Relaxed alertness

How relaxed are you as a leader? Are you aware of it all, of what part of yourself you are bringing into the moment in terms of tension and relaxation, and what their impact is on your leadership?

An action arising from tension will always create even more tension. When, as a leader, you react from a cramped point or from a survival mechanism, you thereby impede the potential of your team or organisation.

A leader who responds from the best state of mind is curious, self-aware, optimistic, realistic. We call that state ‘relaxed alertness’. It is an alertness based on calmness, being grounded and confidence, which holds the energy to decide and to act in the moment.

That requires the quality to be able to really take the rest, the relaxation. To be able to recharge, to not have to. And then, when the moment demands it, to be able to turn relaxation into action.

To apply this skill, as a leader you must first be willing to look at yourself and feel where you stand.

Ask yourself:

Am I adding tension or relaxation right now? Do I feel pressure, am I filled with adrenaline?

From that conscious question, you can transform into the relaxation in which you can flourish as a leader. By focusing on your breathing and trusting that you know you can handle whatever comes your way. By saying yes to what is coming, by trusting your ‘response-ability’. Without having to exclude anything from yourself.

Relaxed alertness does not only have to be in you as a leader, you can also make room for it in your team.

Imagine spending a day working with your team. After lunch, everyone comes back with a post-lunch energy dip: dormant and hard to perk up. What do we do in this case? Keep calm and carry on, and we will get over our fatigue in no time! Try something different. Take half an hour each for yourself to give space to your energy dip. Afterwards, everyone will be fully available for the programme again from a place of relaxation.