Quantum Physics of Belief - Inter-connectedness

For the past few months, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore the correlation between the science of consciousness and patterns in the business world, to suggest innovative ways of using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. I am discovering that in some way we all share a fundamental connection. There is evidence that our brains share a connection and we are even drawing from the same memory/source.

What is it that makes our lives worth living? What brings us joy and fulfillment? What gets us up in the morning? No, it’s not the amount of “stuff” we have. I believe it is the connections we make in our lives that give us a zest for living. Connections with family (love), connections with friends (community), connections with ideas (lifelong learning), connections with meaning (spirituality), connections with work (ideas and new skills), connections through service (volunteerism), connections with nature (interdependence) — these are some of the ways connections serve us.

Connections represent the interfaces between us and the rest of the world. Connections take us outside of ourselves, help us to learn and to grow, and ultimately help us to see the meaning and purpose of our lives. The alternative to nurturing the connections in our lives is to be isolated and self-absorbed, conditions that may lead to loneliness, depression, suffering and premature death.

Can you imagine a world without human connections? Humans are some of the most social animals there are on earth. Very few of us could live happily without our human connections.  Think of the worst punishment that prison inmates typically suffer—solitary confinement. Only a few days of solitary confinement can be very disturbing. Consider a monk in an extended silent retreat. Most of us can’t imagine participating in such a retreat ourselves, and correctly attribute great mental discipline to the monk. And yet, some of us, especially as we grow older, allow ourselves to live in increasing isolation as our friends and families either move away or die. To prevent this isolation, we may need consciously to seek to maintain our connections with family members, even if they live at a distance. Further, it will enhance our lives if we continue to make new friends, including persons who are younger than we.

It’s not always easy to make new friends, especially for those of us who tend to be shy. Often, creating friendships around shared interests is a way to facilitate this. Community associations, dance groups, hiking groups, book clubs, bridge groups, tennis or golf associations, volunteer work and political action are only a few of the possibilities for meaningful interactions that can lead to friendship.

Some of the most important connections we make are with our four-legged friends. Dogs and cats (and many other furry, feathered and finned friends) can be invaluable sources of love, joy and companionship, especially if we do not or cannot access human friends. Specially-trained dogs create much joy for persons in nursing homes and hospitals, and research has shown that we who have pets live longer (and happier) than those without.

Connections may not only affect our outer lives, but may be important parts of our inner lives as well. For many of us, our sense of connection with a higher power brings feelings of hope, meaning, love and comfort. This feeling of connection with a higher power may be based on a knowing; on prayer; on study; or on some other practice or activity that brings us regularly into contact with that higher power. Some of us may make connections in a dream, a meditative state or other altered state of consciousness with a wisdom figure. This might be a shaman, a priestess, a crone, an energy field, a bear, an eagle, or some other entity. These wisdom figures can sometimes help us to gain insight into perplexing issues.

It is clear that our human race must live in the future if we are to survive—by sharing energy and leadership between man and woman, and by using a partnership of the best characteristics of each to lead us forward.

Not all connections are with people or other sentient beings. What about our connections with ideas? Not long ago, it was believed that we largely lost our ability to learn later in life, and that our mental capabilities inevitably went downhill as we aged. However, it is now understood that, in the absence of medical conditions such as stroke or Alzheimer’s, we can be life-long learners. We thrive on new ideas and new learning.

Learning becomes, if anything, even more exciting as we grow older and gain in wisdom. So the connections we make through reading, through viewing documentaries, through discussions, and through taking (or giving) classes and workshops can provide excitement and new understanding throughout our lives. I find this time of my life the most exciting yet. This is true to a considerable degree because I am enjoying so much the learning, the teaching and the creation of learning environments I am doing now.

Of course, for a good share of our lives, our careers provide important connections for us—connections with others we work with and connections with the ideas and skills that relate to our work. Here, I include homemaking and parenting in the category of career. Many of us spend more hours at our career than at any other activity in our lives. For this reason, leaving the work world or facing an empty nest can be traumatic, as we leave many of our connections behind. It is thus important not to leave our primary career without having established some other interests that are exciting to us. I left my career as a scientist nearly 15 years ago, because I was ready for a new challenge and for new learning opportunities. That was the right decision and the right time for me, but each person must weigh his/her own situation before making this decision.

Yet another form of connection is found through serving others. Volunteer opportunities of all kinds are available, and the volunteer work done by elders is indispensable to countless organizations. Being a volunteer can bring a great sense of fulfillment if you feel that your work has impact. You create connections with causes as well as with people, both those served and those with whom you work.

Another connection that impacts many people is that with nature. We humans are as much a part of nature as any other animal, and our connections with the earth and its myriad inhabitants are profound. We see the beauty and glory of the world and the natural order of things and we feel joy and give thanks. For many of us, this is an important spiritual connection. Then as we look at the major destructive impact that our human activities are having on this world, we may feel sadness and perhaps guilt. This may lead us to work to heal some of the wounds to our world, through social change and social activism, another form of connection with a cause.

Our beliefs can manipulate our response to the environment, and our response to the environment is one of the most important factors of our well-being. We are all interconnected to everything and everyone and can thus influence and be influenced, perhaps in ways we have not yet grasped scientifically. A living body is just a manifestation of energy in a particular form, but is not necessarily the seat of consciousness or soul itself. At the heart of quantum mechanics and cellular biology, some people see incontrovertible evidence of God and some form of life after death.

These connections give us an opportunity to reach out beyond ourselves, and to invite new experiences, new learning and new understanding. Connections will give us joy and a reason for living. They will help to keep us engaged, vital and alive.

When we realize the extent of the myriad interconnections which link us to all other life, we realize that our existence only becomes meaningful through interaction with, and in relation to, others. On a deeper level, we are connected and related not just to those physically close to us, but to every living being. If we can realize this, feelings of loneliness and isolation, which cause so much suffering, begin to vanish, as we realize that we are part of a dynamic, mutually interconnected whole.

I can’t articulate how this works, and believe me when I say I have scoured the scientific publications for a viable theory. I can only report that this unexplained connectivity does exist because I have seen the evidence from so many credible sources.

This research leads me to conclude that in some way, at some level, we are all one. Consider the following experiments, which were performed using strict scientific method and documented in credible publications.

This first experiment demonstrates unexplained connectivity between human brains. Two people meet and interact for about 30 to 40 minutes, until they feel a rapport. They then each enter separate Faraday cages, which are metallic enclosures that block all electromagnetic signals. Each person is connected to an electroencephalograph (EEG), which records the electrical activity in the brain. They are directed to concentrate on their bond with the other person. One of the people is then shown a flickering light signal that evokes an electrophysiological response measured by the EEG. The person not being shown the light is not aware that the other person is being shown the light.

As long as the two people are still maintaining their focus on their bond, the brain of the person not being shown the light also registers an electromagnetic signal via the EEG. The electromagnetic signal is similar in shape and intensity to the signal registered by the person shown the light. The person not being shown the light is not consciously aware of seeing a light or of any other sensation, which means that the connectivity is not occurring consciously. Control subjects do not register a signal.

