SNEAK PEEK
On TIGNUM’s Bold Kitchen, our world-class Performance Specialists share their latest insights on human performance and discuss real-life experiences and best practices with industry leaders.
Here is a limited selection for you to explore:
Redefining What it Means to be Human
Discover Deb Bubb's journey from HR leader to founder of The Institute for Moral Imagination, where she uses creativity and neuroscience to enhance professional and personal growth.
Project: The Institute for Moral Imagination
B-LD KITCHEN Founding Member: Deb Bubb
Deb is a trailblazer in the human resources realm, celebrated for infusing genuine humanity back into the corporate world. Respected for her deep experience in leadership development and talent management within the tech industry, she's held influential positions at UnitedHealth Group, Optum, IBM, and Intel—steering the course of leadership, diversity, talent management, and organizational vitality.
Deb's approach is unique. Throughout her career, she's turned to the fascinating insights of neuroscience and evolutionary biology to deepen our understanding of what it truly means to be human – and how that humanity plays a critical role in our professional performance. She's dedicated to the premise that art and creative self-expression are fundamental to our human experience, shaping our understanding of the world and ourselves.
This insight led her to a profound question: How might we leverage our innate creativity to envision and build the future we aspire to?
So, Deb founded The Institute for Moral Imagination. Centered on the idea that every life is a creative act, the Institute is dedicated to nurturing the artist within us and deepening our moral clarity, imagination, and courage to create a world where we can all flourish. The Institute is a generative resource to build a world where our workplaces, communities, and day-to-day lives are a canvas for creative and moral thought—a future shaped by a collective humanity.
“We’re being saturated today with messages and experiences that come out of an echo chamber and keep us in a narrower and narrower slice of our brain. Art and creativity invite us to experience and use all of our brains, many different ways that our brains are designed, to sense and experience the world.”
CEO of the kyu collective, Michael Birkin, co-founder of SYPartners, Keith Yamashita, and Deb are undertaking a powerful initiative cut from the same cloth.
The movement is called “20 Summers” and asks: If you had 20 good summers left, how would you live your life? The effort has two major offerings:
1) A group-based, in-person set of experiences where we work with people in “cohorts” to plan for and flourish throughout their next twenty years and
2) An online and digital platform designed to serve millions with tools, experiences, and learning solutions to facilitate their growth and development into elderhood
Through 20 Summers, the team hopes to:
- Help people explore, reckon, and contend with the life they have built so far—taking the best elements of their life and building a new collage
- Forge new mindsets and beliefs that will sustain people through their elderhood—this often means reshaping one’s identity, self-image, self- esteem, and relationships within groups
- Help people define their purpose, direction, and approach
- Unleash people to experiment, practice, and build new rituals to create this preferred future and life
Deb is embracing a new chapter, moving beyond the corporate sphere to wholeheartedly devote herself to The Institute for Moral Imagination and 20 Summers. Her journey and this significant transition were the focal points of her B-LD KITCHEN Roundtable session, which marked the first time she spoke openly about her shift in focus.
The exchange she had with other members wasn’t just informative—it was a galvanizing experience that reinforced her conviction in the Institute’s mission. This kind of exchange is precisely what the B-LD KITCHEN aims to foster: an environment where dialogue ignites innovation and emboldens the kind of thinking that leads to breakthroughs.
“We can only answer questions we have the courage to ask.”
ABOUT TIGNUM’S B-LD KITCHEN
Ever wondered how top performers reach success? It’s not luck; it’s their boldness and constant readiness to face challenges in a complex, uncertain, and volatile world.
We get it—nowadays it’s tough to stay on top of things without the right energy or tools. That’s why our TIGNUM experts have created the B-LD KITCHEN. Packed with constant inspiration, ongoing conversations, and expert-designed human performance tools and strategies, we aim to significantly impact your work and life, no matter the challenges.
ABOUT TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Fundamental Force: How Core Principles Propelled a Record-Breaking Global Cycle
Laura Penhaul (Chief Innovation Officer, TIGNUM) was Mark Beaumont's performance manager when he set out to pedal the globe in less than 80 days. It wasn't just a triumph of endurance; it was a masterclass in prioritizing fundamental gains over marginal ones.
Project: Cycle Around the World in Under 80 Days
B-LD KITCHEN Founding Member: Laura Penhaul
Laura was the performance manager for Mark Beaumont when he set out to pedal the globe in less than 80 days. It wasn't just a triumph of endurance; it was a masterclass in prioritizing fundamental gains over marginal ones.
Observers and spectators of any sporting or endurance endeavor are often captivated by the minutiae — the sleek aerodynamics of a helmet, the skin-tight efficiency of a racing suit, or the power-to-weight ratios that speak to an athlete's sheer force. Yet, for Laura and Mark, success hinged on the sport's core tenets, tailored to his unique capabilities and the calculated risks involved.
To circumnavigate the globe, the core principles were clear-cut:
Maintain 15mph for 16 hours each day, no matter what.
It had to be done in 80 days, with a mere 3 days reserved for flights and an allowance of 4-6 hours of sleep nightly.
Endure temperature fluctuations from a balmy 28°C to a chilling 2°C, all while keeping a steady output of 190 watts per hour.
He would need to climb 149,871 meters (equivalent to climbing Everest 17 times).
In order to achieve this, Laura created a strategy based on four fundamentals:
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Choosing sustainable comfort over ephemeral speed was crucial. It meant favoring a higher posture over an aggressive, low aero position that could cut each day short through pain and power loss.
It's about the right gear for the conditions, ensuring that saddle sores or wrist strains don't derail the journey. This is more than just avoiding the immediate aches. It's the safeguard against tendon wear and the cognitive decline that comes from fatigue.
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Every element demanded uniformity, from training to power output to routine adherence. Wasting five minutes post-break could culminate in losing a whole day over the long haul — unacceptable when chasing a sub-80-day record.
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Skincare, oral care, clean apparel, meticulous food preparation — they weren't just routines; they were non-negotiables.
With illness posing a significant threat to the mission, hygiene standards were paramount for the entire team.
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The right nutrition at the right time wasn't just about energy; it was about maintaining the necessary power to keep the wheels turning.
