Consider rather you are ‘becoming a great leader” hence the constant pursuit of attaining a better version of yourself.

[1]Malcom Gladwell, Outliers p.42

[2]Malcom Gladwell, Outliers p.50

[3]Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People p.10

[4]Malcom Gladwell, Outliers p.38

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Anyone who’s managed other people for any length of time knows one thing for certain: Human beings are a complex species, and always not especially rational one. Most of us have seen our colleagues and subordinates make decisions and take actions that, on their surface, don’t seem to make a great deal of sense, such as choosing to lie, adopting a hostile attitude, refusing to cooperate or doing other things that sabotage their companies or careers. When it happens, we’re usually left shaking our heads, asking ourselves what were they thinking.

As hard as it sometimes may be to believe, all of us have brains, and all of us think. All of them function in much the same way – and are prone to very similar common dysfunctions. As managers, we like to think that we are managing people, but in fact we are managing their brains, trying to bypass individuals’ short-sightedness, self-interest, and – most of all – fear in an effort to forge a high-functioning, trust-grounded team.

The American psychologist Phillip McGraw states that “Eighty percent of choices are based upon fear. People don’t choose what they want; they choose what they feel is safe.” If you think about it, fear is the dysfunction that most often drives the bad decisions we see as managers – and the reasons for that fear are often rational, even if the behaviors they inspire are not. Workplace threats to position, to prestige, and to security are very real, and fear is these threats’ natural by-product.

As managers, defusing that fear is one of our most vital tasks. Leading brain science authority Dr. Srini Pillay observes the following:

“Trust and fear are inversely related and affect the brain in opposite ways. Fear increases amygdala activation while trust decreases it. Developing a trusting work environment is important in similar ways to creating a non-fear based motivational space. It frees up the thinking brain to focus on relevant issues rather than using up thinking resources to resolve trust conflicts. Trust is also rewarding since it affects several components of the reward system. These components feed back to the action centers in the brain, preparing the brain to act. Without trust, action is inhibited or infused with fear; this compromises actions.” (Your Brain and business, Srini Pillay, 2011)

As managers, can we eliminate fear and irrationality in our employees? Of course not – there are definite limits on the extent of our control. We do, however, have a great deal of influence over individual and collective employee thought processes, and through a few simple steps we can make great strides towards mitigating fear and fostering mutual trust. Let me give you some steps:

1. Be honest and direct. Open, sincere, and timely communication with employees short-circuits speculation, dampens gossip, lowers anxiety, and engenders trust and respect. It also provides an outstanding leading example of how you expect employees to relate to one another.
2. Be appreciative. A sense of security, belonging, and being appreciated goes a long way towards eliminating fear – and the most direct, immediate way to create those feelings is by frequently thanking your people for their contributions.
3. Be open to feedback. Two-way communication without fear of reprisal is critical to creating a trust-based environment. Listening to employees and colleagues without angry or defensive responses demonstrates your respect, open-mindedness, and appreciation of their positions.
4. Be task-focused. By concentrating on the job at hand – i.e., your company’s products and services, rather than personalities or company politics – you focus your peoples’ attention on areas where they have control and influence, and where they stand to gain a sense of accomplishment.
5. Be accepting of mistakes. “Permission to fail” is a relatively new concept in business, but it’s a critical one. Encouraging employees to try new approaches and learn from their mistakes without repercussions sends a powerful message of trust and respect to your team members.

Will there still be instances of distrust and moments of irrational fear? Of course. Human beings aren’t robots, aren’t perfect, and aren’t predictable. It’s possible, though, to greatly reduce their frequency and significance – and engender the spirit of cooperation, rather than internal competition, needed for a high-functioning team.

I’ve got great news to share and I’m truly honored! I’ve been selected as a speaker at the International Coach Federation (ICF) Global conference called ICF Converge2017 on August 24-26, 2017 in Washington DC…a career highlight for me and yes, Networking had a lot to do with it. www.eventscribe.com/2017/ICFConverge

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I will help coaches learn how to network, to raise their awareness to the benefits of connecting with people, to learn from my mistakes and ultimately give back this hard-won experience to others.

I really believe coaches at the ICF conference will relate to a fellow Coach that had issues getting new clients; addressed this ‘Networking’ thing; made altruism the key focus and gained in the process. Coaches will hear some takeaways, methods and examples that have worked for me. These concepts are at the core of effective networking and building a successful coaching business. Besides ICF Converge 2017 promotes Networking as a Key area or Neighborhood.