In another experiment, a researcher connects a common house plant to a polygraph, or lie detector machine. In normal circumstances the plant registers no activity on the machine. But when the researcher has the thought… I repeat thought… that he is going to burn one of the leaves; the plant displays what would be considered an enormous, panicked reaction on the polygraph. The plant is aware of his threatening thoughts!

Several experiments provide compelling evidence that we are all drawing upon and contributing to the same memory bank. These experiments show that once a large group of people have learned something, it’s then easier for other people to learn that same thing. For example, experimenters found that when they showed a set of Hebrew-like words, some real and some made to look like Hebrew, to people who didn’t know any Hebrew, they were able to pick out the words that were real at a rate of two to one. This suggests that the people who didn’t know Hebrew had some connection to the memory of those that did and therefore were able to identify the real words.

In another experiment, a psychologist performed a similar test with Morse code. He constructed a new version of Morse code by assigning different dots and dashes to each letter of the alphabet. He assembled a group of participants that didn’t know any Morse code, and tested their ability to learn the made-up Morse code as compared to their ability to learn the real Morse code. The participants were able to learn the real Morse code significantly more accurately, showing that the participants were drawing upon the memory of those who know Morse code.

Further evidence is provided by trending the results of IQ tests. Average IQ test scores in over twenty countries have been rising over the decades during which time the tests have been given to millions of people. This trend has not been noticed because IQ test results are typically compared only to others who have taken the test at the same time and at the same age, as the average IQ test score is always set to 100% by definition. Researchers only noticed this trend when they compared base test scores over time.

Researchers have tried to determine the reason that IQ test scores would be getting better, but they cannot attribute it to any other reason such as better education or practice taking the tests. They have concluded that the tests are getting easier to do because the millions of people who have already done them are contributing that experience to a connected human memory.

These experiments corroborate what I have felt about my connection to others: what I do for other people ends up happening to me. For example, I have noticed that when I give money away, I end up making more money. These types of things have happened so often that the correlation has felt too strong to just write off as a coincidence, so I began to do some research. I am concluding that in some way, we are one, and in a very real sense, what we do for others we do for ourselves. I know many of us have heard this in Sunday school, but now scientific experimentation is telling us it’s true. I don’t know about you, but I am finding it more difficult to dismiss.

Quantum physics tells us that even without touching each other, everything is interconnected - every cell and every atom is all just waving energy of the same nothingness, and the waves all interact with each other to varying degrees. What happens in one part of your body can affect another part in unexpected ways, and what happens to you can affect someone else, and so on. We all are essentially part of the same energy, and our energy is not confined to our bodies. If a person can influence that energy, (s)he can influence his/her biology.

From a spiritual point of view (and even quantum physics confirms this); everything is part of the divine energy; connected to the unseen by simply identifying what is behind the result or action of the form. The drama or recurrent theme signifies to us what needs to shift in the energetic world. Living these human experiences we connect to what our ancestors had passed on generations and their legacy of lifetimes. Our DNA is our link to what our heritage is and bringing this into the present moment we create the transition of this human evolution of consciousness reconnecting ourselves to the divinity and integrating our energetic fields to all that is and aligning every space to anchor this into our mother earth. We connect to this inter-dimensional communication and intelligence of this vast universe every time that we are aware and awake to our source. Our expressive souls long to connect to our world within and become conscious soul with focused intention of peace and love.

Quantum Physics of Belief - Motivations

For the past few months, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore the correlation between the science of consciousness and patterns in the business world, to suggest innovative ways of using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace.  Once we reach a greater understanding of how the thought energy in an organization, in addition to actions, is influencing our results, many of our focuses will change. Today, we place a huge emphasis on monitoring how employees perform, as far as the actions they take, but we place very little emphasis on understanding the thoughts behind their actions. Today we only care that an employee is motivated to perform, but in the future we will care about why an employee is motivated to perform, because this will determine the target of their intentions.

When employees are motivated to perform because they intend that the company is successful, rather than because they desire self-preservation or self-promotion, our businesses will be more successful. This is because the energy of their intentions has an impact on business outcomes (see earlier article on Intentions.)

It has been proven scientifically thru experimentation, when groups of people intend that a particular outcome is achieved, the intentions themselves have an impact on events, so that the outcome is more likely to occur in the direction of the intentions. An intention is a conscious desire for a particular outcome. See my earlier article for a premise on how thought energy leads to business success.

It is not a foregone conclusion that employees of a business have a conscious desire, or intention for the business to succeed. I remember one time I was talking to a prospective client who has never worked for a company. I was talking enthusiastically about the importance of employees’ intentions for the success of a business, and he looked at me with a quizzical expression and said “Why do you think this is such a revelation? All employees intend for their company to be successful.” Those were definitely words of a person who was never employed in the corporate world. Based on my experience, it’s not a stretch to say that most employees in corporations don’t have high levels of intentionality for the success of the company, but rather their intentionality is focused on their own success.

So the question for leaders and managers to ask is “Are employees striving to do a good job because of self-preservation/promotion, or do they care about the success of the overall organization?” The answer to this reveals the object of their intentions.

Here are some reasons why the object of most employees’ intentions is their personal success. Typically, we have caused this by the way we run our multinational businesses.

First, most employees see that winning requires they look better than their fellow employees. That’s how they get promotions and raises that are larger than their co-workers, and that’s how they protect their job security. It follows that their personal success is more important than the success of the overall company and is therefore the object of their intentions.

Secondly, employees will focus their intentions on the realm that is top of mind. They naturally have an active awareness of the success of their particular job function or the project they are working on, but most don’t have an active awareness of the overall success of the company. I like what I have read about how Herb Kelleher kept the employees of Southwest Airlines connected to the affairs of the overall business, by emotionally engaging them in the issues and the company’s strategy for tackling them. This helped focus their intentions on overall business success, but most companies are not nearly as adept at this.

Finally, employees will focus their intentions on the realm where they believe they can influence success. This means they’ll focus their intentions on the realm that they control, which is their personal success or the success of teams of which they are a part of. Most companies aren’t proficient at showing employees how they personally contribute to the bottom line.

The traditional method that leaders use to get employees to be invested in the success of the overall business is to tie the wealth of employees to the wealth of the business through profit sharing bonuses or stock ownership plans. I won’t say that these methods are ineffective, but I will say they are of limited value as long as employees are more motivated to achieve personal success.

Most employees have a high level of intentionality for their own success but not for the success of the entire company. Even employees who are highly engaged and excellent performers will likely intend for their personal success to a far greater degree than the success of their overall company. Causing employees to have strong intentions for overall business success is multi-faceted and the subject of other articles, but we can start with simply paying attention to the current source of motivation.

Law of Unfulfilled Potential

One can see aspects of this law working in such areas like, for instance, in neurophysiology, humans use only a fraction of their brains' capabilities; in technology, superconductivity is not yet widely available; and in medicine, the harnessing of the body's abilities to fight cancers is only just beginning to be understood and realized.

But the Law of Unfulfilled Potential is particularly dominant in the business world - and especially in operations. Operations is the blocking and tackling of any organization, the fundamentals that create the foundation for consistent success.

It's such an important function that in many companies the Chief Operating Officer is usually the next in line for the job of CEO. If a company is not doing operations well, all of its other functions are diminished.

