INNOVATION March-April 2012

Tips on Problem Solving • Use an analytical strategy when performing routine or detailed work • Use an insight strategy for creative problem solving and innovation. Purpose Does it seem like you spin your wheels? Are you having difficulty keeping your goals in mind? Purpose requires realistic optimism in goal and strategy creation. The benefits of optimism have been well researched in both neuroscience and positive psychology. Realistic optimism adds another dimension in that it focuses on managing expectations. In goal pursuit, expectations play a significant role. To ensure we do not procrastinate, we need to create attainable milestones to increase our dopamine (one of the brain’s reward chemicals) levels. The reality is that both internal and external forces are likely to cause additional strain or frustration as we pursue our goals. Setting realistic, achievable goals allows professionals to develop secondary strategies to account for these factors before dopamine levels become too low. Neuroscience findings support the premise that intrinsic or personal goals minimize threat and maximize reward in pursuit of well being. To create a stronger sense of purpose, a coach might have professionals create personal measures that they link to their business goals. As they create the linkage they often identify personal success as more satisfaction in their job, increased resilience, stress tolerance and better health. One key metric used by these professionals is the ability to manage their frustration levels or, to put it another way is to increase personal composure. Tips on Purpose • Use milestones in your goal pursuit to reduce procrastination. • Use both a business and personal measure of success when defining your goals. Composure

is not always feasible in the work environment and does not deal directly with the emotional trigger itself. Bypassing or limiting involvement with a teammember still results in a level of frustration as well as a less effective approach to work. Alternatives for professionals include reappraisal strategies like normalizing the situation. For example, it is normal when starting a new project to have higher stress levels. Another technique is to reposition, which means to take a different perspective on the situation. For example when someone misses a deadline, instead of letting yourself become frustrated, try to see what is happening from their point of view. Other techniques that can be used include: labeling, humor, and distracting your attention—all of which helps to down-regulate the emotional intensity in different scenarios. Once the emotional intensity is lower, we can access our executive brain functions or higher level thinking to develop a solution to the problem. Tips on Composure • Determine which regulation strategies you currently use and when they are not effective. • Normalize that certain situations would cause increased stress for anyone. Moreen Singh is an executive leadership coach who specializes in working with professional engineers. She is currently completing her Masters of Science in the Neuroscience of Leadership through Middlesex University, London, England. v The author is conducting research into the most effective emotional regulation strategies for a Masters of Science thesis. As part of her research project she is looking for 30 volunteers who are interested in participating in a free half day workshop followed by two 30 minute coaching sessions on emotional regulation. For further information please contact Moreen at (604) 731-5000 or mjsingh@shealon.com.

Can you think of a time when you saw someone blow up during a meeting? How about a moment when someone said something they had to retract later? Composure requires effective self- regulation. Dr Avian Gordon proposes that the core motivation underlying all brain processing and behaviours is minimizing danger and maximizing reward. The key processes of emotion, thinking and self-regulation interact in parallel along a continuum of time, and the nonconscious and conscious modes of brain and body activity can help or hinder composure. Understanding this relationship lays the foundation for developing effective regulation strategies. This begins by determining which regulation strategies are being deployed and introducing different strategies to replace the ineffective ones. Two of the most widely used and often ineffective strategies are situation selection (avoidance) and suppression. Considerable research exists on the personal toll associated with using suppression over an extended period of time. Avoidance of individuals or situations

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