My presentation is entitled: Masters of Networking and it will highlight the ‘Abundance mindset’, the ‘Etiquette of Networking’, how to ‘Establish rapport’ and the corresponding benefits to get coaches started on the right foot. When we network and meet new people, we also learn.

All in all provided in a fun environment, my peers will walk away with takeaways which will compel them to think: “You know what, Paul’s right… I’m going to try this”!

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It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Ours is an era of increasing competition, and only the strong survive. We’ve always got to be smarter, tougher, more nimble, quicker on our feet, and more ruthless than the next guy if we’re going to “get ahead” – and woe to us if we’re off our game, even for a moment.

Or so we’re led to believe. Business magazines, self-help career books, self-styled “thought leaders” and others tell us to be simultaneously hyper aggressive and hyper defensive, ready to press hard to get what we want and to push back hard when pushed. The mindset has gone on to permeate popular culture, becoming the ethos of Survivor, The Apprentice, and even competitive cooking shows. It becomes difficult not to be swept up in the eat-or-be-eaten mindset, but the fact is that this line of thinking stands to do our careers and our lives a tremendous amount of damage.

Think about it: At its core, a company is necessarily a team. That team is typically made up of countless other teams – groupings of people who must necessarily work cooperatively together in order to achieve their business goals. How well can any team function when its members are perpetually competing with one another rather than an opposing team?

Almost all of us have been in the position of entering a new job or business relationship, meeting new bosses or colleagues, and having the sense of being “sized up” as a potential rival or threat. In these circumstances, it becomes quickly obvious that it will be very hard to be productive, let alone exceptional in our appointed roles. We’ve got to “break the ice,” establish trust and rapport – because if we don’t, chances are good that we’ll quickly be shown to the door.

So how do we establish that trust? By leading with vulnerability – and by countering all of the defensive programming that conventional wisdom has instilled in us. We begin by acknowledging that we are firstly members of a team, and that it’s part of our job to be effective in that role. We are individually responsible for creating trust in order to make our teams effective.

As Patrick Lencioni notes, we are called upon to establish a confidence level where:

1. Team members know that their peers’ intentions are good.
2. There is no reason to be protective or careful around the group.
3. Team members must be comfortable being vulnerable with each other. (The five dysfunctions of a team, Patrick Lencioni)

 What is leading with vulnerability? Actually, it’s simply a matter of being completely honest about yourself to your peers or staff. All of us know that we can’t be good at everything – but few of us are willing to outwardly admit it. It takes courage to say…

1. I’m not good at this…
2. You’re better at this than I am…
3. I made a mistake…
4. I was wrong…
5. I need your help…
6. I can’t do this on my own and I need your help and the help of your team…
7. I’m not sure…

Sure, it takes courage to say such things, but we all know that for all of us, they are all true in some areas. There’s nothing at all exceptional about making mistakes or needing help – but it is very exceptional to admit it. And some very interesting things happen when:

• You display uncommon courage – a quality that other team members will be inclined to respect.
• You demonstrate personal strength – you’ll acknowledge an area of possible weakness without fear of repercussions.
• You project confidence – a universally-attractive quality that draws others to like, emulate, and respect you.
• You create opportunity for others to mirror your actions, express their own vulnerability, and establish rapport.

This is an example of an instance where it is truly possible to “turn your weakness into strength” – strength for yourself, for your team, and your entire organization. Paradoxically, your “weakness” can be the foundation for your power play – taking control of a situation, guiding a team’s direction, and leading towards a positive shared outcome.

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Picture this scenario: You’ve been given a critical work assignment. The outcome, you are told, will have a tremendous impact upon your company’s future success (and, by implication, on the future success of those involved in the project).

You smile to yourself: You’ve got this. Everything that’s required fits perfectly with your expertise. You’ll pull together the perfect team for the job, and…

Then comes the bad news. “You’ll be working with Johnny and Alice from headquarters. I’ll be introducing you to them when they fly in tomorrow.” Two people who you’ve never met, haven’t worked with, don’t know. And as of this moment, their success or failure on this project stands to have a big impact on you.

What are you likely to feel in that moment? Most likely, it’s a variation on fear, possibly on a range from slight anxiety to mortal terror. The future of your career, it seems, has been placed squarely into the hands of two outsiders who may or may not know what they’re doing, and who may or may not have your best interests in mind.

A measure of fear would seem like an appropriate response. It’s also likely to be a highly unproductive one.