It encompassed everything from macro and micro-nutrient distribution to gut health and the psychological well-being that comes from satisfying meals.
Mark and Laura's story isn't just one of physical prowess; it's a testament to a holistic approach where big-picture thinking trumps the allure of marginal gains. It's about the wisdom of working with what you have and recognizing that the strength to push through doesn't start with a single pedal stroke — it begins with a mindset geared toward the foundational elements that drive success in the face of global ambition.
What are the fundamentals for your own projects? Are you focusing on your fundamentals or the marginal gains of so-called performance culture behaviors?
It is an interesting topic we have been exploring through our B-LD KITCHEN conversations.
ABOUT TIGNUM’S B-LD KITCHEN
Ever wondered how top performers reach success? It’s not luck; it’s their boldness and constant readiness to face challenges in a complex, uncertain, and volatile world.
We get it—nowadays it’s tough to stay on top of things without the right energy or tools. That’s why our TIGNUM experts have created the B-LD KITCHEN. Packed with constant inspiration, ongoing conversations, and expert-designed human performance tools and strategies, we aim to significantly impact your work and life, no matter the challenges.
ABOUT TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
A Game-Changing Vacation
Having quality time off is vital to sustaining your performance. With summer break coming up for many, we share our strategies for approaching vacations purposefully. Learn how to get exactly what you need from your summer break and maximize your recovery.
By Brian Wade
Chief Performance Officer, TIGNUM
It's that time of year again when most of you are about to take your summer vacation. Sadly, our experience tells us that over 60% of you will get sick, over 85% of you will work on your vacation (not necessarily a bad thing if done correctly), and about 70% of you will return from vacation as tired or more tired than when you left.
Most of you will plan the days of your vacation (when), the location of your trip (where), and maybe even the things you plan to do on your vacation (what). The question is, do you know the "why" of your vacation? I know it sounds simple, but we have found that almost 3 out of every 4 of our executives fail to plan this part of their time off.
Connection the “Why” of Your Vacation
Executives often ask us, "How long does a vacation need to be in order to recharge?" Well, that depends on what you do and whether or not you connect this "what" of your vacation with a clear "why." When a person makes recharging their number one priority and plans all of the events of their vacation accordingly, they may be able to physically recharge in as little as 3 to 5 days.
Unfortunately, what often happens is people don't connect the "what" to the "why" and end up taking a week-long vacation with 15 or more planned, high-intensity activities. If they have kids, they go to amusement parks, zoos, and museums while sprinting from line to line, eating nothing but amusement park fast food. They fill their nights with even more activities and come Sunday, they are exhausted. When we ask them what their "why" was for their time away, they pause and usually say something like, "I just wanted to relax, recover, and reconnect with my kids and spouse and also have some fun." This intention could have easily been achieved with 2 days of those high-intensity activities along with some quiet family time playing games, going for walks, doing some family exercise, and hanging out together.
Transitioning Into and Out of Vacation Mode
Once you are clear with the "why" of your vacation, the next critical step is to have a transition into and out of your vacation. Without this transition, you will bring your work self on vacation (unable to turn off, completely connected to work, somewhat detached from the family, etc.), and you will bring your vacation self (kicking back and not fully engaged, going with the flow without a plan, etc.) back to work after your vacation. This self-image trap can be avoided by creating a transition where you first ask yourself, “Who do I need to be to maximize my effectiveness?” both going into vacation and coming off vacation. You should also spend a little time visualizing yourself as that person so your brain can actually believe that you can make it happen.
Working on Vacation
One common question that comes up in our coaching is whether to work or not work during vacation. The truth is that it really depends. If you would feel better by just checking in and cutting off any potential critical items, you may want to adapt the 60-minute work sprint in the morning during vacation (followed, of course, by 23 hours of being fully off). If, on the other hand, you can’t turn your mind off once it gets turned on during vacation, it may be better to fully delegate your responsibilities, perform a thorough handoff at least one day before leaving on vacation, and then stay shut down throughout your vacation. Both situations can work, but they must be designed to fit you. If you leave it to chance, you are leaving the door open for work creep and potentially creating a huge source of conflict with your family.
Tools to Plan
It's critical to plan the "why" part of your vacation because, once you do, it becomes a lot easier to align the "what" of your trip to the vacation you're really looking for. Here are a few questions to help you get what you want/need as you plan this year's summer vacation:
_Why am I taking this vacation (e.g., recharge my batteries, reconnect with friends/family, change the scenery, have fun, go somewhere I've never been, cross something off my bucket list, get back in shape, work on my golf game, finish my manuscript)?
_When I return from my vacation, how do I want to feel (e.g., relaxed, energized, pain-free, focused, passionate, creative, in love, reconnected to my family)?
_What would it look like if I felt that way? How would I stand, walk, interact with others, etc.?
_What do I need to do on this vacation to make this vision of success a reality?
Sustainable Human Performance doesn't happen by luck or chance; it happens by design. The same is true for having a successful, impactful vacation. Connecting the what, when, where, and why of your trip is necessary to design your best-ever summer holiday.
About the Author
Brian Wade // Chief Performance Officer
Brian is the Head of Research and Development and a Senior Performance Specialist for TIGNUM. He is responsible for keeping TIGNUM content and methodology cutting-edge and science-based. He is an experienced Sustainable Human Performance coach to many top senior executives, professional athletes, and special operations troops. Brian’s professional past includes supporting the US Army Special Forces cognitive performance program.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
The Leader's Loneliness
Leadership has many benefits, but it also has many challenges and many unfortunate truths. One of those unfortunate truths is that leadership can often be lonely. The fact is that the higher up you move on the leadership ladder, the lonelier it can be. In this TIGNUM Thought, Scott Peltin discussed how to deal with feelings of loneliness as a leader.
By Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
Leadership has many benefits, but it also has many challenges and many unfortunate truths. One of those unfortunate truths is that leadership can often be lonely. The fact is that the higher up you move on the leadership ladder, the lonelier it can be.