Having worked with operations leaders in a variety of top companies for over two decades, I have seen that many are unfortunately strict adherents to the Law of Unfulfilled Potential - for one main reason: They have neglected an all-important results-driver, motivation.

Clearly, many factors further operational excellence: capital, cycle time, technological advancements, quality, efficiencies, etc. But motivation is the most fundamental, operational determinant of all, for it drives all the others.

After all, operations is the sum of people doing many jobs; and when skilled people are motivated to accomplish those jobs, great results happen.

But many operations perceive motivation as "soft" - as opposed to the "hard" factors of cycle time, quality control, etc. - and so either ignore it or struggle with actualizing it on a daily basis.

I see motivation, however, as a "hard" determinant of operations that can be a concrete, a practical results-producer.

I am going to provide four imperatives that you can use right away to achieve consistent increases in operational results. But before I do, I'll offer a working description of motivation. Leaders often fail to motivate others because these leaders misunderstand the concept of motivation.

The best way for me to describe it is to describe what it is not.

Motivation is not what people think or feel. It's what people do. Look at the first two letters of the word, "mo." When you see those letters in a word, such as "motor", "motion", "momentum", "mobile", etc., it usually means action of some kind. Look at motivation as action too. If people are not taking action, they are in point of fact not motivated.

Motivation is not something we can do to somebody else. It is always something that that someone else does to themselves. Look back over your career, and you will see that the motivator and the "motivatee" were always the same person. As a leader, you communicate, and provide an environment for your members to thrive but the people whom you want to motivate must motivate themselves.

Motivation is not a dispassionate dynamic. It is an "emotional" dynamic. The words "motivation" and "emotion" come from the same Latin root word, which means "to move." When we want to move (motivate) people to take action, or in truth have them motivate themselves, we engage their emotions. Put another way: People will not take action for more results faster continually unless their emotions are engaged.

Finally, the best way to enter into a motivational relationship with people is not by distant communication but the kind of face-to-face talk that has people make the choice to be committed to your cause. It is called the ‘leadership talk’.

Those are descriptions of what motivation truly is. But descriptions alone won't help you meet the challenges of Unfulfilled Potential. You must follow clear imperatives to help you transform descriptions into results.

Here are four that will help you cultivate motivational operations.

1. Give leadership talks not presentations. The difference between a presentation and a leadership talk is what Mark Twain said the difference between the almost right word and the right word is. "That is the difference," he said, "between the lightning bug and lightning."

Let's understand the basic difference between the presentation and the leadership talk.

Presentations communicate information; but leadership talks have people believe in you, follow you, and, most important of all, want to take leadership for your cause. (The best example of such a talk is the one given by George Washington in 1783 to his field commanders who were on the verge of a revolt in the history of American Revolution.)

My experience has taught me that 95% of all communication in business is accomplished through the presentations. However, if 95% of communication were accomplished through the leadership talk instead, leaders would be far more effective in getting results.

So, before you speak to people from now on, and by the way, leaders speak 15 to 20 and more times a day, ask yourself if you are simply providing information or are you motivating those people to motivate themselves to take action for results.

2. Create motivational systems. Most operational leaders are good at systemizing quality initiatives, cycle time, efficiencies, etc. But few understand that some of the most important systems they can put into place are systems that help people make the choice for motivation.

A particularly effective motivational system is one that saturates operations with "cause leaders."

Unquestionably, people accomplish a task better if they are not simply doing it but taking leadership of it. When we are challenged to take leadership, we raise our performance to much higher levels. With that in mind, create systems that identify cause leaders, challenge them to take specific leadership action, and support those actions through systematized training and resource allocations.

3. See results not as an end but as a motivational process. Clearly, you have to get results. But many operations leaders misunderstand what results are about. I teach leaders the concept of achieving "more results faster continually" - not by speeding up but by slowing down and working less, by putting the motivational imperatives into practice. Leaders understand the "more results faster" aspect - but they often stumble when it comes to the "continual achievement" aspect.

We can usually order people to get more results faster. But we can't order people to do it on a continual basis. That's where motivation comes in. Instead of ordering people to go from point A to point B, say, we must have them want to go from A to B. That ‘want to’ is the heart of ‘continually.’

When we understand results this way, understand that we must achieve "more, faster" on a continual basis, then we begin to make motivational operations a way of life.

4. Challenge people to be motivational leaders. The imperatives are powerful when you use them consistently. But they are even more powerful when you have your leaders use them and teach others to use them. After all, you alone can't create motivational operations. You need others to help you do it, especially those mid-level and small-unit leaders. If they are not putting the imperatives into practice every day, your attempts to raise the standards of operations to a consistently high motivational level will falter.

Define the success of your leadership by how well your leaders are leading, and you are well on your way to making motivational operations a reality.

Once you begin to institute motivational operations by applying the four imperatives, the Law of Unfulfilled Potential becomes your competitor's worry, not yours.

Quantum Physics of Belief - Intention

For the past few months, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace.

In the last century, physicists made incredible strides in determining the laws that govern our universe. One of these is Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which states that we cannot observe something without changing what we are observing. According to Heisenberg, there is no such thing as an independent observer, who can sit on the sidelines watching nature run its course, without influencing it. And since we are part of that nature, the same is true for us in our lives.

Observation and intention are intimately related. In quantum physics, how we observe a particle in a subatomic system determines what it becomes. In the same sense, within a much larger system such as our lives, the way we observe ourselves and our environment determines what becomes of both of these.

What might surprise you is the fact that you are already using intention, unawares as you might be, to manifest whatever your current situation in life is. Whether you are fit or overweight, rich or poor, have a job that you love or hate, in a healthy relationship or not, is determined by your use of intention. “Yeah, but I don’t believe in that!” you might say. Well it’s the same as gravity – whether you believe in it or not, you are still affected.

I personally believe in a God, an all-knowing, all-loving God who has no other desire than for the well-being and happiness of His children. By using the power of intention I am co-creating my life with the Creator. Now this is not exclusive to only me or Hindus for that matter. Whether you are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Agnostic or Atheist (even atheists have a relationship with God by not believing that God exists) – this law applies to all. It is no discerner of people, because like gravity it is a law that affects everyone, again whether you believe in it or not.

The sooner you understand this, the sooner you can use this to produce positive change in your life. So, the question then is how do we make our Intentions manifest?

There exists 3 pillars, each one building upon and enhancing the next, which must be present for your intention to manifest. However, like a tripod, if you were to remove one of these, then it becomes unstable and intention loses its power. These 3 things are your desires, your thoughts, and your focus.

Your desires and thoughts are fairly self explanatory, but I’d like to explain what I mean by focus. Focus has less to do with determination and more to do with observation. What we tend to focus on in our observations of ourselves and life is what I am getting at here. It also represents looking out for opportunities that our intention sends to us.

There are a lot of people who misunderstand intention and simply think that, because they put the thought out there, it will manifest. However, if there is one thing that I wish you will take from this (and I speak from experience), it is this: When your thoughts, desires, and focus are in harmony, then, and only then, will intention have the power to work miracles in your life. Not beforehand.

If you desire to be thin but your thoughts and focus are on how overweight you are, then your intention to change has no power. If you quickly think how nice it would be to be wealthy, but you are focusing on what you are lacking, again there will be no power for change.