In my last article, I emphasized that by necessity trust comes first in any productive business interaction. There’s no emotion more likely to sabotage that trust than fear – whether your own or that of your colleagues. In the scenario described above, three people are cast blindly into an unpredictable, high-stakes interaction where they are all likely to be feeling very similar fears, and thus laying the groundwork for unnecessary difficulty.

Think about it: It’s nearly impossible to establish a productive, trust-based relationship with anyone that you feel even slightly afraid of. Even if your colleagues are acting competently and in perfectly good faith, any agitation you feel is likely to interfere with your recognizing or accepting as much – and any fear they feel is likely to have the same effect relative to you.

The solution? Identify fear-based responses wherever they reside – and short-circuit them as swiftly as possible. As Frank Herbert’s popular aphorism says, “Fear is the mind-killer.” Stated more clearly, Brain science tells us that fear impedes logical thought, makes objective analysis difficult, and gets in the way of taking the appropriate, effective steps to achieve your objectives. The fear that you (and in all likelihood, your prospective team members) feel is related to the “unknowns” associated with your objectives.

Let’s break your objectives down where this scenario is concerned:

1. Your primary goal is to achieve a favorable business result for your firm or company. The associated fear: Consequences of a negative outcome.
2. To achieve this objective, you need to work effectively with others you have not worked with before. The associated fears: Colleagues may not be competent, committed, or willing to work well with you in a team setting.

There are two things to immediately notice in this scenario:

• Firstly, the fear is based upon hypothetical factors, not real ones – there may be a bad outcome, our colleagues may not do their jobs well. Rationally, there is no reason to respond to possibilities as if they were actualities – fear is a response best reserved for clear and present threats.
• The second is that we are not powerless in these situations. We maintain a measure of control, or at least influence, over the outcomes – we can apply our knowledge, experience and skill to promote a positive outcome, and we can take measures to help guide the attitude and actions of our colleagues.

When we look at situations this way, feared “unknowns” move towards manageable “knowns,” allowing fear to evaporate and fostering an environment where trust can grow. By limiting or eliminating our own fears, we project an image of confidence and capability, engendering a similar sense in our colleagues. That helps mitigate any fear they might feel, encouraging them to feel at ease – and to develop trust in us.

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As part of the coaching process with my coachee (client) I offer to interview on a confidential basis, the coachee’s  stakeholders.

Reason: Coaching is all about change: either something in your behavior or your management style is preventing you from moving up or assuming more responsibilities, yet you’ve done OK till now. You are not seeing the result you seek hence the reason I am coaching you.  After we agree on some objectives and the change you seek, we explore together how to adopt and embrace this change.

Pretty simple concept right? It gets a little more complicated when I identify a discrepancy between how YOU see yourself and how your stakeholders see you.

Let me give you an example. I was working with a senior manager that wanted to improve some areas but my intuition also told me he had to improve his project planning skills. When I probed him about this he reassured me that this was not a problem – in fact he had project management training and background.

When I met his stakeholders, the majority of them told me that the senior manager’s project management skills were getting him in trouble and at times, the ‘wheels would fall off the cart’ days before the project was supposed to be finished.

What happened?

This is a common tale.

Feedback more specifically from stakeholders according to Marshall Goldsmith  an expert in Coaching and Leadership, is critical and ‘If we’re lucky every once in a while something or someone comes along who open our eyes to your faults – and helps us strip away a delusion or two about ourselves’.

He also adds:

1. ‘It is a whole lot easier to see our problems in others than it is to see them in ourselves.
2. Even though we may be able to deny our problems ourselves they may be very obvious to the people who are observing us’.

Add to this that when you are fully engaged in resolving an issue you could potentially be so involved in the issue at hand that you can’t possibly see your behavior.

Feedback from peers and stakeholders are fundamental in identifying how well you are tracking with your aspired change. You will improve not based on what you think or what the coach thinks but how your change is perceived by the real judges – your stakeholders.

Great leaders know that they have to continuously improve and embrace change. Getting feedback from your stakeholders is one way to ensuring that you improve and change!

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Neale Donald Walsh inspired me with his book called “Conversations with God” ( Putnam, 2005).

Don’t worry – this is not a religious fanatic book and Neale is not a money-grab Evangelist or speaker. This book is a fascinating eye-opener to Spirituality – regardless of your religion, faith or beliefs. In fact I recommend busy executives to reach out and seek their own spirituality.  Spirituality is food for the soul; it reduces stress and gets your mind away from work…like going to the gym!