Being a leader involves having a high emotional load
In working with many CEOs and other members of executive leadership teams, we often help them deal with the complexity of emotions that come with being a leader. There are many hard decisions that, even on the best day, will be unpopular. This fear of being unpopular can contribute to a feeling of loneliness. There is also the issue of confidentiality. Due to the multitude of complications that any decision can have, leaders often have to hold their thoughts and decisions close to their chest until the final moment. This can contribute to a leader feeling deceitful, detached, and again, lonely.
Additionally, leaders must play a multitude of roles in a day. From being the ultimate decision-maker to being the motivator to just being an equal partner or, as many of us know, to just being an unprepared parent. As William Shakespeare described in Richard II’s dilemma: “Thus I play in one person many people, and none contented.” This lack of clarity can lead to feelings of loneliness.
Finally, there is the loneliness of insecurity. Having worked with many leaders and teams that have gone through significant reorganizations, we have seen how tough they are. For those who leave the company, there is the loneliness of leaving friends, leaving the company you have helped shape and build, and of course, leaving your source of income. For those who stay with the company, there is the loneliness of losing friends, losing familiar infrastructure and stability, losing the sense of security that existed before the big change, and having to develop all-new teams and support systems. For both those who stay and those who leave, the feelings of loneliness are completely normal.
Dealing with the loneliness that comes with being a leader
From a TIGNUM perspective, what can you do to help comfort these feelings?
First, acknowledge to yourself that these feelings exist because you are human. This means also accepting that these feelings come with the job and since you chose to be a leader, you must accept all that comes with that.
Second, embrace your lonely times as a great source of self-reflection, self-growth, and remotivating yourself for the future.
Third, take time to grieve the endings that come with being a leader (both through sadness and celebration). Being able to let go of the past is a critical step to being open to “try the untried” in the future.
Fourth, always remember that you are not your job, and therefore, maintaining a life away from your work is critical to staying grounded in who you really are.
Finally, make your own Sustainable Human Performance a priority. During times of loneliness, it is easy to sacrifice the habits you know are critical to building your energy, resilience, mental agility, and executional stamina. Without these things, you not only won’t be a great leader, but you also won’t be a great you.
About the Author
Scott Peltin // Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst
As the Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst of TIGNUM, Scott has coached many top CEOs, executives, professional athletes, and others to Rule Their Impact. Scott’s unique blend of his 25 years in the Fire Service, education, and coaching experience helps him combine the art and science of Sustainable High Performance to help TIGNUM clients be better, for longer, when it counts the most.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
The Invisible Fatigue
Fatigue is a funny thing. Sometimes you know exactly where it comes from, like when you've been sick, sleep-deprived, or moved furniture all day, but other times it seems to come out of nowhere.
By Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
Fatigue is a funny thing. Sometimes you know exactly where it comes from, like when you've been sick, sleep-deprived, or moved furniture all day, but other times it seems to come out of nowhere. The human body is complex, and many of the forces working on the human body are invisible. Things like changes in the seasons (weather and light cycles), your immune system fighting a bug, quarantine, or even the impact of the suffering and tragedy that is covered in the news.
At the same time, as many of you have probably experienced before, there is also fatigue lag. One night you get 8 hours of perfect sleep, yet you feel tired the next day. Another night you get 4 hours of sleep, and you feel great the next day. How could this be? One reason is that the way you feel today is actually the product of your last 3 to 7 days. Muscle tightness and soreness may be due to physical activity you did 3 days ago. That lack of energy you feel today is often due to your cumulative sleep over the past 5 to 7 days.
What causes emotional fatigue
Even more mysterious is the impact that emotional fatigue has on your energy levels and your ability to self-regulate your response to your emotions. Like all fatigue, the cause, symptoms, and remedies of emotional fatigue can be very individual. This is why it is so critical that you constantly increase your awareness and proactively build your toolbox with recovery strategies. One key thing to remember when it comes to emotional fatigue is that it isn’t the event or trigger that causes the body’s response to fatigue. It's actually your perception, your current capacity and condition, your emotional history, and even your self-image that dictate the emotional cost of that event.
Common causes of emotional fatigue can include: fear, change, hard work on a project without progress or impact, negative people, drama, the achievement of something you have worked long and hard on, a lack of team support, emotional roller-coaster experiences, losing someone close to you, situations out of your control, caregiver responsibilities (elderly parent, sick kids, friends, etc.), and many other situations. Interestingly enough, almost every person is dealing with at least one of these situations at any given moment. The problem is, in today’s highly competitive and complex world, you may be so focused on winning or driving results that you don’t even see these things around you.
The cost of being emotionally exhausted
While there are a variety of symptoms of emotional fatigue, the most common ones we see are apathy, emotional outbursts (inability to control reaction to emotions), insomnia, negative ruminating thoughts, unexplained anxiety, emotional flatness, and an excessive desire to sleep. The problem is that by the time you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or an array of other symptoms you may experience, you are already late to the game. Your emotional fatigue has not only been draining your energy, but it's also been destroying your performance.
Many people today report that they are experiencing burnout. Incorrectly, they often attribute their burnout purely to a work overload. Our experience at TIGNUM has shown us that burnout is often just the accumulation of the effects of emotional fatigue and work overload is just the final straw that breaks the camel's back.
How strategic emotional recovery keeps you strong
There are many strategies (too many to cover in one blog post) to help repay your emotional debt and be better in your future performances, but here are a few that we have found to be particularly powerful:
.01 Reconnect with your purpose. Why are you doing what you do? How do you and others benefit from you doing what you do? How do you add meaning to other people’s lives? Who are you a role model to?
.02 Serve others. Nothing rebuilds your emotional bank account more than giving to others. This not only helps you gain perspective, but it also fills you with positive emotions like kindness, gratitude, helpfulness, and love.
.03 Reflect on your successes. When you are emotionally fatigued, it is too easy to see the pain and miss the progress. When you reflect on the behaviors, actions, and choices you are making that create your success, you stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (recovery system), you rewire your brain to the key behaviors you want to do more of, and you energize yourself to keep going.
.04 Plan for fun. In today’s busy world, we forget that most of what we do is not life or death. We also forget that, without fun, life can quickly feel like a grind. Pull out your calendar and start planning at least one thing to do each week just for pure fun. When you get this down, try planning something daily.
