Do You Believe It?

We all have our well-established, mental mindsets. We often run on auto-pilot in well-grooved paths. Sometimes useful, but not always.

For example, we hear person X say Y (again!) in our senior leadership meeting and our mind’s reaction kicks in. We see a close family member do Z and we conclude that they are {fill in the blank}. We have developed these auto-responses over years of experience – sometimes it shows up in our mind chatter, other times in visible cues we give off, often in our tone. Are these reactions serving you well?

I have recently begun integrating some key constructs around mental fitness into my coaching work with senior leaders – leaders who are seeking to be even more effective and make a greater impact. Mental fitness training is akin to physical fitness in that the benefits come not from learning a new technique but by putting it into regular use and practice.

Positive Intelligence (PQ)® is a mental fitness approach that enables improved performance, positive relationships, and well-being. I am grateful to have received coach training directly from PQ founder, Shirzad Chamine. I have witnessed its benefits firsthand after an intensive period of learning and daily practice. As Shirzad reminds us: “Our minds can be our best friends and our worst enemies.”

Shirzad’s research on Positive Intelligence, outlined in his book by the same name, shows how one can rewire their neural pathways through daily practice in just six to eight weeks’ time.

As I am integrating key aspects of PQ into my coaching work, and even including the full six-week PQ Program at times, leaders are gaining practical techniques. This allows them to accelerate the leadership behavior changes they are seeking to make.

The “PQ operating system,” as we call it, provides the opportunity to identify and decrease negative thoughts, what we call Saboteurs, and work to increase positive thoughts, what we call Sage. It also builds “PQ muscles” that enable quicker recovery from mental setbacks.

Once we identify our most common Saboteurs (be it the all-too-familiar hyper-rational or controller; the hyper-achiever or avoider; or several others), we can then train our mind to spot them at play. Eventually with a few weeks of practice, we can learn to intercept them before they hijack us.

There are so many applications in life and work once we learn and practice the foundational techniques of PQ.

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Kathy Letendre, President and Founder of Letendre & Associates, advises organizations and leaders to create their excellence advantage.
Contact Kathy by phone or text at 802-779-4315 or via email.