If you have followed my work, you'll know that I talk about Burnout.
Frequently.
It's Easy to Understand Why.
From a Leadership Perspective, Burnout is the World's Number One Problem.
Leaders are Doomed to Fail while Burnout Remains.
It Decreases Productivity Potential by 95%.
It Completely Blocks Flow States.
Without Flow you Do Not have Innovation.
At least, Not Exponential Innovation.
Plus, it Destroys the Physical Workplace.
It is the Primary Reason Return-To-Office Mandates have Completely Failed.
It was Predictable they would Fail from the Beginning.
Now, to fully understand Burnout, we must look at Psychophysiology.
This is how the Brain and Body Interact.
Truly it is a complex system.
I've looked over Hundreds of Research Papers to Understand Better.
As you dive Deeper into this topic, you learn some fascinating things.
For instance, Psychology cannot solve Burnout alone.
Despite Psychological advancements, Burnout has Worsened.
What you begin to discover is what I call the 4 Brain Systems.
Obviously, the "Brain" is the one we Focus on most.
However, throughout our body we have Neurons.
There are Multiple Systems with Large Networks of Neurons.
In particular, there are 3 other Large Systems of Neurons.
I've done Deep Dives both into Neurocardiology and Neurogastroenterology.
Those are complex words, so let me break them down.
Neurocardiology is the "Heart Brain".
Neurogastroenterology is the "Gut Brain".
When we look at the Heart, there are Two Primary things we're looking at.
One is Total HRV and the other is HRV Coherence.
Total HRV is a Sign of Health and always Beneficial.
Coherence, however, has a Stronger Leadership Use.
Our Hearts Directly Communicate with each other via Electromagnetic Waves.
When we are Happy, that is what is Communicated.
When we are Sad, that is what is Communicated.
When we are in Burnout?
Also Communicated.
But more Importantly is the concept of "Entrainment".
This just means we can "Pull" Others into the same Heart Rhythms as ourselves.
We could Pull others into Happiness.
We could Pull others into Sadness.
We can also Pull others into Burnout.
So, what happens when you put people in Burnout in the Same Room?
They Tend to All make their Burnout Worse via Entrainment.
Unless, of course, You've Trained to do otherwise, which most Leaders Have Not.
Then, we have the "Gut Brain".
I've talked in the past about Research that shows a "Direct" relationship between the Gut Brain and Psychological Resilience.
There is another, perhaps More Important Aspect though.
Energy (Mg-ATP) Production.
Burnout is a Consequence of More Energy Out than can be Produced over a Long Period of Time.
If you want to Overcome Burnout, you "Must" Produce More Energy.
There is also another Factor here of Cleaning Up Stress Damage.
The Scientists call it "Oxidative Stress".
If the Stress Damage Builds Up, it "Wastes" Energy, and at a point can make it Impossible to Produce "Enough" Energy.
The Necessary Ingredients to Clean the Stress Damage comes from Nutrition.
Plus, the Wrong Ingredients can simply make Stress Damage occur Significantly Faster.
So, as you can see, these systems are all Highly Interrelated.
But my "Most" Recent Fascination has been the 4th Brain System.
This is the Nervous System.
Now, unfairly, many people try to force the Brain and Nervous System together.
They are absolutely Interrelated, but the Nervous System seems to have it's own Neurons that work Separately, like the other Brain Systems.
One of the great ways to see this is through Memory Recall.
Now, when we Recall a Memory, it often it can "Felt" Elsewhere in the Body.
These tend to be how the Nervous System "Stores" its own form of Memory, separate from the Brain's Memory.
So, if you later encounter a "Similar", yet "Completely Unrelated" Event, the Brain can "Rationalize" they are Different.
Yet, the Nervous System seems to "Engage" its own Memory in the Body "As If" it were the Same.
So, I have been listening to some Examples in a Certification I'm going through.
One man, when he was young, had been "Targeted" by a Group of Young Misfits who said they "Wanted His Watch".
His Nervous System Reaction was felt in his Legs and Arms when they approached him, and he Ran.
Nothing happened, but the Survival Instinct to Run was "Locked" into his Body.
To the point where, whenever he encountered Groups of Young People, even Family Members, the Nervous System "Memory" would Occur.
Could you Imagine?
You have a group of Young Family Members, coming up to do something simple like say Hi!
Maybe it is at a Family Get Together or Holiday.
Yet, every time this happened, you felt like you were Subconsciously in Danger and Needed to Sprint Away?
Your Brain may not be Linking these Occurrences, but the Nervous System is.
Now, Imagine how many different ways this could play out in Leadership.
That is what I'm interested in Understanding Better.
Not only this, but how can we Improve?
If there are Nervous System Reactions and Memories that are Constantly being Triggered "On Top Of" all the Other Challenges I've Mentioned Above...
How can we Hope to Overcome Burnout?
Even under "Significant" Challenges, it can be Accomplished.
Not only that, but with a "Significantly" Higher Long Term Success Rate than the Leadership Development Industry has Produced.
Yet, I know it can be done to an even Higher Level, which is Why I Research Further.
I have done some Basic Research in the Nervous System in the past, but this is the Year I plan to Dig Deep.
From what I have learned, I think that this is the Final Significant Chunk of Research to Overcome Burnout with Ease.
Perhaps, as well, we can Solve Other Looming Problems of Today's Society as well.
Truly, I am Excited!