Neale sends me daily thoughts and this one was special to me:

‘On this day of your life, Paul, I believe God wants you to know… …that when a loved one leaves the body, it is a cause for a genuine and special joy.

It can be difficult to experience this joy over the death of a loved one, and sadness is both perfectly natural and very “okay.”

Yet know this: your Beloved is celebrating Continuation Day. This is the most glorious experience you could possibly imagine. It is, truly, heaven!

And there is this: You will once again reunite with the soul of this loved one. Nor will you ever be separate even now, for their Essence flies to you at your very thought of them.

I would not tell you this were it not true.’

Having lost both of my parents I could not agree more, I often speak to my Dad for advice and he answers in his quirky, uncanny ‘ smart alec’ way as if he was only a phone call away and my Mom, well she gives me advice too but in her own caring way.

Life is at times unfair and dealing with death is one of those unfair moments – especially for a loved one. Neale is quick to remind us that they are always with us.

Your thoughts summon them!

What does this have to do with the title: Do animals have souls?

Neale introduced me to the notion that all living entities have souls: Humans, animals, plants – again I recommend that you read the book to get your own appreciation.

In his conversation, Neale asked God:  Do animals have souls, to which God replied:

‘You look in the eyes of your favorite pet and you tell me … if animals have souls?’

Thank you Neale – once again.

Neale can be found here: www.nealedonaldwalsch.com

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One of my mentors, Steve is a really good listener. He once told me that he does a lot of listening because he learns a lot more when he listens than when he tries to tell people what he knows – trust me this fellow is bright and one can learn a great deal from him. He learns more and he discovers some interesting insights on people or the topic at hand. I have since learned from Steve these benefits and I apply them every time I meet someone.

It’s called Active listening and I’ve also discovered 3 rules of active listening:
1) When a person is speaking, I treat this person like he/she is the most important person in the world.
2) I think before I speak and I don’t interrupt the person.
3) When the person is done I ask a question pertaining to what she said indicating that I was listening and I try to move the discussion forward.

Let’s look a bit deeper at these 3 rules to see why they are so important:

Rule 1: Treat this person like he/she is the most important person in the world.
Earl Nightingale introduced me to this first rule:  ‘Treat this person like he/she is the most important person in the world’.

Why?

Ask yourself… Who is the most important person in the world?

You are, of course.

We all think in relative terms that we matter; we are important and therefore we are the most important person in the world. Therefore if you meet someone who is actively listening to you and this person was not distracted by what you are saying, you will probably think to yourself a bit later …Wow what a cool person. All this person really did was to focus on what was really important – you.

Rule 2: Think before you speak and don’t interrupt the person

This gets more difficult. We all want to add value to a discussion. Sometimes we want to show how smart we are. Sometimes we don’t agree. My suggestion: Think – don’t speak. Let the person finish. Don’t talk on top of the person and don’t try to finish their sentence – it’s annoying for this person. Your enthusiasm and zeal will probably do more damage than good especially if you just met this person through networking or this is someone that you really wanted to meet and get to know a bit more.

Rule 3: Ask a relevant question to what this person said indicating that you were listening and try to move the discussion forward.

This is fundamental. Active listening is exactly that – it shows the other person that you were actively listening and paying attention to what they said and your question confirmed that. By asking this question you are validating to this person that what they just said, has value. It’s a terrific testament that you cared about what they just said. Depending on the context of this meeting if this person is someone you really want to meet later and discuss business, thank them for their time and insight, present your business card and ask them if you could call them to meet later?

Sounds simple? Is it easy to apply?

That depends on you.

I have had the pleasure of meeting many people of many different cultures and nationalities and these 3 rules applied to all of them. It does not matter if the person was Congolese, British, Thai or from Haiti. We are all basically the same. We want to be heard and respected.

Try to apply these 3 steps starting today and try to notice if you follow these rules carefully. At times I find myself talking on top of the person. My passion for people takes the better part of me since I really wanted to meet this person. I then notice this mistake and I try to correct my approach the next time.

If you excel at these 3 rules, you can become someone like my friend Steve: Someone who has mastered his inter-personal skills, someone who is very interesting to meet and a great person to include in your network.

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As Marshall Goldsmith says in his book called “What got you here won’t get you there” the title says  it all. You’re stuck and you’re not progressing. Why?

There may be a variety of reasons for this but one of the most important elements relates to commitment and how we perceive commitment. You may think and feel that you are committed to change yet you are not getting to ‘first base’ of progress.

