health engagement and performance

7/31/2019 Health Engagement and Performance

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B y M a r c e l D a a n e a n d G a r r e t t W e i n e r

In today‟s global business climate, executives work more hours per week than at any other moment.Faster-moving markets, shorter time to deliver, constant change and tighter budgets all mean greaterpressure and increased time and energy demands. The resulting increase in stress levels significantly

affect work-life balance, health, happiness and ultimately performance. In fact, recent research showsthat both the personal and the business cost of disengagement, presenteeism and increased executiveturnover are many times higher than previously thought.

As executive performance continues to suffer from stress mismanagement and ineffective approachesto physical and mental health and performance, business performance and the bottom-line suffers.At BBPcoaching, we strive to turn this equation on its head. By learning how to apply effectivehealth and performance strategies, by engaging themselves as „Executive -Athletes‟, professionalstoday can ensure they will remain on top of their game and work towards improved sustainablebusiness performance.

In this article, we would like to introduce some research into the current reality of health andperformance today, followed by solutions and details of our Executive-Athlete programs.

Health, Engagement and PerformanceThe Body-Brain Perspective



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Copyright BBPcoaching – 2012: [email protected] - www.BBPcoaching.com

Table of Contents

Situation Overview .............................................................................................................. 3 The Executive and the Athlete: ............................................................................................... 3 Research Analysis: .................................................................................................................. 3

Research Analysis on the Cost of Poor Health ............................................................................. 4Research Analysis on the Cost of Employee Disengagement: ..................................................... 5The Business Value of Body-Brain Performance .......................................................................... 7Why Simply Implementing Wellness Programs Doesn’t W ork .................................................... 8

Solution Overview ................................................................................................................ 9 Body-Brain Peak Performance & Resilience Program .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.Step 1: Prior to Commencement ........................................................................................... 10

Building Awareness: ................................................................................................................... 10Leadership Circle 360-Degree Feedback Assessment: ........................................................... 10Functional Brain Assessment (Optional): ............................................................................... 10One on One Consultation: ...................................................................................................... 11

Step 2: -Day Body-Brain Peak Performance and Resilience Workshop ........................... ....... 11 Day 1: Creating Desire. ............................................................................................................... 11

Body-Brain Leaders: ............................................................................................................... 12Know Your Brain: .................................................................................................................... 12Manage Your Brain: ................................................................................................................ 12Biological Age vs Chronological Age Fitness Assessment: ..................................................... 12

Day 2: Knowledge is Power ........................................................................................................ 12Applying the P.R.I.M.A.L Performance Model: ....................................................................... 12Train Your Brain: ..................................................................................................................... 12Feed Your Brain: ..................................................................................................................... 13Driving Effective Change: ....................................................................................................... 13

Step 3 (Optional): Empowering Ability .................................................................................. 13 Post Workshop 8-Week Transformation Program ..................................................................... 13

Step 4 (Optional): Reinforcing Behaviour for Sustained Engagement ...................................... 13 Additional Services: .................................................................................................................... 13

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 14 Contact ................................................................................................................................. 14

mailto:[email protected]






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Situation Overview

The Executive and the Athlete:When considering trends over the past 20 years, it is clear that the business world has undergone anumber of significant changes and we recognise that these changes are adding to the levels of stressexecutives are subjected to. Our experience in helping others manage stress, indicates that the twopopulations that suffer most from the negative effects of higher performance demands are EliteAthletes and Executives. The issues of stress and performance between athletic and executiveperformance are quite similar, yet sport, given its ease of comparison and measurement, hasreceived the vast majority of the research and attention. Executive performance management cangain much from those advances in athletic performance.

