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:
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
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
Managing Extreme Circumstances: Mindset is the Key
Just over 5 years ago, Laura Penhaul led a crew of four women on a groundbreaking journey, becoming the first four-person boat crew to row across the Pacific Ocean. In this episode, Laura shares with Scott the High Performance Mindset and leadership skills that fueled their incredible 9,200-mile (14,800 km), 257-day journey.
Laura Penhaul
TIGNUM Performance Specialist
"Why do we wait for significant adversity to maximize our abilities? Why don't we explore maximizing what we've got when we've got it?"
Just over 5 years ago, Laura Penhaul led a crew of four women on an unprecedented journey, becoming the first-ever four-person boat crew to row across the Pacific Ocean.
In this episode, Laura talks with Scott about the High Performance Mindset and leadership skills that helped her and her crew complete their astounding 9,200-mile (14,800k), 257-day journey.
Her inspiring perspective, stemming from her work as a Physiotherapist for the British Paralympic team, challenges us all to explore our potential by finding our own version of the Pacific to cross.
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
Bringing Sustainable Human Performance to the Team
Work and life are not two different spheres that need to be balanced - sustainable human performance is a much more appealing and integrative approach to simply being our best version.
Dirk Maarten-Molenaar
Managing Director and Senior Partner, BCG
Sustainable Human Performance is both simple and complex at the same time. Dirk-Marten Molenaar shares how learning about Sustainable Human Performance profoundly changed his life and how he consequently introduced the concept to his teams and initiated major shifts company-wide.
He has an in-depth understanding that there is no one perfect performance strategy, but rather it differs from person to person and over time. Yet, adopting your performance strategies according to need and context should never mean letting them drop, no matter how turbulent the times. Why? If you are a paid thinker, like many of us are, you should never compromise on your own brain power.
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
You Are Unique And So Is Your Sustainable Human Performance
In many ways, our individuality is both in and out of our control. By being curious about what works and doesn't work for you and taking ownership of your bio-individuality, you can positively impact your Personal Readiness.
By Laura Penhaul
Chief Innovation Officer, TIGNUM
Have you ever felt you were odd because what works for someone else doesn’t work for you? Whether it’s a nutritional strategy, an exercise regime, tips on leadership style, or managing your team, what works for one person often doesn't work for others.
We see people get super fit with one type of workout routine and falsely believe that if it worked for them, it must be good for everyone. Similarly, this same thing happens with personal growth, leadership, and so many other things. The problem is, we are all unique, and one size never fits all. Propagating this misconception even more, when we collect data on a group, the myth is that the average describes everyone in that group. As Harvard professor Todd Ross describes in his book The End of Average, not one person actually fits the average.
Many factors influence our individuality. First, we have our genetic makeup (our DNA coding) and our epigenetic factors (which genes are turned on). And then there are all of the things that impact our billions of experiences that make up our life (culture, family, society, social media, education, etc.).
In many ways, our individuality is both in and out of our control.
Performing at your best is about knowing your individual needs
Recently, I (Laura) was working with a female tennis player who was experiencing repeated low-grade injuries that were taking much longer to return to play than expected to heal. Her mood was constantly up and down, she found it difficult to make decisions in key moments, and she would report times of low energy, diminished motivation, and a sense of ‘brain fog’.
On the surface, the player appeared to be doing all the right things regarding her training and recovery balance. She appeared to be eating all the right foods and was naturally frustrated with the constant injuries stopping her from playing.
The performance team was perplexed, but through an insatiable curiosity, we kept trying to figure out why this was happening. What could be hindering recovery and causing all of these nagging injuries?
After turning over every stone, we noticed the player only having episodic menstrual cycles, which made us look at her hormone profile. Interestingly, two key hormones, estrogen and progesterone, were not at the levels they should be. Again we asked, "Why?" Knowing that what an athlete eats can influence their hormone profile, we assessed her energy expenditure and energy consumption. The findings were fascinating – she was at a 1,000-calorie deficit both during her training and competition days. In sports, this is known as Relative Energy Deficiency (RED-S). After addressing her energy balance through increasing how much and how often she ate, she started to feel more energized. As her hormone profile normalized, her mood, cognitive ability, motivation, and injury status all improved over time. Finally, she was experiencing the performance she deserved.