It’s when you,

• Awaken within yourself the desire for wealth (or health)
• Align your thoughts with that desire by seeing yourself as wealthy (or healthy) and
• Focus on the opportunities that present themselves to create that wealth (or health)

then only will you manifest it in your life.

This shows that there is a passive as well as active part to intention. Once you have declared your intention and have aligned your thoughts with that desire (active), Providence will at this point take over and send you ways to manifest it (passive). It is here that you need to be on the lookout and act upon those things that come to you – which help you manifest your intention (again active). This is the meaning of co-creation.

Thoughts are things. Thoughts have energy and the power to change your world. When you focus your thoughts like a laser beam upon what you want to create in your life, you unleash the incredible power of your mind combined with the infinite creative power of the Universe. This is how goals are achieved and dreams come true.

Focusing your thought on what you want to create is called intention. It is defined as “the projection of awareness, with purpose and efficacy, toward some object or outcome.” Intention is a powerful force that you can use to guide and direct your life. People have been using the power of intention for thousands of years to change their lives. Scientists are beginning to accumulate empirical evidence that supports the idea that intention has the power to change your body, other people, and the world around you.

From Muhammad Ali to Tiger Woods, successful athletes have been using the power of intention for years to improve their performance. Studies have shown that intention produces the same reaction in the brain as action. In other words, if you mentally rehearse speed walking, your brain will send signals to the muscles involved in speed walking – just like it would if you were really speed walking! In fact, studies have shown that people can actually increase the strength of their muscles by simply imagining that they are working out.

Intention not only influences your performance, but it can also influence your health. There is a plethora of evidence that indicates that intention can change heart rate, blood pressure, immune function, pain level, blood loss during surgery, and many other body functions. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence to support the idea that other people’s intentions can influence your body and your health.

Researchers have been investigating the influence of intention on one’s environment. Some of the most compelling evidence has come from The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory at Princeton University. The scientists at PEAR have run millions of trials and the results indicate that people can influence the output of machines known as random-event generators (REGs). REGs are essentially a computerized version of the coin toss (output is 50% “heads” and 50% “tails”). The results from PEAR and other labs show that subjects can influence these REG machines to produce output slanted in the intended direction. Their thoughts are influencing the function and output of the machines!

Another example of intention affecting the environment comes from the studies of the Maharishi Effect. The Maharishi Effect suggests that if 1 percent of a particular area practices Transcendental Meditation (TM), the rate of crime, drug abuse, and traffic accidents will decline. Studies are confirming the Maharishi Effect and have shown that communities with the requisite number of Transcendental Meditators (1% of population) have a 22-24% reduction in the crime rate.

The bottom line is that intention is a powerful force that can be used to influence your health, your performance, and the world around you. Start by setting your intention for simple things that don’t mean a lot to you (like parking spaces). Practicing in these simple ways is easier because you are not so attached to the outcome. The more attached you are to the outcome; the harder it is to use intention successfully. Fortunately, research has shown that there are certain ways to increase your ability to use intention successfully.

The following 8 steps will help you tap into the power of intention to begin to create the life you want.

1. Create a Sacred Space – Creating a sacred space helps to boost the power of your intention. Research shows that when a particular place is used repeatedly for intention exercises, the intentions begin to “condition” the place. The space begins to hold a “positive energy” and gives a boost to your intentions. You can create a sacred space in a room in your house, a corner of a room, or even a space in your mind’s eye. The important part is to use this space regularly. Fill your sacred space with meaningful items (memorabilia from a vacation, photos, religious items, etc), candles, and music. Remember it is a special place for you, so use your imagination and create it in a way that feels good to you.

2. Create your Intention – When you create your intentions it is important to follow some simple guidelines to create the best results. This is similar to practicing positive affirmations. You want to state your intention in a positive way, stating what you want and using the present tense. For example, rather than saying “I will stop eating sweet foods,” you would say, “I choose healthy foods that nourish my body.” The problem with the first example is that in order to think about stopping the sweet treats, you must first think about the sweets. In other words, you keep your mind focused on the very thing you want to stop. In the second example, your mind will be focused on healthy foods and this will lead to success.

3. Meditate or Get Centered - Centering is the practice of quieting the mind and relaxing the body to create a sense of peace and acceptance. It is a process of clearing away the mental clutter so that you can access your own inner resources and power. Deep diaphragmatic breathing is a simple way to get centered. Place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen and breathe naturally. Notice which hand moves more as you breathe. It is likely that the hand on your chest moves up and down more than the one on your abdomen. This indicates shallow chest breathing. It is easy to retrain your body to breathe deeply. Imagine a balloon in your stomach. As you inhale, imagine filling this balloon up with air – your abdomen will raise. Then imagine letting the air out of this balloon as you exhale – your abdomen will fall. Try breathing in this deep way for several minutes at a time. Research has shown that breathing in this manner will produce the relaxation response. This will also help to focus and quiet your mind. As you are centering, you will likely find that your mind wanders occasionally. That is perfectly natural. Simply bring your awareness gently back to the quiet peaceful feeling.

4. Field of infinite possibilities – Once you are centered; bring your intention into your awareness. Imagine placing this intention in the field of infinite possibilities – also known as God, the Universe, Allah, Spirit, etc. This field of infinite possibilities is the source of creative forces. It is where life begins and ends. It is the source of mystery, magic, and miracles.

5. Visualization or Mental Rehearsal – Mental rehearsal is a powerful tool to tap into the power of intention. This process requires you to engage all of your senses to create a vivid experience in your mind’s eye. Imagine yourself already having what you want to create. Mental rehearsal brings together the power of your mind with the creative power of the Universe to help you achieve your goals.

6. Banish Doubt– Once you have put forth your intention into the field of infinite possibilities, it is important to shift into a state of detached trusting. This means that you banish all doubt about whether or not you will be able to create your goals. Trust that you will know the right steps to take and be led to the right people and opportunities to help you create this dream. Trust that the field of infinite possibilities has unlimited organizing and creative power. Trust the power of intention.

7. Detach from the Outcome – This is the essence of Bhagavad Geetha. You must detach from the outcome and let go of the need to control the process. It will unfold in the right time and in the perfect way. When you plant seeds in your garden, you take the appropriate actions to give your seeds the best chance to grow (watering, appropriate lighting, etc). Then you must allow them to grow in their own timing. You can’t pull the little baby sprouts up to make them grow faster – nor can you rush an intention. It will unfold in its own time and in its own perfect way.

8. Present Moment Focus – Even though you are working on changing your future, it is important to keep your attention in the present moment. In other words, your intention is in the future and your attention is in the present. It is important to accept and appreciate your current life circumstances. Developing this attitude of gratitude will help you connect with the field of infinite possibilities and increase the power of your intention.

These 8 steps will help you use the power of intention to create the life you want. Start with some simple and easy things and then work your way up to bigger more challenging desires. As you practice using intention, be willing to see coincidences as meaningful occurrences. It is important to be open and ready for opportunities and possibilities. Let your actions be guided by your intuition and hunches. Mastering the power of intention while detaching from the outcome is the key to creating greater health, happiness, and success in your life. This is what Karma Yoga is is all about as explained in the Bhagavad Geetha.