Of the various components, the most significant we have found in training athletes and executiveshas been in the area of effective recovery, both physiologically and mentally. By applying many of the same principles we utilize to help Elite Athletes build mental and physical toughness, to recoveroptimally and to maximize their time in the “performance zone” , we are able to help Executive

Athletes efficiently recover, prevent burnout and perform at consistently higher levels. Failure toadequately recover leads to increasing levels of stress and higher risks of serious mental and

physical ailments. Yet as work hours continue to increase, recovery in the form of “work -life balance” has never been more important to executives: In Australia, t he Mt. Elisa Leadership Indexof 2005 ranked „work -life balance‟ a s the number 2 issue facing Australian managers today.Australian executives are far from alone.

Another component that sport models well is in the area of change. Conditions for athletes arealways changing and managing their response will determine how well or how poorly they perform.Similarly, to perform well in today‟s more uncertain business climate , organizations will berequired to evolve rapidly. And for organizations to evolve, so must the executives within them,and do so without sacrificing their mental and physical health. By learning how to apply strategiesthat aid athletes to manage internal change and evolve their performance, Executive Athletes canalso improve their fundamental capacity to navigate and excel in constant change and increaseddemands.

Whether it be inadequate recovery or inadequate change, improperly managed stress has a strongcorrelation to declining cognitive performance and physical health. The resulting executivedisengagement, absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover significantly impacts individual andorganizational performance. As with treatment for medical illnesses and sports performance, stressmanagement is more effective, cheaper and less painful when prevented.

Research Analysis:

Extensive research over the past decade has clearly shown that stress, obesity, employeedisengagement and poor health come at a high cost for organizations. The most impactful, and attimes most insidious, are the costs associated with employee stress. The causes of stress are manyand the impacts are widely unacknowledged.







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For example, in a 2011 survey conducted on behalf of the American Psychological Association,approximately 43% of employees in the US are dissatisfied with their jobs and one in threeemployees regularly feels stressed at work. The US Department of Labour also reported an average

employee turnover rate of 38% in 2011. In a 2006 study conducted by Gallup 54% of disengagedemployees reported that their work stress had a negative impact on their health and that it affectedtheir behavior with family and friends at home. In addition, research conducted by Towers Watsonshows a direct link between employee wellness, engagement and employee turnover.

The Towers Watson research data on theright shows a direct relationship betweenlevel of wellbeing, level of engagementand employee turnover. The researchalso shows much lower turnover rates inengaged employees with high levels of wellbeing versus engaged employeeswith lower levels of wellbeing.

The trend of rising employee turnoverand disengagement is not only limited tothe US market. Employee turnover anddisengagement are two trends that aregrowing with alarming rates throughoutAsia. In a recent publication by HRMAsia, 60% of managerial tenures in Asialast less than three years. Turnover rates,as reported by BlessingWhite‟s 2011survey, in Asia are on a rise withSingapore and Hong Kong each reportedat 10% and China at 20%.

The Cost of Poor Health

The evidence that we are doing something wrong resembles growing cracks in a wall. Varied,expansive and ever widening, these cracks can be traced back to the source with some diligentresearch and common sense. Many such studies have already been conducted, as healthcare costsand impacts of absenteeism, turnover and more have had greater and greater consequences.The following figure shows the results of two such studies conducted by Towers Perrin and Mercer.







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Specific costs noted here include those of absenteeism and presenteeism, which combined toUS$300 Billion in the United States in 2009. Costs of absenteeism include those of non-productivity, from absent employees due to an illness.

Conversely, the larger figure of presenteeism relates to lost productivity due to illness, whileactually being at work . Illness, as considered here, may be a common flu virus, emotional illness orcancer. Related to presenteeism is the productivity impact from inadequate sleep: ApproximatelyUS$2,000 per employee.

The Cost of Employee Disengagement:

Employee engagement plays a critical role in organizational performance. Scarlett Surveys definesemployee engagement as:

“…a measurable degree of an employee's positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and organization which profoundlyinfluences their willingness to learn and perform at work.”

Engagement then is a state of emotion and not one of financial reward, adequate training, employeeretreats and other reward programs. Yet these are typically the focus of survey questions indetermining the state of affairs within an organization. An engaged employee requires an emotionalconnection. And emotional states are very individual.