For us, there were many learnings. It took a lot of digging to understand her individual issues and needs, but, once again, we were reminded about just how different we all are. This experience reminded us of how crucial the sex hormones, male and female, are to our performance, both physically and cognitively. Interestingly, “normal” hormones levels can differ from person to person and differ within daily and monthly cycles.
Sex hormones are an aspect of human performance that is often overlooked, especially in the corporate world. Estrogen promotes the growth and repair of our neurons. Progesterone is involved in calming the nervous system and promoting deep sleep phases. Testosterone is key for motivation and energy, as well as bone health and muscle repair. Sometimes, when you are doing everything right (according to what is working for others), but you aren't feeling the energy and performance you want, it may be time to go deeper.
Take ownership of your performance by being curious
Is there a perfect audit to discover your own unique bio-individuality? Probably not, but increasing your awareness and asking more questions is a great way to help understand your own physiology. Looking at your performance from all angles can require experts from many different fields, but ultimately, what feels right to you is critical.
At TIGNUM, we are embarking on a journey to better understand the impact of sex hormones on the brain and physiology. Our experience shows the huge impact they have on our personal readiness, and ultimately, on our Sustainable Human Performance.
If you are feeling below optimal in any area of your performance, these questions can help initiate an individuality audit:
Is this my normal?
Are there patterns (daily, weekly, monthly, annual) to how I feel?
Why is this happening?
Where can I seek more information that will help me understand this?
By being curious about what works and doesn't work for you and taking ownership of your bio-individuality, you can positively impact your personal readiness.
So, is our individuality in our control? Yes, it is. Our habits play a big role in how that is expressed. Taking ownership is key if we are to fully step into our potential. Our hormones are a prime example of this. Over the coming months, we will continue to explore how our habits influence hormones in relation to our human performance. Stay tuned.
About the Author
Laura Penhaul // Chief Innovation Officer
As TIGNUM’s Chief Innovation Officer, Laura explores the latest science and innovation to support the performance of our clients. As a double world record holder from leading a team to row across the Pacific Ocean, combined with 15 years experience working in Olympic and Paralympic sports as a Physiotherapist, Laura is passionate about supporting teams and individuals to achieve their personal best.
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 Opinion Pause: Using Humility and Curiosity to Think More Critically
The opinion pause is a great way to build your Performance Mindset and multiply the energy of those around you. It makes you smarter, makes others less defensive, and helps you think at a deeper level.
By Scott Peltin
Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst, TIGNUM
In today’s highly connected world, it is easy to quickly share your opinions. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter - all designed for the rapid viral spread of information. We could fill books with the reputation damage one flippant response to the wrong person at the wrong time can make, but let’s focus on the impact it has on your ability to be mentally agile, resilient, energized, and a multiplier of energy.
When you reflexively form and share an opinion, you rely 100% on a bias that you have previously created based on a multitude of historic contributing factors. By doing this, you are destroying the Performance Mindset skills of challenging your biases, having a growth mindset, being open-minded, and being curious. You are robbing your brain of the opportunity to ask more questions and to do more research to update your thinking with the latest knowledge. You are building the walls around your “fixed” mindset, which reduces the expansion of your “growth” mindset.
Less opinionated means better critical thinking
As we have discussed many times, curiosity is the Performance Mindset skill that leads to openness, growth, new knowledge, innovation, and meaningful relationships. By asking great questions, you create a pause that allows you to learn and challenge what you may think you already know.
Similarly, when you quickly form an opinion and openly share it, you are diminishing the skill of humility. By forcibly being so opinionated, you are skipping the vital step of critical thinking, which is to ask yourself, “What if I’m wrong?” Humility tears down walls and provides an opening for people to approach you and create a relationship. It is vital for collaboration.
From a Sustainable Human Performance standpoint, when you quickly form and share your opinions, you are emphatically expressing that you are right, and that’s the end of the discussion. It forces your brain into defense mode and creates defensiveness in those around you.
Challenge your opinions to create deeper understanding
Sustainable Human Performers make another choice. Instead of hitting the send button, they hit the pause button (in their brain). They stop and consider the opinion of others (the intentions, the intensity, the knowledge, etc.). Then they ask themselves, “What do I think about this issue, and why do I think that?” In the pause, they examine this answer and ask other questions like, “What if I’m wrong?” “What am I not seeing? “If I were in their shoes, how would I see it?” “How can I learn more about this topic to challenge my own belief?”
The opinion pause is a great way to build your Performance Mindset and multiply the energy of those around you. It makes you smarter, makes others less defensive, and helps you think at a deeper level. In addition, it reduces your stress response and builds your compassion, empathy, patience, and listening skills. Sustainable Human Performance doesn’t happen by chance; it’s a choice, and choosing the opinion pause may be a good one for us all.
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 your impact.
Contact us
Harnessing the Collective: Community as a Catalyst for Change
Jeff Keith embarked on a remarkable journey with a profound mission: to combat human trafficking head-on. His path began with five years of dedicated research and establishing crucial partnerships with key stakeholders, including law enforcement, public service, ministry, and the military.
Project: The Guardian Group
B-LD KITCHEN Member: Jeff Keith
Jeff Keith embarked on a remarkable journey with a profound mission: to combat human trafficking head-on. His path began with five years of dedicated research and establishing crucial partnerships with key stakeholders, including law enforcement, public service, ministry, and the military.
He soon recognized a critical gap in the fight against trafficking. While these authorities were tasked with solving the issue, they often lacked the essential resources and specialized knowledge needed to do so effectively.
The Guardian Group's pioneering approach was launched in 2022, and its impact has been extraordinary. In just the first quarter of 2023, it led to a remarkable 200% increase in victim identifications, a trend expected to grow exponentially by year-end.
Human traffickers can target anyone, but certain groups are more vulnerable, such as young individuals with high ACE scores (a measure of neglect and abuse in childhood), those experiencing homelessness, foster care youths, and those involved in the juvenile justice system.
Among the most disproportionately affected are minority populations, specifically Black, Latino, and Native American girls from underrepresented and underserved communities. Shockingly, victims are often openly advertised online, with approximately 150,000 new online advertisements selling women and children for sex in the U.S. each day. Law enforcement agencies were stretched thin, lacking the time, resources, and skills to locate, rescue, and support these victims.
It was clear that a fresh and courageous approach was needed to make a meaningful impact.
Jeff Keith firmly believes in the strength of community. His innovative solution was to unite the power of the community with the expertise, diligence, and experience of intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This combination created a force multiplier approach, empowering authorities with vital insights, data, and expertise.
The Guardian Group recruits, vets, and trains a dedicated team of volunteers who actively search for online advertisements to gather leads and information about victims. They call this Project 1951, named after the U.S. statute code that makes child trafficking a federal offense.
They assemble the necessary evidence and insights, which are then carefully passed on to the relevant authorities. This collaborative effort makes law enforcement more effective in apprehending the perpetrators.
Now, having developed a groundbreaking model for combating human trafficking, Jeff faces the challenge of scaling up to help even more victims. His personal motto is: Until All Are Free.
Jeff knows this endeavor will demand incredible mental agility and unwavering determination. Expanding will require fresh inspiration, innovative ideas, and support from unexpected sources.
The project is rooted in the belief that diverse thinking is the key to overcoming this challenge. This is precisely why Jeff has joined TIGNUM’s B-LD KITCHEN. He recognizes that the diverse collective and inspirational dialogues within it will uniquely empower him and the Guardian Group to have a lasting impact on people's lives.
There are various ways to support this project, as an individual and an organization:
For more information, contact
Jeff directly at:
jeff@guardiangroup.org
You can learn more about
the Guardian Group:
https://guardiangroup.org
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.