When thinking harder doesn’t solve the problem

How a high-performing leader used his body as a strategic source of focus and calm.

Do you treat your body like a vehicle, as a vessel designed to push through the day, with barely a thought about keeping fuel in the tank to function? One leader jokingly described this as: “Coffee In, PowerPoint Out.”

In conversations about work and leadership, when we think about change, we usually focus on mindset. But sometimes we can keep spinning on a problem and stay stuck in our heads. To be clear, mindset matters. But it’s easy to get trapped in thought. Sometimes, the faster, simpler, and more straightforward path is through the body. Because when you use your body, you become it. It’s immediate. It’s authentic.

A VP’s Search for Clarity

Enrique, a VP of Product, was facing conflicting timelines, shifting stakeholder demands, and mounting churn across product, engineering, and design. He was constantly bombarded with demands on his time. It was a pattern of reacting to what was coming at him rather than proactively driving projects and meetings with clarity. He was easily distracted and feeling overwhelmed.

He’s not alone: Three-quarters of 805 HR leaders Gartner surveyed identified that their managers are overwhelmed by the growth of their job responsibilities. (link: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-10-15-gartner-survey-finds-leader-and-manager-development-tops-hrleaders-list)

In a coaching conversation, rather than talk about the overwhelm, I asked him for clues about what clarity looked and felt like.

Me: You want clarity. When was the last time you felt it?

Enrique: Almost 5 years ago—during the pandemic.

Me: What was different then?

Enrique: No commute. I started mornings with qigong. Ten minutes of that movement cleared my head and grounded my day.

Me: So, priming your body with gentle, fluid motion granted clarity, and everything else followed?

Enrique: Yes. And having the freedom to define my own schedule.

Me: What changed?

Enrique: Back to office mandates and new childcare routines that have shaken up my mornings and totally shifted my schedule.

Me: What does that point to now?

Enrique: I need to find a way to bring qigong—or moving meditation—back. I need to re-evaluate my schedule and make time.

Change is never as simple as having an intention and then snapping your fingers to make it happen. Before Enrique could figure out what he’d have to do, we explored this question: How important is it to have this clarity? Is it worth making the change you’ll have to make to bring it to fruition? The lack of clarity was costing him daily in wasted effort because he didn’t have a north star to align his priorities to. Once Enrique could see how much it was costing him, it felt as if he had no choice but to invest his energy and make a change.

The results weren’t immediate, but over the next few weeks, Enrique found ways to prioritize his qigong practice. He almost always felt both more relaxed and more energized when he began his day. Frequently, in the minutes just after his practice, he’d get an impulse about someone he should reach out to, and when he listened to that, it almost always opened a door or created new opportunities for him.

For Enrique, qigong fueled insight, intuition, and creativity. For others, it might be slow, steady breathing to reduce anxiety, a short jog to energize, or simply standing with awareness of your feet on the ground when you need to be patient.

What I’ve learned from my own experience and from my work with leaders like Enrique is this:
Make your body your ally.

Our bodies are constantly sending us signals and information. It’s less about taking better physical care of yourself - though this is vital - and more about forming and strengthening a communication channel that nurtures your life and leadership.

If this piques your interest, I’ve got good news. Somatic Intelligence: Leadership Requires More than IQ and EQ, is coming soon.

I’m so excited to share this book with you.

CEO Coach, Founder of Access Alignment, and author of Somatic Intelligence.

Learn more about Somatic Intelligence and turn this blind spot into one of your secret weapons at work. Download a free sample chapter here.