Now that we‟ve broadly defined what is and is not engagement, we can consider the implications of the disengaged employee. Such an employee:

Absenteeism $120 Billion

Presenteeism $180 Billion

Obesity $120 Billion

Healthcare $7,284 per employee (2004)$8,769 per employee (2007)$9,660 per employee (2009)$10,146 per employee (2011)

SleepDeprivation

$1,967 per employee productivity loss

Stress $300 Billion

Towers Perrin 2009 and Mercer 2011 Healthcare Surveys, US Corporate Detail







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- Will not be as focused, nor thinking at higher-levels, nor as purposeful, resourceful orresilient;

- Will be less likely to embed new learning;- Is more likely to consciously or subconsciously seek out distracting sources of threats and

rewards from stimuli in the environment, limiting productive time, increasing mistakes; and- Will be less able to communicate effectively, regulate his or her emotions, and resolve

conflicts.

Measuring the impacts of not being engaged, such as in the form of a lack of concentration, can bechallenging for organizations, but has been critical enough that various studies have been conductedto do just that. In terms of total costs of distractions, a 2007 study by Basex estimated thatproductivity costs of distractions in the US totalled $588 Billion for that year.

Measuring time „in the zone‟, researchers at the Donald Bren School of Information and ComputerSciences at the University of California, Irvine showed that within a 30 minute window of work time, the average employee spends no more than 3 to 10 minutes on task before being distracted,requiring at least another 23 minutes for the employee to get back on task. That is, the averageemployee is productive only 10 to 30% of every hour. Researchers in this study also noted thatalmost half of all distractions were internalized distractions resulting from the „wandering mind‟,not from external stimuli such as other employees, phone calls or the Internet. This posits that theobstacle standing in the way of a productive versus a wasted day can be as simple as the brain itself.

And that obstacle can have serious consequences. The approach to engagement, for better or worse,influences organizational culture. Culture becomes the accepted norm, heavily influencing resultsof operations. Cultures of non-engaged employees and executives sap the positive and creativeenergies that an organization could otherwise have, with serious consequences for the long-termgoing-concern of the business. In contrast, research is showing that engaged employees providesignificant upsides across the board.

The table below shows a Gallup Survey of one million employees comparing engaged versusdisengaged employees across various categories, financial and operational. The difference issignificant, with a 50% increase in revenue generation above those who are disengaged, whileemployee turnover is an equal amount less. Additionally, companies that report higher levels of engagement experience fewer safety incidents and far fewer mistakes.

Employee Engagement

Revenue 47% MoreCustomer Advocacy 12% HigherProfitability 16% HigherProductivity 18% GreaterEmployee Turnover 49% LessSafety Incidents 49% fewerAbsenteeism 37% LowerQuality Defects 60% Fewer

Gallup Surveys: 1 Million Employees







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As noted above, engaging executives and employees is not simply a matter of financially

incentivizing employees to grow the bottom line of the business. Unfortunately, i t‟s also not assimple as offering team outings or firm-wide annual events, promotional materials, increased annualleave or corporate social responsibility programs. Rather, increasing employee engagementrequires establishing a well-designed framework that enables personal growth, betterment and thesustained generation of positive emotions.

The Business Value of Body-Brain Performance

In today‟s business world, skill and performance aretwo primary factors used to evaluate executives.

However, performance is often a short-term measure.Much like an iceberg, there is a longer-termfoundation beneath this tip, whose balance, shape andquality determine what is seen above the water.

Illustrating this concept is BBPcoaching‟s HealthPerformance Pyramid. At the foundation of performance sits a wellness triangle. Maintaining anappropriate level of wellness requires a stable base of healthy brain biology, which impacts the positivity of thoughts, which in turn, greatly impacts physicalhealth, which again supports healthy brain biology ina self-reinforcing cycle.