Remember that your thoughts have great power and can change your world!

To close, I want to stress the importance of gratitude in all this. As you work with intention to manifest those things that you desire, be sure to be thankful. Whether you believe in God or not, wherever the source of your intention comes from, be sure to express gratitude. There is a definite link between gratitude and abundance. If you want more abundance in your life, be more grateful.

Quantum Physics of Belief – Fear Based Decision Making

Since the beginning of the year, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore the correlation between the science of consciousness and patterns in the business world, to suggest innovative ways of using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. Once we reach a greater understanding of how we are actualizing the world, we’ll do a lot of things differently. One of the big ones will be controlling how we let information from the external world influences our emotions.

[BTW, did you listen to my radio talk on Quantum Physics of Belief – Emotions couple of weeks ago? It was a huge success and attracted a lot of listeners preferring to download the show. If you haven’t already, please access the archive at #BlogTalkRadio and we are going to refer to some of the concepts that I discussed in that presentation.]

In our conventional way of looking at the world, we would say that reading news is simply getting ourselves informed about what is happening or likely to happen. Most people still believe what is happening out there in the world is largely out of our control and happening to us. They see the news as a source to tell them what could potentially hit next. Based on what we are now learning about our beliefs and emotions playing an active role in creating our world, we can no longer hold such a view.

Physics research presents undeniable evidence that we are actualizing our world, not just through our actions, but also directly through our thoughts and emotions. From the previous articles in this Quantum Physics of Belief series we know that conditions in the physical world are being directly influenced by the contents of our beliefs and emotions. We have plenty of evidence showing that events and conditions in the external world will conform to our beliefs, with the beliefs coming first, followed by the experience.

We also see the impact of group energy, or consciousness, on the creation of experience in the realm of business. Business research shows that organizations manifest experiences consistent with their belief systems. One example is that belief in abundance, as demonstrated by win-win negotiation tactics, results in higher profitability. Even in a conventional manner of looking at the economy, we know that the level of fear in a society largely determines its future economic conditions.

Once we accept the research and acknowledge the cause effect relationship, we can clearly see the detrimental impact of fear. Fear influences our beliefs and emotions, which in turn negatively influence conditions in the external world. In other words, our personal fear is contributing to unfavorable conditions in the external world. Refusing to feel the fear is not denying the conditions in the world, but rather it is choosing to change them.

Once we realize that belief and emotions precede, or cause, experience, the solution is easier to see. We will simply choose not to subject ourselves to the influx of fear. We may see a headline that conjures up fear, but we’ll quickly move on to another article or change the channel. We’ll know that nothing constructive is achieved by exposing ourselves to fear.

It’s interesting to note that once we walk away from the fear in our news sources, the content of the news will change. Reporters only report on what people will read, so when fear is no longer attractive, they’ll move on. Let’s help them move on sooner.

Fear is one of the most basic of human instincts. It is fear that allowed humanoids to survive during primitive times, and it is still the basis of survival today. Without fear, you would not take the time to look both ways before crossing the street. However, too much constraining fear in the organizational context can produce a gridlock of activities among the people that prevent the establishment of trust.

The absence of unnecessary fear is a huge benefit for any organization. Some fear is good for the self preservation of individuals and organizations, but keeping it at the lowest possible level is liberating and will bring out the best in people.

On a personal level; Fear based decisions can be anything – some of them are big ones, some of them are not as big, sometimes we don’t even realize we make them.

I lived a life based on fear for a long time. I still probably do sometimes, but I have committed to reduce the amount of my fear based decisions to an absolute minimum.

Can I stop doing it altogether? Yes, it is possible. Is it hard? Maybe not, all I have to do is just decide, right? Does it take lots of courage and trust? Absolutely!

Here are some of the things that I did in the last few years to eliminate fear based decisions from my life. I stopped working on a business that had big potential, but wasn’t really aligned with my purpose.

It was tough because I did enjoy that business so I couldn’t say that I was staying in it completely out of fear. But after thinking about it for a while I realized that it was not my purpose and it wasn’t something I saw myself doing and enjoying long term. So I had to let it go. That decision took lots of courage and trust because it also cut down a large part of my income but I don’t regret.

I let go of relationships that were no longer based on love and just drained my energy. I let go of fear to play small and now dream as big as I feel like dreaming. I let go of the need to please certain people.

So, how do we stop making decisions predominantly based on fear? How do you reduce the amount of fear based decisions in your life as much as possible?

1. Find your “Whys”. Why do you want to stop making decision based on fear? Even if they are small ones. Even if you hardly notice doing it. Why do you want to stop? What are your “whys”?

Most likely one of your “whys” is a desire to live a more authentic life. Or maybe a desire to spread the vibe of love and acceptance? Or maybe your “why” is your desire to have that inner knowing that you are being true to yourself?

What are your “whys”?

2. Make unconscious conscious. It is proven that up to 95% of our daily activity is based on the subconscious programming we have downloaded from the past. Most of the decisions we make on a daily basis, we don’t even question. We make them based on that programming.

The result? Lots of fear without us even realizing we have it.

How do you stop living on autopilot? Become Self Aware. Learn being fully present in every moment. Then you’ll be able to consciously make a choice and notice yourself making fear based decision right away.

3. Love and accept yourself.  Only with true love and acceptance can you let go of the part of you that is overtaken by fear.

Accept yourself with all of your imperfection. Accept your worries, doubts. Accept the fact that you were making those fear based decisions.

Accept even the fact that you might continue making them no matter how hard you try to stop. It may sound counterintuitive when I said that, but, trust me, what you resist, persists. Instead of fighting the defeatist behavior, try accepting and face the facts.

4. Find your True Self; find your purpose and passions. Too often we live our lives based on the limitations and standards others imposed on us.

What do you truly want in life? What is your purpose? What are your passions? Amazingly, once we discover our purpose and what we truly are passionate about, making love based decisions and letting go of those that are based on fear becomes so much easier.

5.  Jump, the net will appear. It takes courage to leave a job that is paying your bills and commit to doing what you love. It sometimes takes courage to leave relationships that no longer make you happy.

It takes courage and lots of faith to commit to making decisions not based on fear. Take that courage. 

I think if you follow all of the steps listed above, finding the courage will be easy. I almost dare to say it will happen automatically. At least that is what happened to me.

You may be wondering at this point as to what we should be based on when making decisions, if not on fear; and how can we make decisions based on ‘love’ in a business environment? Typically, most business organizations have 3 types of statements; mission, vision and values that serve as governing tools to help guide the organization in creating the future for their business. The organization's vision is all about where we are headed, what is possible, and all about that potential. The mission is what we will do to get there and what it takes to make that vision come true. Furthermore, if your goal is to create the future of your organization - the lofty goals of your vision statement - then you will want to ensure your work reflects the values you want to see in your business; meaning that your decision making is values based.