.05 Listen to music. Have you ever noticed, when you watch a movie, how the music can completely alter your emotional state? The producer can bring you up, take you down, make you laugh, or make you cry almost exclusively by selecting the right music. Many of our clients have found that creating several playlists of the music that creates the emotional state they seek can be a very powerful emotional recovery tool.
Emotional fatigue can often be overlooked and invisible. If you wait until you are suffering, it's too late because your performance is already compromised and you are already losing impact. Sustainable High Performers front-load their performance by building recovery strategies into every day, every week, and every month.
About the Author
Scott Peltin // Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst
As the Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst of TIGNUM, Scott has coached many top CEOs, executives, professional athletes, and others to Rule Their Impact. Scott’s unique blend of his 25 years in the Fire Service, education, and coaching experience helps him combine the art and science of Sustainable High Performance to help TIGNUM clients be better, for longer, when it counts the most.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Getting Stronger in the Storm
When facing life's storms, it feels like we are pushing against the wind. Things are unpredictable, uncertain, and hard. We may even make assumptions that these storms will surely lead to burnout. But is this true?
By Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
We all encounter storms in our life (work and home) when things are difficult, we feel like we are pushing against the wind, and things are unpredictable, uncertain, and hard. During these storms, we push hard, and, too often, we see these storms as burdens that make us weaker. We may even make assumptions that these storms, and the hard pushes that come with them, will surely lead to burnout. But is this true? Do the hard pushes in a storm have to make us weaker? Is there a way to actually get stronger in the storm?
At TIGNUM, we study human performance - not just in the smooth and easily manageable times (which are occurring at a much lower frequency), but in the heat of the moment, in the pain of the grind, and in the crunch time when failure is not an option. We partner with and support our clients to change the paradigm from where these storms leave you 10% worse to where these storms can leave you 10% stronger. Most importantly, you go from being 75% of your best when it matters most in the storm - to being 100% when the greatest challenges require your best.
While our latest book, BeMore, goes into more detail, we thought that during the current storms, we would share a few buckets of best practices we have used to help clients get stronger in their storms. If you’re thinking, “I can’t do any more,” keep in mind, that you are not alone, and we understand. The fact is that in the storm, you are already doing more. When we say BeMore, we mean follow the best practices to help you show up more focused, more present, more prepared, more energized, and more resilient. These are key to making more of an impact.
Lead your self-talk to generate supportive thoughts
The first bucket, and probably the most critical, is your mindset. It all starts with a focus on your mindset, driven by your self-talk and inner stories. As soon as you allow your mind to start telling you thoughts like: “Here we go again, I am so tired of this,” or “If I’m this tired now, how will I make it for another three months of this,” or “I don’t think any of this matters, so why should I care,” you are getting weaker and becoming defeated. Don’t get us wrong, these thoughts are normal, and we only shared the tame ones.
The point is that during these pushes, you have to direct your brain with purposeful, productive, guided thoughts - and not listen to the drama and victim-filled thoughts your brain will create. Some pre-framed thoughts our clients have used to replace these thoughts are: “Break it down - I don’t have to make it three months, I just need to tackle this morning,” or “This is a tough push, but I’m tougher, so as long as I approach this from a Sustainable Human Performance way, I will win,” or “I’ll be my best for this next meeting and then worry about what comes next.” The common element of these reframes is that they take control and, therefore, put the brain back in control.
Decrease the charge of your emotions
Another key mindset strategy is to embrace the suck. Not from a cheeky angle, but from a scientifically-proven approach that starts with labeling the emotions you are feeling. This emotion labeling step helps your brain identify exactly what you are feeling, which is critical to developing emotional agility.
Next, apply specific breathing techniques in the critical moment to stop the cascade of cortisol and adrenaline (stress response hormones). Don’t do this to find your happy place; do this to quickly pitstop and identify the choices that the storm has presented to you. This will put your brain back in control by consistently making the best choice possible. This helps stop the sensation of feeling overwhelmed and helps you lean into the next challenge of the day.
Never compromise your (micro-) recovery breaks
The second bucket is your own energy and resilience. You need to invest in these, no matter how hard the push. Start your day strong with the right movement, priming the brain with the right thoughts and images, feeding the brain with the right performance foods and nutrients, and identifying where your opportunities are to multiply your impact today. Most importantly, become diligent about your sleep. There is no doubt that sleep during the storm can be challenging as the brain creates so many ruminating thoughts (this would take a separate blog to cover), but being sure to increase the amount of your sleep by 10% always pays huge dividends.
Apply micro-recovery breaks throughout every day and create longer breaks wherever you can. Micro-recovery breaks work best when they are part of the transition between events so they can double the benefits. These transitions with recovery built in will prepare you for what is coming and, at the same time, refill your performance energy tanks so you can bring your best. We have written so much about great examples of this before, so we will leave this to you. But the kiss of death is the thought, “I’m too busy to do my micro-recovery breaks.” The longer breaks like an afternoon off, or a 3-day weekend, are also critical but often missed. These slightly longer breaks provide you a quick reset, and they also give you a chance to check in and see what is working for you, what isn’t working for you, and how you will attack the next chunk of work in a smarter way.
Breakdown the load into manageable chunks
The third bucket is breaking down the heavy loads during the storm. This is called chunking, and it works even if you only do it in your mind. The brain does well with small challenges but struggles when it can’t see the end and doesn’t have a benchmark to see if it is making progress.
Breaking the day into four chunks like your morning prep, your morning work, your afternoon work, and your evening can make the busiest day manageable. Sometimes, breaking it down into even smaller chunks like these two meetings, then this work time, then these three meetings, etc., can be helpful. Other times, breaking down the work into chunks like research time, compilation time, writing time, refinement time, etc., can help your brain realize that each type of work is unique and, therefore, the Sustainable Human Performance strategies you implement should adjust so you can bring your best work to each phase.
Intentionally strengthen your self-belief
Finally (just for this blog because there is much more that can be done), and this is created by all three buckets - constantly check in with, and feed, your self-belief. Fatigue and grinding have a way of chipping away at self-belief, and when self-belief falters, the boat is getting ready to sink in the middle of the storm. We have written about this previously, but one great technique we use is a daily reflection we call the 3-2-1 reflection. Write down 3 things you did well today that mattered, 2 things you wish you could have done better and what that would have looked like, and 1 thing you learned. This reflection helps you see the impact you have made, the benefits of your choices, and the learning and growth you have achieved.