Executives with this strong base of holistic healthwill experience much greater levels of resilience andvitality. This vitality will enable higher levels of energy resulting in increased levels of motivation,focus, and productivity, improving skill andperformance.

In a 2011 study on senior executives within SAP Inc.‟s Singapore and Australian operations,researchers from Swinburne University‟s Brain Science Institute concluded that high intensityexercise increased productivity by up to AU$2,500.00 per employee. Outside of the direct financialimpact, the programs simultaneously raised energy levels, increased alertness, decreased levels of anger and stress, and improved decision making and reaction time.

In a nutshell, exercise improves mood, decreases anxiety and stress and improves memory as wellas brain volume. Executives who engage in a consistent and properly designed Body-Brain Healthand Wellness Program will not only be more resilient and productive, but will also show significantimprovements in their emotional state, energy and outlook.

In other words, having a healthy and engaged workforce is not just good for business, but maypossibly be the most crucial investment an organization can make to stay ahead of its competition.

Health Performance Pyramid (Daane and Weiner, 2011)







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Why Simply Implementing Wellness Programs Doesn’t Work

If wellness lies at the foundation of engagement and performance, then it would make sense for anorganization to simply implement a wellness program. However, market research is showing thatimplementing programs to increase workforce health and engagement have significant challenges.

For example, on average, only 30% of employees in the United States join organizationallysponsored wellness programs, while 50% of those are unsuccessful at maintaining attendance forlonger than 6 months . BBPcoaching‟s own market research is showing that in Asia these numberstend to be drastically lower, around 7%. Further research has also shown that the 7% to 15% of employees who do participate in sponsored wellness programs tend to be people who would beactively pursuing health and fitness with or without the support from the company. This means that

simply implementing a wellness program within an organization may become a costly affairwithout any return on the investment.

Because participation in wellnessprograms is a voluntary activity,organizations are at the mercy of employees‟ preparedness to commenceand maintain wellness activities.

The stages of change model on the rightshows that individuals within an

organization are at different levels of readiness to take part in any changemanagement program, with the largestgroups in a state of denial and resistanceversus the smallest groups who arecommitted to actively participating.

Therefore, implementing a wellnessprogram without addressing strategies tohelp groups move from denial to exploration and commitment may prove exhaustive, expensive andunproductive.

BBPcoaching‟s organizational programs are b ased on the understanding that to be successful on anorganizational level, strategies must be put in place to stimulate all types of employees across thespectrum from denial to commitment, with the goal to achieve greater levels of sustained self-determined participation and commitment.







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Solution OverviewBBPcoaching provides clients with a choice of various programs and services to develop greaterlevels of energy, focus and engagement within their teams of Executive-Athletes. These programsinclude two-day Body-Brain Leadership & Resilience Programs, Specialty Workshops fordepartments and teams and ongoing in-house programs and Train-the-Trainer educational programsto ensure sustained and effective program management and participation.

Underwriting these programs is the ADKAR model of change, utilized by leading psychologists andchange management professionals. We have adopted this model to work in conjunction with ourprograms to assist executive transition into the high performance, thriving beings they naturally are.







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Step 1: Prior to Commencement

Building Awareness:Before commencing on any journey, we must first assess the current reality of where we are in orderto determine where we need to go and what tools we will need to reach our destination. During thisphase, executives will have an opportunity to prepare mentally and emotionally for the journeyahead. To help executives achieve the desired mental attitude so they are better prepared for the -day workshop, we offer a number of assessments augmented with a coaching session with thefacilitator. The process consists of:

The Leadership Circle Profile ™ When it comes to developing leaders, training to competencies alone does not work verywell. For more rapid and lasting results, it is crucial that organizations help leaders gain

deeper insight into their behavior and what is driving it.

The Leadership Circle Profile is the only 360-degree competency assessment thatsimultaneously provides focused competency feedback while revealing the underlyingassumptions that are causing a leader's pattern of strengths and limitations. The LeadershipCircle Profile helps leaders understand the relationship between how they habitually think and how they behave--and how all this impacts their current level of leadershipeffectiveness.