Values are deeply held views of what we find worthwhile. They come from many sources: parents, religion, schools, peers, people we admire, and culture. Many go back to childhood. There are others we learn as adults. As with all mental models, there’s a distinction between our “espoused” values, which we profess to believe in, and our “values in action” which actually guide our behaviors. These latter values are coded into our brains at such a fundamental level that we can’t easily see them. We rarely bring them to the surface or question them. That’s why they can create dissonance for us.  Talking about our values can help us to understand our motivation behind our actions. Values can be Positive or Potentially Limiting. For example, honesty, trust and accountability are positive values, whereas blame, revenge and manipulation are potentially limiting.

Positive values are known as virtues. These are the values that emanate from the soul. Potentially limiting values emanate from the conscious or subconscious fear-based beliefs of the ego.

The behaviors associated with potentially limiting values support the ego in meeting its needs. Blame is seen by the ego as a way of avoiding humiliation. Revenge is seen by the ego as a way of getting even. Manipulation is seen by the ego as way of maneuvering to get its needs met.

Personal mastery involves letting go of the ego’s limiting values, and replacing them with the values (virtues) of the soul. In order to let go of your limiting values you must learn how to manage, master or eliminate your fear-based beliefs. When we uncover our values they allow us to transcend the belief structures of our parental and cultural conditioning, so we can become more fully who we are, and live a more authentic life.

Leaders with well-developed emotional self-awareness are more effective intuitive decision makers. In complex situations, intuitive decision makers process large amounts of sometimes unstructured and ambiguous data, and they choose a course of action based on a "gut feeling" or a "sense" of what's best. This type of decision making is becoming more important for managers as the rate of change and the levels of uncertainty and complexity in their competitive environments increase. Managers who are highly emotionally self-aware are better able to read their "gut feelings" and use them to guide decisions.

Live with love, live with purpose, passion, and values!

Quantum Physics of Belief - Emotional Hijacks

Following my radio talk on Quantum Physics of Belief – Emotions last Saturday on #BlogTalkRadio, a former coaching client of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous but, nevertheless permitted me to share his story) reminded me of his experience and posed a question on Amygdala Hijacks. I thought it appropriate to extend this discussion to shed some more light on this topic. BTW, the response for the radio talk was overwhelming. Thanks to all of my listeners and eMBC Blog readers for your continued support and helping to inspire me to write more.

Most of the books I read about the brain and emotional intelligence talk about an emotional or amygdala hijacking, which is what you see when the boss loses it and goes on a rant. It’s not pretty, and almost always makes the hijacker look pretty stupid. Amygdala hijack is a term coined by Dr Daniel Goleman in his 1996 book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.

My good friend, Dr Joel Bomane from Sunny Southern France often talks about Amygdala in his weekly radio shows, ‘The Brain Odyssey’ series as part of the VoARadio Network on #BlogTalkRadio. According to Dr Bomane, the amygdala is the brain’s radar for threat. It is very handy when hunting for food: it triggers a survival response faster than you can say “hungry tiger.” The problem is that we no longer run into tigers, but instead encounter angry coworkers and bosses on the prowl. But the amygdala makes no difference between a threat to our survival and a threat to our ego. Same response: fight or flight. And for many of us, we don’t think it’s manly to turn and flee, so we engage in verbal jujitsu akin to World Heavy Weight Wrestling. But when in the grips of a hijack, the amygdala makes mistakes. It only receives a fraction of the data available.

The term amygdala hijack describes any situation in which a person responds inappropriately based on emotional rather than intellectual factors. The amygdala is the emotional center of the human brain and can create split-second responses when a person is threatened. An inappropriate emotional response to a perceived threat is thus called an amygdala hijack.

The amygdala is part of the brain for many of the higher vertebrates. It regulates the fight or flight response that is key to the survival mechanism for many animals, including humans and other primates. At the moment a threat is perceived, the amygdala can override the neocortex, the center of higher thinking, and initiate a violent response. In the wild or in the presence of actual physical threats, this can be a life-saving function. In ordinary day-to-day living, however, this amygdala hijack can inspire impulsive responses the person will later regret.

On some levels, the human brain does not distinguish between a genuine threat to life or health and a subjective threat, such as loss of job status. While the latter might not even result in a change of income, a person who values a job highly may respond to such a status change as if it were an actual threat. If he or she takes inappropriate action against a co-worker or supervisor, however, the result could be a demotion or even the loss of the job. This illustrates Goleman’s three-stage definition of the amygdala hijack: emotional reaction, inappropriate response, and later regret.

And in today’s workplaces, most of our dangers are symbolic, not physical threats. So we react in ways we often regret later.

Let me give you an example of an event that took place sometime ago with one of my coaching clients and this could vividly explain what we really mean by an Amygdala Hijack.

I was working with an executive who found himself flooded by his emotions and was pleased with himself for adopting a recovery strategy whereby he cut himself off from any emotional content. He was surprised when our coaching conversations explored the downsides of both behaviors and opened the door to a third way of behaving.

One day, my client was planning to work at home, in order to make a medical appointment in the morning and to avoid a two hour round-trip commute to be in the office for the afternoon. That noon, he received a call at home from one of his peers, another member of the executive committee, who said he had to come to work. The firm had to decide how to address employee concerns about leaving early due to weather risks from hurricane Gustav [August 2008 in Florida]. The situation was complicated because the management team in the parent office, located in another state, did not want their distribution operations disrupted and were insensitive to the weather potential and the employee concerns.

My client reacted strongly and rather rudely to his peer. He did not like to be told he had to come in and was acting out his indignation. He was not attuned to his peer or to the employees. To his credit, he caught himself when he remembered the principle that leaders are expected to lead by example and chided himself that he should not be asking others to do something he was not willing to do. He shared this with his peer and then went to the office, checking in on the various departments and being visible.

As we debriefed this event, it became clear that he had been triggered by being told “he had to.” He got flooded by his emotions, driven by his implicit memories of being told he had to do things. Once flooded, his only strategy to regain control was to go for a full tourniquet block on his emotions. While he prided himself on being able to “shed his emotions” and then make a principle-based decision, we discussed how much he lost by both his initial reaction and then by his secondary reaction. The initial reaction, blasting a peer with his emotional outburst, cost him relationship points with this peer. His secondary reaction, shedding all emotion, left him incapable of being empathic with his peer and left him devoid of any curiosity. My client described himself as being in a state of “brain lock.”

Another pathway would have been for my client to be aware of his emotions without acting out on them. This requires a certain detachment. He then could be curious about the context. It turns out that his peer was the only company officer on-site and that she was very uncomfortable with the decisions that needed to be made. He could have learned more about the issues, as she saw them. An empathic conversation, one that did not happen, could have built relationship and provided insights into alternative courses of action.

Following the pathway of keeping perspective and not acting out on emotions could have provided my client with access to other ways of creatively thinking about the situation. Leading by example is great, but other factors also come into play. Ironically, his emotional flooding left him starving for data.

This is a classic amygdala hijack. Dr Daniel Goleman, noted for his work on emotional intelligence, explains how the flood of hormones from the amygdala leads our brains to bypass the normal pathways for higher functioning and throws us into an escalating pattern, where we see things through our fight/flight/freeze lens. When this happens to us, this flood of stress-related hormones leaves us feeling like we have lost 20-30 IQ points. That is not something most of us can afford to do without!