We often think that we have to first develop commitment to a choice before we make a decision but research shows us that we develop increased commitment to our choices after we make a decision.  Brain science is fascinating in order to help us understanding commitment because it demonstrates that in order to make a change – albeit a large change, it is best to Act and Think  rather than Think and Act.

Sometimes we may not want to change our way of doing things and we rationalize previous methods. Let’s assume that after careful feedback from your leader you need to delegate more effectively since it’s been discovered that you prefer to keep control. In order to climb the corporate ladder you need to address this shortcoming real fast.

The change you seek can be accomplished in small, progressive steps. At each step the brain is rewired for the new task or way of doing something and these new found skills in turn motivate the brain even further hence, acting first then thinking.

This situation reminds me of a childhood joke:

Q. How do you eat an elephant?            A. One small piece at a time!

Slowly you get to achieve the major change that you seek. Daniel Pink said it clearly in his book  “Drive” – “… reminding yourself that you don’t need to be a master by day 3 is the best way of ensuring that you become a master by day 3000.”

Key learnings:

1) Brain Science research shows us that we develop increased commitment to our choices after  we make a decision.

2) Make multiple small decisions on the way to a big decision because at each step of the way, the chosen path will increase commitment to that decision.

3) Avoid making big leaps since they are very difficult and you may postpone change due to this.

4) Recognize that it takes a long time to develop commitment to a large change in your life but by making small decisions you can help yourself because each decision increases commitment.

Finally to quote Neurosciences leading authority Srini Pillay (@sirinipillay):  “One way to increase the chances of commitment to a new goal is to make small decisions along the way.  Every time you make this decision, you reward the brain and its signal becomes even stronger, propelling you in the direction of the desired change.”

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I heard the benefits a long time ago and decided last year to test it again and to see what works and what did not work. I tried different nap times, durations. In my case the best time was at 1930 or so for about 20 minutes max! Anything longer made me feel groggy for almost 45 minutes to an hour after the nap and I had difficulty to wake up or worse, decided to turn my power nap into deep slumber for the whole night – there goes the productivity I was looking to gain!

Less than 20 minutes for me was not enough since I was not completely sure that I dozed off. I also realized that if I had dreamt about something, it was sure way to know that I had in fact slept for a 20 minute period. Research tells us the ideal time is between 10-25 minutes but varies person to person.

Napoleon used to do it and so did many leaders through history including many of today’s athletes so why is that we don’t find the time if they are supposed to make us more productive?

First of all, maybe you need proof? I would encourage you to discover it on your own. First, set a time when you come home after work despite all the personal and family demands you may have – dedicate just 20 minutes. Set your alarm, shut the door and after 20 minutes you will see a difference, if of course you slept…just lying in bed for 20 minutes won’t do it.

Secondly, sleeping on the job is not exactly a great way to promote one’s career. Only a few employers encourage it which is a pity. Many studies have found that naps render employees more productive than conventional coffee breaks and that power naps are best taken in the afternoon. Even if your employer can’t help, you should test a power nap and enjoy the benefits in early evening.

If for the first time you did not feel or see the results, try taking a power nap 3 times that week. At first you may feel guilty or in denial to actually take a nap. Don’t get hung up on this since the time you gain by having a power nap will more than compensate at the other end in terms of added productivity that evening.

When you wake up, you will notice about 30 minutes later if you go back to fine tune some outstanding issues from your day, you will feel reenergized, you’ll wonder where this new found energy came from.

Rest is repair.

According to Brain Science leading authority, Dr. Srini Pillay, ‘Power naps are brief periods of sleep (15-30 minutes) that give the brain a chance to rest. It has been found that these brief naps may be rejuvenating and therefore help register and consolidate memories’

It’s also been proven that adequate sleep and daytime power naps are critical to faster, more efficient new learning.

A power-nap captures the benefits of the first two of the five stages in the sleep cycle. These first two stages take place in the first twenty minutes. In addition to making you feel more rested and alert, the electrical signals in your nervous system strengthen the connection between neurons involved in muscle memory, making your brain work faster and more accurately.

So there you have it. Historical leaders, today’s athletes and a leading Brain Science authority telling us that power naps make you more productive which has positive effects on your brain, learning and memory.

Want to get more work done in your day or get that extra little edge? You may find that giving your brain anywhere between 10-25 minutes of rest and by shutting down your system for a nap this may be the best investment in You.

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