While most 360-degree assessments tell you only what is or is not contributing to a leader'seffectiveness, the Leadership Circle Profile also tells you "why" this is so. It gives the leader

insight into what is happening beneath the surface that is causative. This powerful differenceputs The Leadership Circle Profile in a class of its own. The Leadership Circle Profile is theonly 360° profile that measures both competency and underlying assumptions and it does soin two primary leadership domains: Creative Competencies and Reactive Tendencies . Thisprovides the context and foundation for transformational change and effectivenessimprovements. Without it, change becomes temporary and/or ineffective

The Leadership Culture Survey ™ Similar to the Leadership Circle Profile, the Cultural Survey allows for the assessment of thepatterns and habits of broader groups and teams to be considered. Those patterns and habitsare also placed broadly in Creative versus Reactive categories, differentiated by more

specific competencies.

For more information on either The Leadership Circle Profile or The Leadership CulturalSurvey, please see:http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/

Functional Brain Assessment (Optional)The Functional Brain Assessment is an optional 30-minute, online cognition test thatassesses cognitive strengths and deficits of the executive. This provides the executive anadditional level of awareness of where their strengths and areas for improvement are.




http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/






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In most cases, people have trouble effectively assessing and communicating their ownmental signs and symptoms as it relates to their mental resilience, perceived stress andnegativity biases when perceiving events at work and in relationships. By combining the

Functional Brain Assessment with the Leadership Circle, the executive will be able todevelop a broader understanding of his or her own behaviour and decisions in varioussituations, professionally and personally.

One on One Consultation:Prior to commencement of the program, each participant will be coached via phone or in-person if possible with our coaches to both interpret the results of their Leadership CircleProfile as well as learning about much of their aspirations, and medical/physiological andmental health history. Targeted desired behavioural change at the individual and team levelswill be identified by the participants and provide the starting point for the initiative.

These efforts are designed to improve levels of awareness and desire for and understandingof change. As individual change can be a scary and difficult process, the client executiveand coach will work together to ensure that the context of and approach for these changes isclearly laid out, providing a sense of certainty and security for the client. By using thisopen architecture approach, we are also able to customize each program so it has the greatestamount of impact for each individual within the group, which in turn leads to greater impactfor the organization.

Step 2: -Day Body-Brain Peak Performance and Resilience Workshop

Building on the structure and desired changes identified in the assessments and coaching sessions,this program involves a stimulating blend of neuroscience (brain), physiology (body) andpsychology (behavior) that is designed to optimize user-led adoption of peak performanceprinciples. With the body in mind, executives learn how to harness deeper energies within theirPRIMAL brains and the link it has to their physical beings. During the program, participants willlearn and practice how to focus and sustain their energies, which will enable them to remain longerin the “Performance Zone”, improve creativity and overall performance.

This workshop is augmented with BBPcoa ching‟s Body-Brain health/fitness performanceassessments, which are designed to facilitate „Self -determination‟ within participants by increasinga greater understanding of their current health and fitness status and the capacity to make changes tothem. For instance, participants will learn about their biological age, a more effective measure of energy capacity than is chronological age. Participants will then receive guidelines on how toreduce their biological age, which directly translates into improved health and performance.

Day 1: Creating Desire.Drawing on our experience of utilizing cutting-edge research in the fields of Neuroscience,Psychology, Physiology and Performance Management, we adapt a lighter version of ourwork with members from the military as well as elite level athletes, to empower eachExecutive. By providing a clear understanding of the link between physical health, mentalwellbeing and performance, we enable the executive clients to associate these findings withtheir current work-life experiences to develop a greater emotional connection between thematerial presented and real life scenarios. The sessions during the first day typically consistof:







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Body-Brain Leaders:

Understanding the individual within the eco-system that is the organization

Affective vs. Effective Leadership Body-Brain Integration Physiology of Resilience

