WHAT IS A NEUROBIC EXERCISE?

 

The Neurobic Exercise program is a scientifically based program. It is based in the brain ability to produce a natural growth factor called “neurotrophins.” Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that induce the survival, development and function of neurons.

 

Neurobic exercises use the five physical senses and our emotional sense in unexpected ways that encourage us to shake up our everyday routines.

 

“What happens in your brain while you’re doing this becomes exercise because different,underused nerve pathways and connections get activated. The result is the production of a kind of natural brain fertilizer that strengthens nerve connections and helps them and your nerve cell receivers (dendrites) stay younger and stronger. And the benefit of that is a fit and flexible mind ready to meet any mental challenge.”  – Lawrence Katz, PhD (emphasis mine)

 

It is well known that each of our senses—vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch—have their own sections in your brain. In the digital world of today, we probably use only two senses: seeing and hearing; neural highways to the other three senses are probably closed.

 

For the purpose of this blog, leadership is defined as “Influencing the performance of the individualand group one leads.”  In today’s “digitally distracted world,” a leader needs the ability to pay attention and needs to use all of the Five Sense Neural Highway.

 

For defining the Neurobic exercises, the challenges we are going to take are from Marshall Goldsmith’s 20 Habits.

 

Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations.

 

Neurobic Exercise: Ask the client to eat something that he does not like to eat while watching his favorite sport, team or player that is losing.

 

Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.

 

Neurobic Exercise:

1. Identify a less competent person in the area of leader’s expertise.
2. Let the leader and the person agree on the topic.
3. Let the leader develop a less effective solution and have it with a PowerPoint presentation and a voice-over.
4. Let the leader listen to the solution of his colleague while watching his own PowerPoint.
5. Give the leader a piece of chewing gum to chew while he views the PowerPoint and listens to the other person speak.

Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.

 

Neurobic Exercise: Simultaneously have some impose standard on the leader face-to-face with someone via an online video meeting platform.

 

Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think make us witty.

 

Neurobic Exercise: Video graph the leader making positive comments and great remarks and allow him to listen to it every day.

 

R Ramamurthy Krishna, PCC & GPHR is the Director of Potential Genesis HR Services, LLP Coaching School. He runs a ACTP program. In addition to being an author, blogger and speaker, he is also an executive coach, trainer and coach mentor. He is presently working on coaching in Indian languages.

 

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