‘Bitter medicine comes from a bitter tree.’ South African proverb
Imagine a colleague is entering the room to give a presentation. We could close our eyes and would know what he will do: the way he walks, holds his shoulders, his hand movements, his smile and his voice. It is a familiar sight which has a particular effect on us. In his presence we may feel light or heavy, patient or impatient, energized or tired. The ‘presence’ of the person evokes specific thoughts and emotions in us. It is a reflection of who he is to us.
“By observing how one is in her body, we can tell a great deal about who she is as a person. … the self is indistinguishable from how we present and express ourselves through our body.” (Strozzi-Heckler, 2007, P.24)
The body is the primary location of our habits, behaviors and ways of thinking. It holds our experience and our worldview. It enables us to see, think, feel and touch – it carries our mind. Most of us have been taught to ignore the body, “as if it were an indiscreet waiter to be kept in the background until needed”. (Strozzi-Heckler, 2007, P. 87). We often only attend to the body when something goes wrong with it. We adopt postures and ways of holding our bodies that compromise not only our health but also limit our potential.
“For example, think of a person whose shoulders are rounded, her head pitched forward, her chest sunken. This contraction and shortening in the chest and shoulder girdle places pressure on the internal organs … The system is compromised, and the resulting stress reduces effective action, emotional balance, physical health and mental alertness.” (Richard Strozzi-Heckler, 2007, P.90)
This is just one example. There are millions of leaders and professionals who have adapted ways of holding their bodies that does not support their effectiveness. But it is not just about the effect our own bodies have on us. We present ourselves to the world through our bodies. We present our leadership to the world through our bodies. People look at the way we are keeping our bodies to assess: our trustworthiness; our emotions; our capabilities; our capacity to connect with them, motivate them and support them. “The way we shape ourselves will have people move toward us, away from us, against us, or to be indifferent to us.” (Strozzi-Heckler, 2007, P.91)
Leadership is embodied. Through our bodies we as leaders embody qualities such as trust, empathy, resilience, generosity and readiness for action. A frozen smile, rapid breath, wandering eyes and hunched shoulders do not communicate such qualities. A body that is relaxed, upright and centered is more likely to suggest these qualities.
What can we do about this? Modern neuroscience shows that the body controls the mind as much as the mind controls the body. Therefore, a key leadership action is to start paying attention to our bodies which will in turn also influence our mind and our presence to the world. For example, we can start working on our posture and facial expressions and observing how we breathe. Being self-aware is not just about being aware of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours but also of our body and physical sensations. Through both our body and our mind we can generate our presence as a leader: a presence that embodies our values and our qualities.
References: Strozzi-Heckler, R. (2007). The Leadership Dojo: Build your Foundation as an Exemplary Leader, Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books