Human beings are incredible, and, therefore, you are incredible. It is amazing the amount of pain, suffering, setbacks, and grind we can endure when we feel in control, when we feel the benefits, when we feel the growth, and when we overcome challenges. These feelings don’t come by chance; they come by choice and by approaching the push like a Sustainable Human Performer.
About the Author
Scott Peltin // Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst
As the Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst of TIGNUM, Scott has coached many top CEOs, executives, professional athletes, and others to Rule Their Impact. Scott’s unique blend of his 25 years in the Fire Service, education, and coaching experience helps him combine the art and science of Sustainable High Performance to help TIGNUM clients be better, for longer, when it counts the most.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Growing on the go
Too often we think the limiting factor to our personal growth is time. In reality, the more experiences we encounter, the more opportunities we have to learn.
By Chris Males
Managing Director, Americas and APAC
Time is a precious commodity – and I think we all feel at one point or another that we don’t have enough time. This is especially true in our busy business world, where we’re pulled in many directions every day. We’re asked to put out fires that have sparked overnight, then pulled in many unexpected directions while managing our normal workload, and then we’re working hard to innovate and create the new ideas of tomorrow. This can cause us to feel guilty for not having enough time for our own personal growth. At best, we may try to squeeze in a podcast or read the latest journal article, but often this only adds to an already overwhelmed brain. So, how do we find the time to reflect and grow?
Reflection turns our days into lessons
Recently, a client shared with me a unique way to effortlessly squeeze in some reflection time so he could ‘grow on the go’. Instead of always feeling the compulsion for taking in more information, could he experience growth by simply reflecting on the valuable, yet often overlooked, lessons within his chaotic days? He shared with me a practice that he called ‘Red Light Reflection’. He said, “I use red lights as a trigger to switch my brain into reflection mode. This is where I quickly reflect on the successes and challenges of my day’s events, my newest learnings, and the feelings I am experiencing. During my 50-minute commute, I can get many of these short but helpful reflection moments.”
Is a red light magical? No. But it is a trigger and a consistent, 3-minute break that we get during a commute. Where else can we find such a reminder to simply reflect? Perhaps during our morning coffee, or taking our dog for a walk. Maybe it’s waiting in line for a meal, or sitting while waiting for an appointment. So often we get dragged back to our iPhone, that computer in our pocket that keeps us handcuffed to work, and we overlook these short, yet powerful, moments where we can reflect and grow.
It only takes a moment to grow
Too often we think the limiting factor to our personal growth is time. In reality, the more experiences we encounter, the more opportunities we have to learn. This, of course, requires that we capture that special moment before life’s clutter invades our reflection space.
In a world of volatility, it’s often in these quiet moments of reflection that we most consistently give ourselves the necessary time and space to develop our mindset skills, challenge our biases, refine our character, and reframe the dramas of the day. It’s in these moments that we effectively ‘grow on the go’.
About the Author
Chris Males // Managing Director, Americas and APAC
As TIGNUM's Managing Director of the Americas and APAC, Chris is an experienced Sustainable Human Performance coach to many CEO’s, C-suite executives, and professional athletes. In 2020, Chris was inducted into the MG100 Coaches program, an organization of some of the best executive coaches, leaders, and business thinkers from around the world.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
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The Evolution of TIGNUM: Wellness is Not Sustainable Human Performance
In this special episode, TIGNUM’s Co-Founders answer some great questions from our listeners and clients about the future of work and Sustainable Human Performance and how to be personally ready for the challenges ahead.
Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
Jogi Rippel
Co-Founder and CEO, TIGNUM
"This decade, the 2020s will probably be the most challenging on humans, leaders, and executives we've ever seen. If we're not constantly sharpening our tools, there's no way we can help our clients."
In this special episode, TIGNUM’s Co-Founders answer some great questions from our listeners and clients about the future of work and Sustainable Human Performance and how to be personally ready for the challenges ahead.
They share the beginning of their serendipitous entrepreneurial journey where they connected over the premature loss of their fathers and their shared passion for changing the paradigm around Sustainable Human Performance... All while sitting in a cold plunge (ultimate recovery) after a workout.
They share how their “never-satisfied” approach ensures that our clients can rule their impact both professionally and personally so they can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
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Unleashing People to Do Their Life's Best Work
Dedicated people with high expectations can amplify their impact both at work and at home. It works both directions. Deb Bubb (Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Optum) shares how becoming a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend made her a better leader at work.
Deb Bubb
Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Optum
"Everybody is somebody's somebody."
Deb Bubb's long track record of thought leadership in human resources, leadership, and talent development is well documented. On her journey from Intel, to IBM, to United Healthcare, to her current role as CHRO at Optum, she's made an incredible impact.
In this conversation with Scott Peltin, she shares:
Why dedicated people with high expectations can amplify their impact with Sustainable High Performance strategies.
How becoming a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend made her a better leader at work.
The key question many women are asking themselves as we exit the pandemic.
The new strategies she deployed to stop feeling like she is "burning the candle at both ends."
How she infuses Sustainable Human Performance into her family.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Building Your Self-Belief
Confidence and belief are two of the most elusive performance skills for both teams and individuals. All human beings experience self-doubt, but not all of us leverage self-doubt to grow. This episode offers a set of tools and strategies you can use to build self-belief in your team and yourself, starting today.
Brian Wade
Head of Performance, TIGNUM
"One of the single best things you can do is talk to yourself a little bit better."
Confidence and belief are two of the most elusive performance skills for both teams and individuals. All human beings experience self-doubt, but not all of us leverage self-doubt to grow.
In this episode, TIGNUM Head of R&D and Senior Performance Specialist Brian Wade shares insights he's acquired across his impressive career in various high performance environments to help people build self-belief. What's more, he offers a set of tools and strategies you can use to build self-belief in your team and yourself, starting today.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Mastering the Reset to Lead Forward with Tracy Smith
Tracy Smith (College Baseball Coach, Entrepreneur) talks about the benefits of doing personal and professional resets. As a coach he uses resets to support his players and build belief. Business professionals can do the same.