Here are the five top amygdala triggers in the workplace, from Tony Schwartz’ book The Way We are Working Isn’t Working:

1.    Condescension and lack of respect

2.    Being treated unfairly

3.    Being Unappreciated

4.    Feeling that you are not being listened to or heard

5.    Being held to unrealistic deadlines

Especially in today’s climate of economic uncertainty, on the tail end of an ugly recession, there’s a lot of free-floating fear in the air. It doesn’t take much to trigger fear of family security, which is enough to get anybody seriously upset.

If you find yourself struggling with on-the-job stresses that are triggering either the emotional flooding or the emotional tourniquet responses, Goleman advises mindfulness training, such as meditation, to reduce the likelihood of an amygdala hijack. Meditation and similar exercises, such as tai chi, encourages a person to focus on his or her surroundings and process mental data in a calm state of mind. With practice, this kind of thinking will become second nature and can allow a person to retain a sense of calm focus even during crises. Here are some specific steps that one can incorporate in your training to minimize such Amygdala hijacks:

1.    Pay attention. Notice when you are in the middle of a hijack.

2.    Use deep breathing to gain time and space. This lets more oxygen into your brain and lets your rational brain begin to work.

3.    Use a mantra or self-talk, like “I’m okay; this isn’t a real threat. Give me a second to come out of it.”

4.    Ask for a few minutes, a time break, as in: “Let me get back to you on this.”

Hijacks can last a few seconds or a few minutes, but the sooner you break its spell, the better you’ll feel. You’ll learn you can keep in control without losing face.

Quantum Physics of Belief - Awareness

For the past few months, I was writing about our beliefs thru the science of consciousness and extending those patterns to the business world, to suggest innovative ways of using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. Once we reach a greater understanding of how our thoughts and beliefs, in addition to actions, are actualizing the world, our organizations will run differently. This realization sheds light on how the role of leadership is changing and which types of leaders will become the most sought after in the 21^st century.

As per quantum physics, the thoughts and beliefs of people in an organization have an impact on the events that occur. In particular, when groups of people intend that a particular outcome is achieved, the intentions themselves have an impact on events, so that the outcome is more likely to occur in the direction of the intentions. An intention is a conscious desire for a particular outcome and a belief that the outcome can be influenced.

To have the highest intentions for the success of an organization, be it a business or a nation, people need to feel responsible for it. Taking responsibility for something means you understand you have a role in creating it and therefore can help create something different. Even if we haven’t taken action to contribute to a particular organizational outcome, our thoughts and beliefs are influencing the outcome of any organization of which we are part of. When we accept this responsibility, we stop blaming others for the outcomes, and naturally develop intentions for the success of the organization. These intentions then help promote success.

Our businesses and societies will therefore, be better off when people accept their responsibilities for having created the current conditions and then lend their intentions, if not also their actions, to improving conditions. Ultimately, each individual will have to decide whether they accept this responsibility and where they will place the focus of their intentions. Inevitably, leaders play a pivotal role by either helping or hindering a strong sense of responsibility in their organizations. So the question is ‘how good are our current leadership practices at getting people to feel responsible for the outcomes?’

The answer to this is complex and multi-faceted, but for now let’s focus on the degree of egocentricity that leaders possess. The reality is that most business leaders got to a position of leadership by showing that they were better than others, so it’s natural for them to continue to proliferate that feeling. Furthermore, business structures are hierarchical in nature, and top executives really are held more accountable than those at lower levels. These factors are a natural hindrance to getting all employees of a company to feel responsible for the company’s outcomes.

I must point out that I am not talking about just holding people accountable for the results of their job. There is a huge difference between a person feeling motivated to achieve specific job results vs. feeling responsible for the outcomes of the business.

Getting all employees to feel responsible for business outcomes requires that we adopt a different belief about what type of leader is most effective and then begin to choose different types of leaders. We need leaders who are humble, to the point of being understated and even self-effacing. This doesn’t mean they are not strong enough to make tough decisions, because they need to be, but they need to be able to stand in the presence of their followers without usurping their power. Business research actually shows this type of leader is more effective.

As a leader, the way you perceive the world around you has a huge impact on your decisions. The way you perceive is determined by all the life you have been living (or NOT living) until now!

There are many levels of decision making and the way you perceive your surroundings determine if you are a great decision maker or just an average Joe trying to make it through the day.

There is a new paradigm emerging. Until now mankind has allowed itself to blame anything and anybody for almost everything and thus leave huge opportunities to take responsibility behind. Huge opportunities to become better at being human beings and greater Leaders in our families, our lives, our communities and even in our countries have been left behind.

This psychological malfunction has brought humanity to where we are today and the leaders of today – whether we are leading multinational companies or we are leading our selves through life, are going to be extinct very soon if this continues. Evolution is determined by survival of the fittest and until now this blaming strategy has somehow worked – at least to some degree. The strategy is: I am right therefore you are wrong! Or I am innocent and you are guilty. Polarization. Segregation.

We must realize that this strategy will destroy us if we continue. Or at least it will destroy the archetype of blaming which is needed, and make a perfect transition into a new era. The old strategy was dividing everything – in me and you, good or bad etc. The new strategy which we will need to make a decent world is: Wholeness!

We have to learn to think in 'us' instead of 'you or me'. Every decision a leader makes that is based solely on his or her own perception of life is doomed to fail. (S)He does not realize that even the smallest decision is a thread in a web that includes all living creatures, and anything from 'outside' can make their decision fail. You can't make a decision without being aware of everything else that can influence your decision and you can't be aware if you don't train your awareness!! Just like you can't play piano like Mozart without practicing!

This awareness has multiple levels. The first level is to be aware of yourself! You have to be aware of your emotions, your thoughts, your (determined) actions, and your behavior. You MUST know why you have the feelings you experience. You have to know why you think the thoughts you are thinking. You have to know why you are acting the way you are acting. You have to be able to watch your self from outside your self!

The next level is the same but your awareness now includes other people’s thoughts, feelings and behavior. The ability to be aware of other peoples’ lives is much easier if you know and understand what is going on inside your self. First it is our family and close colleagues. Next it is those that I don't know personally but they come and go in my life. It is people from other departments in my company; it's the people on the street and in the shops. Those I see but not necessarily talk to.

The third level is to apply the same awareness to the whole world. Be aware of everything; All the time. And make decisions accordingly…

We are going to change evolution. This is not an easy task. But on top of the biological evolution we now have to focus on the evolution of consciousness; We even have to add the evolution of consciousness.

We all have a responsibility for this planet. It is not just those we pay to run our country that has this responsibility. We ALL have! And the only way we can do it right is by training our personal awareness skills.

One of the absolute key traits of The New Leader is Self Awareness. Know thy self. This kind of personal mastery demands having a heightened understanding of one's own behavior, limitations and motivations, skills and a mindset of Global awareness.

The patriarchal leader is on his way to extinction. He did not make it through evolution of awareness and now The New Leader evolves and takes over the world stage. The old leader was disciplined and there were no room for emotions as they could negatively influence decisions – well some people really believed this stuff! On our way to Leadership at the World Stage, Awareness and Leadership becomes wholeness. The outcome is Impact, Power, Insight, Integrity, Ethics beyond measure and Social and Emotional Intelligence. Creative Intelligence followed by Spiritual Intelligence will also be active ingredients in Leader Skills in the future.

