Breaking Through the Bureaucracy of the Brain
The buzz words in the new administration have been "hope" and "change." Transforming a bureaucracy requires undoing much of what's been done before, rethinking old approaches, and creating anew. Executives are experiencing a similar challenge in their organizations every day: How do we break old habits? How do we create a new way of working? At a national or an organizational level, everyone waits for change to happen, but in either case, individual people need to step up to achieve sustainable results. Every part of the whole has to change, starting at the individual level, which is the focus for today. Once we align ourselves personally, organizations will begin to follow.
What is our personal bureaucracy and how does it serve us? Constant repetition of behavior creates an infrastructure for how we function. These patterns are helpful for orienting us to the world and allowing us to focus on other tasks. For example, once you learn to type on a keyboard, you can enter your thoughts without having to consciously choose what keys you need to hit. Your brain is programmed to type the new messages it is creating, thus the bureaucracy is serving you well. On the flip side, every time you start to give a speech or have a difficult conversation, you may notice a tightening pain in your chest and erratic breathing. Your internal bureaucracy resists going into this action and you begin to fumble your words, accordingly the bureaucracy has become a liability to your effectiveness.
In Stuart Heller's book, Retooling on the Run: Real Change for Leaders with No Time, he explains that the nervous system defends itself against change. While the body and brain's bureaucracy is necessary, it is the principal barrier to creating new actions.
The key to changing behavior patterns starts with increasing awareness. Our brain is wired to think, feel, and act in certain ways of which we are frequently unaware. Sometimes we view and respond to the world in ways that are of little value to us. To untangle these internal systems and retool them to be more useful and efficient requires a new level of self-awareness. Not only can it be hard to recognize patterns, particularly during intense moments, but it takes courage.
 Find the center. Finding the center means viewing the body and mind as one single unit. Once you are consciously aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you are fully present and better equipped to make sustainable changes in your life. The synergistic place of balance among these three domains is known as your center.
Think of a stressful situation you have found yourself in - perhaps contemplating lay-offs in your company, a difficult conversation, or preparing to deliver a speech. Now close your eyes and immerse yourself in the minutes leading up to the situation. What are you feeling (anxious, scared, nervous)? What thoughts are running through your mind (what is the little voice in your head saying to you; what assessments are you making)? What is your body doing (sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, butterflies in your stomach)? Now, notice and acknowledge these tendencies. Do you favor one domain of response more than others (thinking, feeling or doing)? How are these practices useful to you? What would be a more useful reaction? Are you beginning to sense a shift in how you are experiencing this situation? Increasing your awareness to unite your body and mind, or finding your centered presence, can break down ineffective bureaucracies to form new habits and an infrastructure that will better serve you.
The Active Pursuit. . .
As a coach, I use a number of tools to help rewire how clients respond to unproductive behavior patterns. The exercise shown below illustrates a quick starting point that you can try on your own to access your highest levels of clear thinking and responsiveness to challenging circumstances. Practice Centered Presence by sitting quietly in a chair, feet on the floor, hands at your side, sitting upright, with eyes closed (adapted from Retooling on the Run).
Find your feet. (Helps you to achieve balance, stability, and movement)
- Feel your feet touching the floor
- Notice the pressure and contact between your feet and the floor
- Feel the inside of your feet, muscles, and bones
- Allow the sensation to move upward from your feet as you take a new breath
Find your hands. (Draws attention to feelings, relating, and connecting)
- Feel what you are touching or holding
- Notice the connection between your hands and where they rest
- Feel the inside of your hands, muscles, and bones
- Allow the sensation to move away from your hands as you take a new breath
Find your head. (Strengthens awareness, concentration, thinking, and planning)
- Look and listen to what is going on around you and within you
- Tune in to your sense of smell and taste
- Notice how your head balances on top of your spine
- Allow the sensation to move throughout your body as you take a new breath
Find your breath. (Develops creativity and breaks habits)
- Inhale and exhale deliberately
- Focus your attention on the middle of your torso
- Relax and let your breath move to its own rhythm
- Allow the sensation to move throughout your body as you take a new breath
Bring your focus to center and allow new thoughts and feelings to catch your attention. You will begin to notice the habits you no longer want, those you want to keep, and gain clarity for the best course of action. Once you open your eyes, reflect on what behaviors would work better and how you want to show up to your constituents and the people who matter most. What do you want to do? State your intention.
. . .of Excellence
 Retooling on the Run by Stuart Heller & David Sheppard Surrenda. A great crash-course in checking in with yourself and increasing self-awareness. The book has plenty of exercises that are useful in these challenging, stressful times. It offers quick and simple tools for focusing on positive change and developing new behaviors that will become new beliefs. Take the time to practice centering and focus on the domains of your mind and body that may need reshaping. The exercises are easy to learn and easy to remember.
 From Chaos to Coherence by Doc Childre and Bruce Cryer. Another useful read for developing our "inner leadership." This book is based on leading edge research and practical experience helping people gain clarity and insight, reduce stress, and improve performance. It offers valuable techniques for people who struggle to stay focused on tasks or projects and who want to strengthen internal self-management.
Ideas in Motion
"Standing between where you are now and where you would like to be are your habits of perception and action."
- Stuart Heller
"If you want to change the world, first try to improve and bring about change within yourself."
- The Dalai Lama
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