Know Your Brain: Your PRIMAL Brain The Prefrontal Cortex Focused Attention, Arousal, and Memory Impulse Control and Distraction

Manage Your Brain: Stress and the Brain The Effects of Acute and Chronic Stress Threat vs. Reward Perception Effective Stress Management Strategies

Biological Age vs. Chronological Age Fitness Assessment: Blood Pressure Body Composition Analysis Lung Function Assessment Multi-stage Cardio-Vascular Fitness Test Muscular Strength Tests Core Strength and Endurance Test Flexibility Tests Questionnaires

Day 2: Knowledge is PowerOn the second day, the emphasis shifts to using the developing awareness of the power of anintegrated body-brain and desire for change to develop effective strategies for internalchange. Typically, Day consists of the following topics:

Applying the P.R.I.M.A.L Performance Model: Developing insights into being more Purposeful Increase Creativity by being more Resourceful Industriousness and Managing Your Energy Output Developing a greater perception of control orientation through Mastery The power of Acceptance in times of Uncertainty Making effective decisions by increasing a greater sense of Liberty

Train Your Brain: The Brain Health Benefits of Exercise Exercise and Emotion

Exercise and Resilience M.E.T Workout for the Brain.







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Feed Your Brain: Obesity, The Brain Hypothesis Food and The Brain

Body-Brain Nutrition StrategiesDriving Effective Change:

Internal Change: Developing a Roadmap for Change. External Change: Empowering Change in Others

Step 3 (Optional): Empowering Ability

Post Workshop 8-Week Transformation ProgramResearch is showing that to ensure long-term, sustainable behavior change, supportingrituals and reinforcement techniques must be incorporated consistently for a minimum of 8

to 12 weeks. Without them, old habits re-emerge and newly developed neurologicalconnections will slowly wither away. To ensure that the individual‟s goals are achiev ed andchallenges are met, the neurological changes that have occurred during the workshopprocess, our programs are designed to support and engage our clients during those first 8 to12 weeks.

We understand that every organization is uniquely different with its own set of logisticalchallenges. For this reason, we offer a number of optional programs that organizations candraw upon at a marginal cost to enhance the effectiveness and support the desired changes.They include:

10,000 steps Program Executive Body-Brain Coaching Teleconference Sessions Customized Exercise Programming and Nutritional Guidance. Weekly Team e-mails to ensure program engagement. Re-testing mid program and at the end of the program.

Step 4 (Optional): Reinforcing Behaviour for Sustained Engagement

Additional Services: In order to sustain newly developed behaviors in the long-term, we have developed optionalreinforcement techniques. Some examples of existing continuing Body-Brain Programs are:

Periodic Re-testing of Body & Brain Health/Performance Checks to ensure long-term adherence to the program.

Ongoing Individual Body-Brain Performance Coaching Sessions. Body-Brain Resilience and TRIBAL Team Workshops for specialty teams, such as

Sales, Front-Line Teams, Teams in Transition, Teams in Crisis, etc. In-house Body-Brain Boot camp sessions with a qualified trainer selected by

BBPcoaching. Body-Brain Train the Trainer Programs to facilitate change throughout the entire

organization. Project based placement of Body-Brain Leadership Consultants.







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Conclusion

Through exhaustive research combined with years of field trials and executive and athleticperformance experience, BBPcoaching has developed a system that is highly adaptable to fit theneeds of any organization.

Through our framework, we provide measurable results by building awareness, facilitating thedesire for change, developing knowledge, ability and reinforcing those shifts with meaningful andeffective programs for each individual executive.

Our mission is to Inspire Health and Improve Lives for the benefit of individuals and theorganizations they constitute. We seek to support authentic, responsible and high-performingorganizations, raising the levels of their executives and their bottom lines. In short, we build Better

Bodies…Better Brains…Better Performance .

ContactBody-Brain Performance Coaching

Tel: 65 9684 6869e-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.BBPcoaching.com







http://www.bbpcoaching.com/






health engagement and performance

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