Tracy Smith
College Baseball Coach, Entrepreneur
"Get back to simple."
Tracy Smith has spent the last 30 years leading Division 1 College Baseball programs in the United States. He's now in the midst of a venture designed to upgrade the standard for coaching in youth baseball and give more minorities access to baseball programs. In this conversation with Scott Peltin, Tracy discusses:
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
On Oscillation
Our TIGNUM performance experts discuss the importance of integrating purposeful recovery breaks into our days and years. They share ideas on powerful micro-breaks and how even 30 seconds can change the game.
Leaders and executives do well to recognize the value of recovery- oscillation is a strategic must for high performance at work.
Chris Males, Brian Wade, Jake Marx, and Scott Peltin
TIGNUM Performance Specialists
In this roundtable our TIGNUM performance experts discuss the importance of integrating purposeful recovery breaks into our days and years. They share ideas on powerful micro-breaks and how even 30 seconds can change the game. Leaders and executives do well to recognize the value of recovery. Oscillation is a strategic must for high performance at work.
Nobody takes a pit-stop at the end of a race, it happens in the race to be ready for whats coming next.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Symptoms or Causes- Get to the Root of Human Performance in Business
How can companies expect better outcomes if they never address the root causes of low performance? In this conversation, TIGNUM founders Scott Peltin and Jogi Rippel dissect common misconceptions about human performance in the corporate world. Sharing stories, data, and their expertise, they leave no doubt about what it takes to create actual performance gains: make people stronger.
Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
Jogi Rippel
Co-Founder and CEO, TIGNUM
How can companies expect better outcomes if they never address the root causes of low performance? In this conversation, TIGNUM founders Scott Peltin and Jogi Rippel dissect common misconceptions about human performance in the corporate world. Sharing stories, data, and their expertise, they leave no doubt about what it takes to create actual performance gains: make people stronger.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Embracing Uncertainty Like a Leader
As human beings, there is nothing that drains us more than uncertainty. At the same time, we're surrounded by it. Leaders like Roslynn Willams (Chief People Officer, Dun & Bradstreet) sometimes appear super-human in their ability to handle uncertainty, but the truth is, this appearance is the product of a deliberate system.
Roslynn Williams
Chief People Officer, Dun & Bradstreet
In this episode, Scott Peltin speaks with Roslynn Williams, Chief People Officer of Dun & Bradstreet. She discusses how she uses habit, routine, and mindset to build a sense of control around uncertainty, helping her kids reframe uncertainty, and her personal system for reducing fear and uncertainty in her team.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Do You Have the Skills to Own Your Mindset?
Ownership is one of the many skills that can make up a performance mindset. Like all performance mindset skills, ownership isn’t some genetic trait you are born with or not. Instead, it's something that can and must be developed and grown over time.
By Brian Wade
Chief Performance Officer, TIGNUM
So much has been written about the concept of ownership, and it's something that often comes up in coaching and supporting our clients. Interestingly enough, you can get many different thoughts and definitions on what ownership means. But, there is one common theme that arises. People, especially leaders, want to know how to promote ownership within their teams.
At TIGNUM, we see ownership as one of the many skills that can make up a performance mindset. It’s an important component, just like vulnerability, curiosity, mental agility, and even humor. Like all performance mindset skills, ownership isn’t some genetic trait you are born with or not. Instead, it's something that can and must be developed and grown over time.
Ownership isn’t just taking charge of a project. It’s more than just taking responsibility or accountability for consequences and outcomes. Ownership goes beyond things like seniority or titles. In our view, ownership comes down to the choices you make in giving yourself the best chance to be your best self. Here are three areas where we see a new perspective on ownership being impactful.
Ownership is a mindset skill that plays out in all the choices you make
.01 Think about the last time you prepared for a big presentation, meeting, or one-on-one. How did you prepare? You probably reviewed your notes, slides, data, etc., which are all great methods from a technical perspective. But how did you prepare yourself? Did you think about how you wanted to be perceived through your body language, verbal tone, or emotions? Did you purposefully energize or calm yourself so that you had the right amount of energy? Did you plan your food, caffeine, or proper hydration to ensure your brain and body had the best possible nutrients to help your brain perform? This type of preparation is taking true ownership. It’s ownership over one’s self to ensure that we have prepared ourselves, not just our work.
.02 Another interesting aspect of ownership is what you choose to focus on. Having true ownership is choosing to focus on things within your control. It’s focusing on the things you can do versus the things you cannot do. We see wonderful examples of this with Paralympic athletes. When they give interviews, these athletes focus on their strengths and the things they can do, instead of focusing or spending energy on the things they can’t do or the things outside of their control.
.03 True ownership is making the most out of what you have. Fatigue is a common experience for all of us. But how we choose to view and allow it to influence us is not as common. When we are fatigued, we can choose to let it be something that takes us away from being our best selves. It’s easy for us to say, “I’m only at 70% today, so I’m not going to be at my best.” It’s a lot harder for us to choose to say, “I’m going to give 100% of my 70% today.” One of these mindsets primes you to feel fatigued and ineffective, and the other focuses on owning and maximizing your energy and focus.
Finally, taking ownership isn’t just about successes and failures. After all, you cannot guarantee success. But, by practicing true ownership, you can guarantee yourself the chance to be successful. By making better choices on your actions, routines, what you focus on, and how you prepare, you’ve strategically transformed yourself into a Sustainable High Performer.
About the Author
Brian Wade // Chief Performance Officer
Brian is the Head of Research and Development and a Senior Performance Specialist for TIGNUM. He is responsible for keeping TIGNUM content and methodology cutting-edge and science-based. He is an experienced Sustainable Human Performance coach to many top senior executives, professional athletes, and special operations troops. Brian’s professional past includes supporting the US Army Special Forces cognitive performance program.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
How Choices Create Perseverance
In this episode, Scott Peltin talks with serial entrepreneur and high performance culture-builder, Jeff Rosenblum (Partner, FB Capital Partners).
Listen as Jeff shares his mindset around creating habits by focusing on the benefits he seeks and identifying the choices he can make to achieve them.
Jeff Rosenblum
Partner, FB Capital Partners
In this episode, Scott Peltin talks with serial entrepreneur and high performance culture-builder, Jeff Rosenblum. Listen as Jeff shares his mindset around creating habits by focusing on the benefits he seeks and identifying the choices he can make to achieve them.
He shares several fascinating examples of using this approach to tackle challenges including:
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Organizational Success Depends on Your Impact
In this conversation, Penny Heaton (CEO, Gates Medical Research Institute) shares the strategies that she used to combat decision fatigue, maintain confidence, and build emotional control as she grew Gates MRI at rapid speed. She provides an excellent roadmap for how to live and lead Sustainable Human Performance across the organization.
Penny Heaton
CEO, Gates Medical Research Institute
Hear how Penny learned to manage decision fatigue and maintain confidence with some go-to mindset tools as she built the Gates Medical Research Institute from scratch.
In January of 2018, having just been named the Gates Medical Research Institute's first CEO, Penny Heaton found herself in a WeWork office with a business plan, a borrowed administrative assistant, and an inspiring ambition to make life-saving products available and accessible to all.
In this conversation, Penny shares the strategies that she used to combat decision fatigue, maintain confidence, and build emotional control as she grew Gates MRI at rapid speed. She provides an excellent roadmap for how to live and lead Sustainable Human Performance across an organization.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
True Turnaround Mindset
In this episode, Carsten Hellmann (President/ CEO, ALK) shares how he was able to do massive turnarounds in companies - with the same people and the same products. He doubled and tripled the value of companies by changing the belief system of the employees and providing what they needed to be at their best.
Carsten Hellmann
President / CEO, ALK
Things will always be challenging. If you want it all - an extraordinary career, good health, and a great family life - you need to be committed to balance.
In this episode, Carsten Hellmann shares how he was able to do massive turnarounds in companies - with the same people and the same products. He doubled and tripled the value of companies by changing the belief system of the employees and providing what they needed to be at their best. He asks all employees to take on responsibility for the company's success - to the point of rewarding team members who stop projects that don't work. Carsten Hellmann has an unshakable commitment to balance, knowing that for these turnarounds, he needs to be high energy, inspirational, and lead by example. He truly is a Sustainable Human Performer leading a life with an exciting career, fulfilling family life, and good health.
ABOUT TIGNUM THOUGHTCAST
TIGNUM ThoughtCast is a series of short interviews in which TIGNUM co-founder Scott Peltin sits down with friends, clients, and human performance experts to explore the application of Sustainable Human Performance.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize impact
Contact us
Leveraging Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is a universal human experience, yet it's consistently associated with exhaustion, fear, freezing, and even burnout. This TIGNUM Thought teaches you how to reframe imposter syndrome to use it as a catalyst for growth.
By Brian Wade
Chief Performance Officer, TIGNUM
Imposter Syndrome. Just the name alone sounds like something to avoid and something that might make you wind up in the hospital or worse. Much of what you may have read or heard paints it in a negative light. It’s been linked to exhaustion, fear, freezing, and, most recently, burnout. It also seems like now, even if someone feels just a tiny bit nervous before doing a big task, they label it “Imposter Syndrome.” The irony is that Imposter Syndrome is probably one of the most universal experiences humans share and one of the most misunderstood.
Perhaps it was showing up to a new school on the first day, your first “real” job, getting a promotion, or even being chosen to lead a critical project. The feelings of Imposter Syndrome are pretty universal. You feel nervous, anxious, apprehensive, and maybe even full of dread. Your thoughts may ruminate around “not being good enough,” “being inadequate,” and even “what if they find out I’m not smart/good enough for this role?” While these thoughts can be a recipe for poor performance, feeling Imposter Syndrome doesn’t guarantee you’ll do poorly, nor does it mean you aren’t ready.
In fact, at TIGNUM, we believe that Imposter Syndrome can actually be quite useful, help you learn more, and become even more impactful in your new venture. How do you do this? It’s simple - embrace it.
Imposter Syndrome naturally comes with embarking on a great journey
The interesting thing about Imposter Syndrome is that it often occurs when you go through a significant transition or transformation period. It rarely flares up when things are going easy and when you're facing the mundane daily. It happens when there is change - change in you. You may often read that you need to “avoid Imposter Syndrome” or "use these tips not to feel that way." To be honest, if you never felt Imposter Syndrome, it meant you weren’t growing, challenging yourself, or evolving as a person. For that reason, we think that Imposter Syndrome isn’t a sign of bad things to come; we believe it’s the first sign of great things.
If you’re feeling challenged by a new role, it means that someone believed you were strong enough to do it. Embrace the discomfort of growth. If you feel inadequate in your experience or knowledge, it means you have an opportunity to learn so much more. Embrace the discomfort of not knowing. Try to reframe your original thoughts or feelings toward celebrating the new opportunity you’ve earned or thinking of how much you’ll grow as a result of this new venture.
Turn the discomfort of leaving your comfort zone into curiousity
Another amazing way to leverage Imposter Syndrome is to use it to unlock your curiosity. When you feel surrounded by uncertainty, use it as a trigger to ask more questions. Research has found that when faced with uncertainty, the brain becomes more vigilant in looking for new information. The problem is many of us don’t leverage this because we are too busy distracting ourselves with how nervous or inadequate we feel. But, if we lean into the brain's default solution to find new information, it enhances our situational awareness and helps us process more information, create clarity, and find solutions.
Recent research even shows that when you learn something new, there is a dopamine release in the brain, giving you excitement and satisfaction. When you feel the discomfort of Imposter Syndrome, let that be the alarm bell to look around and start asking questions and flex your curiosity.
A universal truth on Imposter Syndrome
Finally, one thing that will, without a doubt, cause your Imposter Syndrome to feel worse and even reoccur is fatigue. There is a reciprocal relationship where Imposter Syndrome can cause emotional fatigue, but feeling fatigued can also amplify the feelings of Imposter Syndrome. The emotions and brain power required to go through a transition, learn new things, and grow as an individual will already be fatiguing. The last thing you want to do is compound it all by not strategically practicing recovery. Going through a transition or starting something new is an excellent opportunity to double down on your recovery strategies or establish new behaviors. Making sleep a priority, moving more, choosing brain-boosting meals, and practicing breathing techniques can give your body the extra energy it needs to navigate through this period of transformation.
So, the next time you feel uneasy with a new challenge, don't fear that you may have Impostor Syndrome. Instead, embrace it and all of the great things it can generate.
About the Author
Brian Wade // Chief Performance Officer
Brian is the Head of Research and Development and a Senior Performance Specialist for TIGNUM. He is responsible for keeping TIGNUM content and methodology cutting-edge and science-based. He is an experienced Sustainable Human Performance coach to many top senior executives, professional athletes, and special operations troops. Brian’s professional past includes supporting the US Army Special Forces cognitive performance program.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize your impact.
Contact us
The Firefighter Mindset
Understanding the mental models used by fire fighters helps professionals to operate in todays combustible business environments. The firefighter mindset offers a comprehensive and applicable model to handle crisis after crisis in a sustainable manner.
By Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
The world is undeniably getting more chaotic, less predictable, more uncertain, and more combustible. This leads to an increasing number of clients telling us that they spend more and more time firefighting. When we ask them how they prepare their mindset, approach their challenges, deal with the roller coaster of emotions, and recover from these high-stress engagements, we are often met with a blind stare and silence.
As we coach our clients to achieve their bold projects in this combustible environment, we have found that combining our TIGNUM Sustainable Human Performance tools and strategies with our combined 55+ years of experience in the fire service has been helpful. We want to share a few mental maps to help you engage more strategically, think more logically, find more calm in the storm, recover better, and learn more purposefully. Ultimately, you will be more prepared and strategic with your future firefights.
Increase your readiness for the unexpected
The first lesson you learn in the fire service is that your personal readiness is your greatest tool. Your team depends on you, the effectiveness of the operation depends on you, and, most importantly, those who call you for assistance on their worst day depend on you. You start every shift by checking your protective equipment, investing in your physical capabilities, gathering any learnings from the crew you’re replacing, and mentally transitioning to be ready for the most challenging call in your life that may come any minute.
What’s the first thing you do to start your day at work? Are you really ready?
When we get dispatched, we immediately begin a systematic and comprehensive problem analysis that analyzes the extent of the situation, the volatility to life (ours and those involved), the options to tackle the problem, and the resources needed. We call this our size up, where we rapidly analyze eight critical fire ground factors and communicate our assessment, strategy, and immediate actions. Everyone involved always knows exactly what everyone else is doing and why.
How do you size up your challenges? Do you have a logical, repeatable, effective, and efficient process for managing your fires?
Mental models for quick strategic decision-making
In the fire service, we use two mental models that are key to our success. First, we assess and account for all seven sides of the building (the inside, front, left side, back side, right side, above the fire, and below the fire). We know that what we don’t know may kill us, while at the same time, we know that time is critical because fire grows exponentially. This means we combine intelligence gathering with doing the work, but we are always clear about what we know and don’t know. Second, we analyze every fire with a risk management profile. Simply put, we will risk our lives a lot in a calculated manner to save savable lives. We will risk our lives a little in a calculated manner to save savable property. And, we will not risk our lives at all to save lives or property that are already lost.
What mental models do you apply to your bold projects and challenges to assess your risks and opportunities?
From the second we engage with a building on fire, we are tracking both the effectiveness of the workers and their well-being. We track how much air they have left in their breathing apparatus and their progress on their assigned tasks, and we constantly make sure they have the resources needed to achieve their tasks. As each crew exits the hazard zone, we immediately send them to a rehabilitation sector where they are assessed and monitored, hydrated and nourished, and where they can quickly recover and reset before they are reassigned to the firefight.
Do you oscillate in the middle of your biggest challenges, or do you just put your head down and attempt to be superhuman? Do you go alone, or do you check in with the team and help them come along?
At the onset of every incident, the first responding unit assumes and announces command. There are no leaderless emergencies, so it is always clear that there is accountability, a purposeful strategy, a practiced and polished communications system, and constant attention to everyone’s safety.
Do you always know who is in charge of your crisis? Do you have a set communication model? Do you have someone paying attention to everyone’s needs for recovery?
After-action reviews are crucial for increasing readiness
When an incident is over, it is announced that the fire is under control, there is an all-clear (there are no victims), there is a loss stopped (no more damage will occur), and all units are accounted for (everyone is safe and able to return home). At this time, an after-action critique occurs on the scene, and all learnings are captured. We go to each unit and have them tell us what actions they took, what they did well, and what they could have done better. When the units are released, they are ready for the next emergency, and everyone is smarter.
How do you announce when your bold project or crisis is completed? Do you always do an after-action review?
With the right mindset, fighting your fires will no longer be full of chaos, reactivity, high stress, and avoidance. You will find yourself being able to approach your problems with the calmness, proactiveness, strategic thinking, and professionalism as a firefighter. At TIGNUM, we make people with extreme jobs stronger. This starts by developing your mindset skills to take on your boldest projects. While the work is important, nothing is more important and more foundational than your and your team’s Personal Readiness.
About the Authors
Scott Peltin // Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst
As the Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst of TIGNUM, Scott has coached many top CEOs, executives, professional athletes, and others to Rule Their Impact. Scott’s unique blend of his 25 years in the Fire Service, education, and coaching experience helps him combine the art and science of Sustainable High Performance to help TIGNUM clients be better, for longer, when it counts the most.
Jeff Case // Senior Performance Specialist
Jeff is a Performance Specialist for TIGNUM. He is responsible for delivering and supporting TIGNUM programs. His role includes coaching top senior executives, as well as delivering TIGNUM programs around the globe. Jeff's professional background includes 35 years in the Fire Service with over 18 years at the Executive Chief Officer level, providing strategic level leadership and advancement of the Fire Service as a national presenter and innovator.
About TIGNUM
TIGNUM is the major performance building block for business professionals, designed around a skill- and data-based approach that respects the individuality, focuses on the brain, evolves constantly, and creates lasting impact.
Its international team comes from a wide range of fields, including human behavior, elite athletics, special forces, performance medicine, executive coaching, change consultants, and more.
Discover how our solutions help you show up better and maximize your impact.
Contact us