The lessons we learn from scientific and business research can give us great insight into how to improve the leadership of nations. Here is a radical statement but one that is supported by research: stop making governments responsible for the economy. The science and business research show us that we are collectively creating the conditions of our economy and, furthermore, that getting everyone to take responsibility for it will improve the conditions. Yet we are continually expecting our leaders to fix it and then blaming them when they can’t.

I have no desire to get into a discussion of which political ideals are more correct. However, I do think John F. Kennedy was on the right track when he said “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.  These words reflect an understanding of the importance of each person taking responsibility for the world we are creating.

Quantum Physics of Belief - Empathy

For the past few months, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore innovative ways of using the latest research and wisdom to lead and succeed in a global business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. As leaders, we need to know what’s going on with our teams and employees. Are they facing major obstacles? Is their rational thinking overridden with fear? They are not always willing to say they need help, as they may perceive it as a sign of weakness or they may believe there will be negative repercussions.

Two weeks ago, in an earlier article on emotions, I have described how science is now showing us ways to read the emotions of other people, so we can proactively offer help. I am certainly aware of the unease or self-conscious discomfort that many people feel when a term such as "empathy" is introduced in a business environment. However, in this article, let me show how to take empathy to the next level.

Empathy is the act of recognizing and sharing the feelings (such as jubilation or fear) that are being experienced by another person. New scientific discovery is giving us confidence to expand on this traditional definition by including the ability to pick up on the feelings, bodily sensations of another person. Indeed, empathy is valued currency. It allows us to create bonds of trust, it gives us insights into what others may be feeling or thinking; it helps us understand how or why others are reacting to situations, it sharpens our "people acumen" and informs our decisions. As leaders, this helps us know if an employee needs our help to clear an obstacle or needs to receive some encouragement.

A large number of experiments using functional MRI have shown that certain brain regions are active when people experience a certain emotion and the same regions are active when they see another person experiencing the same emotion. The practice of “feeling into” another person is reportedly used in psychotherapy, and now we can use it in other areas of our lives, including the more mundane business world.

There are numerous studies that link empathy to business results. They include studies that correlate empathy with increased sales, with the performance of the best managers of product development teams and with enhanced performance in an increasingly diverse workforce.

Yes, increasingly, the topic of empathy is encroaching on the business world. We are now even seeing terms such as "empathy marketing" and "empathy selling". Not long ago, I came across the term "user empathy", referring to user interface.

Empathy; which is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else's position, to imagine what they are feeling, to understand what makes people tick, to create relationships and to be caring of others; is very difficult to outsource or automate, and yet is increasingly important to businesses in a global economic environment.

The modern management guru, Dr. Daniel Goleman wrote, "Leaders with empathy, do more than sympathize with people around them: they use their knowledge to improve their companies in subtle, but important ways." This doesn't mean that they agree with everyone's view or try to please everybody. Rather, they "thoughtfully consider employees' feelings – along with other factors – in the process of making intelligent decisions."

Empathy, then, is an ability that is well-worth cultivating. It's a soft, sometimes abstract tool in a leader's toolkit that can lead to hard, tangible results. But where does empathy come from? Is it a process of thinking or of emotion? From a scientific perspective as explained above, I believe that it is both: We need to use our reasoning ability to understand another person's thoughts, feelings, reactions, concerns, motives; This means truly making an effort to stop and think for a moment about the other person's perspective in order to begin to understand where they are coming from: And then we need the emotional capacity to care for that person's concern; Caring does not mean that we would always agree with the person, that we would change our position, but it does mean that we would be in tune with what that person is going through, so that we can respond in a manner that acknowledges their thoughts, feelings or concerns.

When candor is communicated with empathy and caring and not the prideful arrogance of an over inflated ego good things begin to happen. Empathetic communicators display a level of authenticity and transparency that is not present with those who choose to communicate behind the carefully crafted facade propped-up by a very fragile ego. Understanding this communication principle is what helps turn anger into respect and doubt into trust.

So this leads me to a question that I am sometimes asked: "Can you teach someone to be empathetic?" We all know some people who are naturally and consistently empathetic – these are the people who can easily forge positive connections with others. They are people who use empathy to engender trust and build bonds; they are catalysts who are able to create positive communities for the greater good. But even if empathy does not come naturally to some of us, I firmly believe that we can develop this capacity.

Here are a few practical tips you might consider to help you do this:

Smile at people.

Use people's name. Also remember the names of people's spouse and children so that you can refer to them by name.

Take a personal interest in people. Show people that you care, and genuine curiosity about their lives. Ask questions about their hobbies, their challenges, their families, their aspirations.

Listen – truly listen to people. Listen with your ears, eyes and heart. Pay attention to others' body language, to their tone of voice, to the hidden emotions behind what they are saying to you, and to the context.

Don't interrupt people. Don't dismiss their concerns offhand. Don't rush to give advice. Don't change the subject. Allow people their moment.

Be fully present when you are with people. Don't check your email, look at your watch or take phone calls when a direct report drops into your office to talk to you. Put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel if your boss did that to you?

Tune in to non-verbal communication. This is the way that people often communicate what they think or feel, even when their verbal communication says something quite different.

Practice the "93% rule". When communicating about feelings and attitudes,  words – the things we say – account for only 7% of the total message that people receive. The other 93% of the message that we communicate when we speak is contained in our tone of voice and body language. It's important, then, to spend some time to understand how we come across when we communicate with others about our feelings and attitudes.

Encourage people, particularly the quiet ones, when they speak up in meetings. A simple thing like an attentive nod can boost people's confidence.

Give genuine recognition and praise. Pay attention to what people are doing and catch them doing the right things. When you give praise, spend a little effort to make your genuine words memorable: "You are an asset to this team because... "; "This was pure genius"; "I would have missed this if you hadn't picked it up."

Empathy is an emotional and thinking muscle that becomes stronger the more we use it. Try some of these suggestions and watch the reactions of those you work with. I believe you will notice some positive results.

Years ago, I had come across a saying that went something like this: the measure of a man [or woman], is how they treat someone who is of absolutely no use to them. Empathy should not be selective: It should be a daily habit. If I were to create a bumper sticker, I would say: Empathy: Don't Leave Home Without It!

When you “feel into” another person, you are using a part of your brain not typically used in business. There are three levels of your brain and each perceives differently. The lower level reptile brain, which is seldom used in business today, perceives thru subtle, instinctive vibes. To feel into another person, project your awareness to the other person, envision moving down in your brain toward your instinctive senses, and notice the way your body feels.

This is where knowledge of how your own emotions feel in your body really pays off, because you will feel the other people’s emotions the same way you feel your own. When the other person is feeling empowered and confident, you may feel energy rising in your body, perhaps warmness around your chest. If, on the other hand, you feel your energy drop or tighten, the other person is likely tense, worried, feeling overwhelmed, or holding something back. You can feel the steady waves of harmonious people and the adrenaline of people who are afraid or operating from their ego.

This technique works in person, by phone or even email, as long as you feel a connection to the other person and can project your awareness to them. While you are learning this technique it’s important to keep in mind to always verify with the person that you have accurately detected what they are feeling.