Gina Buchanan

Date: January 20, 2015

Name: Company of Young Professionals Success Series – High Performance Habits

Presenters: Emma Andrews and Gina Buchanan

In order for leaders to maintain their high performance, habits through their minds and their bodies are extremely important. Leaders need to understand their nutrition to maximize their physical output. In addition, mental habits can help leaders to shape their leadership attitude and mindset through the improvement of emotional intelligence. This presentation invites Emma Andrews, the Registered Holistic Nutritionist from Vega, and Gina Buchanan, the Principal of Changeways Training and Development, to discuss the importance of leaders’ physical and mental habits. Emma Andrews will share her insight through her experience in the natural products industry, and Gina Buchanan will share her knowledge to improve leaders’ mindset and attitude. This presentation will benefit all leaders to go beyond their performance limitation.

Eat to Thrive

Emma Andrews, the certified plant based culinary professional, starts her career with a wakeup call from his father’s heart attack. Moreover, she believes there is a strong connection between the lifestyle and healthy food.

Andrews emphasizes it is important for leaders to understand the nutrient density. Andrews defines nutrient density as the fuel for optimal mental and physical performance. Leaders need to identify food that has clean, plant-based functional and easy to digest. Moreover, leaders need to consume food that contains the necessary nutrients.

Net energy gain is significant for leaders. This energy can be found after digestion and absorption. Andrews suggests leaders to look food that is raw, fermented, soaked, enzyme-rich, or minimally processed.

Enzymes are produced naturally by the body. These can be found in fresh, raw, and minimally processed foods. It can consider as aid in digestion. Andrews shares leaders who have poor digestion, malabsorption or nutrient deficiencies can lead to a lack of enzymes.

To maximize the food consumption and absorption, Andrews recommends leaders to the following:

• Sit down to eat
• Make eating the focus
• Deep breath before start eating
• Engage all senses
• Chew slowly

Andrews wants leaders to avoid fluids with meals because fluids can dilute the enzyme in their bodies. Therefore, leaders should avoid the food combination of carbohydrates and proteins; In addition, leaders should increase the amount of sprouting from nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains. Lastly, leaders can find nutrients from digestive enzyme supplements.

When leaders encounter food sensitivities and toxins, they will feel headache, mood swings, low energy and rapid heartbeat. Based on the research, Andrews shares the most common sensitivity aggravating ingredient is soil.

Leaders should determine if their food can nourish or stimulate their performance. In addition, leaders can use caffeine to enhance performance because caffeine promotes endurance and sport performance by enhancing mental focus. Andrews suggests some alternative for caffeine.

• Green tea
• Yerba mate
• Dandelion or chicory root
• Hot coca
• Adaptogens

Andrews recommends leaders to avoid artificial sweeteners and stay away from refined sugar.

The Heat Smart Leader

Gina Buchanan mentions there are many words people use to associate with leadership effectiveness; however, these words cannot resemble with the connection with IQ. Moreover, Buchanan believes emotional intelligence (EQ) is the key to measure leadership effectiveness.

Buchanan defines emotional intelligence as high cognitive ability to process complexity of information as well as effectively navigate the social and political landscape. EQ can trigger all other critical skills. Furthermore, it is the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence.

Buchanan shares the most common test to measure EQ is the Daniel Goleman’s research. This test measures EQ based on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Another common test is Reuven Bar on. This test measures intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, stress management, and general mood.

In leadership, leader’s intention is not equal to impact. Leader’s first task in management has nothing to do with leading others; instead, it should be the process of challenge of knowing and managing themselves first. Buchanan indicates it is important for leaders to label their emotions. If leaders have limited vocabulary that describes emotion, they will have limited responses about others.

“Labeling your emotions is key; if you can name it, you can tame it”

Buchanan recommends some strategies for leaders to grow their self-awareness.

• Seek a trusted critic
• Keep a journal
• Look in the mirror
• Suspend judgment
• Build a feeling dictionary
• Be curious
• Practice reflection
• Seek feedback
• Be present
• Listen to your body
• Observe

Leaders need to be aware of how their emotions and feelings affect their behaviors. When there is a situation, it will lead to thoughts, feelings and actions. Leaders need to work around these three factors. Buchanan believes leaders need to be aware of their Anger Mountain. When leaders increase their heart rate, their quality of judgment will decrease.

Lastly, Buchanan leaves a process for leaders to develop their performance habits.

Something Happens -> Sense -> Stop -> See your best self -> Strategize -> Succeed

“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance”