tignumblog

Be a Mentor

This past week we volunteered to help raise money for a great charity 
– Youth at Risk. The power of this charity is that it teams up an 
adult mentor with a teenager who is struggling to stay on track. At 
the fundraiser, a woman stood up and shared her story about how 19 
years ago she was a struggling young teenager. She was into drugs, 
hanging with the wrong crowd, failing out of school and she saw no 
hope for her own future.

Luckily someone knew of Youth at Risk and they convinced her to get 
into the program. There she met a mentor that helped change her life. 
Her mentor shared her own experiences, gave her the support and
love that was so badly needed, and showed her that there was hope
and there was a way to achieve her goals.

Today, 19 years later she is still in touch with her mentor and she is 
still touched by the experience. She is a successful woman.

This whole experience made me think. Why don’t we all reach out to 
someone at work, in our neighborhood, in our family, or anywhere and 
provide some mentoring? In a changing world, where we are often 
working alone and just trying to survive, it’s too easy to forget to 
reach out and help someone else.

In my many years in the fire service if there’s one thing I learned 
its that helping others is a great way to re-energize ourselves.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Workplace of the Future

This month in Time magazine there was a great piece on the workplace 
of the future. No briefcases, no bosses, no office (except maybe at 
your house or your local Starbucks), and no career ladder. Wow, this 
sounds great – where do I sign up? On the flipside there will be no 
benefits, no job security, no company retirement, and no place to 
hide. I knew it sounded too good to be true.

Will these trends be bad or good? Will they create constant change 
pressures or endless opportunities? Will they provide you with more 
freedom or will you be a prisoner to your own workaholic ways?

The answers to these questions depend on whether you’re currently 
sinking, floating or swimming. Do you have the habits and strategies 
to be energized? Is your gas tank full, ½ full, or empty? Have you 
trained your resilience and expanded your capacity? Is your brain 
functioning at full potential? If you have the right Sustainable High 
Performance habits the world will be your new workplace and you will 
enjoy as much success as you want. If you don’t – you better get 
started.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Even When You Know Better, Sleep Deprivation Sneaks Up On You

One of the reasons I'm so passionate about Tignum is that I live in the business world and I am constantly reminded of the need for our sustainable high performance strategies.

Two weeks ago we got a new family member. That's right, a 10 week old Labrador puppy named Alana. After two weeks of getting up every three hours to watch her empty her  bladder and to play "bite the toes,"  I decided to conduct my own research study on the effects of sleep deprivation. Below are my preliminary findings:
1. After 3 nights I began to crave sugar and wanted chocolate throughout the day.
2. After 5 nights I lost my motivation to do my morning movement (replaced of course with the broken promise that I would do something after work).
3. After 6 nights I found it difficult to focus and concentrate during meetings or while reading. I also found myself easily irritated (especially by puppies who were born with too small of a bladder to hold it all night).
4. After 1 week I had brain fog. If I were traveling I would swear I had jet lag.
5. Now after just 10 days of reducing my sleep by 20% I am over-eating, craving carbohydrates, performing at a fraction of my potential and feeling apathetic.

This week I entered phase two of my study. I started implementing the strategies that we teach. I've prioritized my to do list and I'm putting my attention, focus and energy into the things that are most important. I'm taking a 20 minute power nap every day after lunch. I'm avoiding sugar and caffeine and instead drinking lots of water and infusing more protein into all of my meals and snacks. I have shifted my movement goals from trying to beat Scott in tennis to just trying to maintain my current level. This means 15 minutes of daily prep in the morning and a nice walk after dinner (with Alana of course).

What are my findings? This stuff works. I am still suffering from not getting enough sleep at night but I am not only functioning, I'm performing at a high level again. I have regained control over the things that I can control and I'm doing what I can to maximize my energy. Better yet, I am now thoroughly enjoying the experience of having a new puppy (like having my shoelaces chewed out, having my neighbors complain about her barking, and getting licked to death every time I sit on the floor).

Last night I ended the study and my wife agreed to get up with Alana. I was so excited to begin studying her reaction to sleep deprivation. Of course, Alana slept all night last night and my wife woke up fully refreshed. Now I'm studying my self talk around how jealous I am of my wife. I'll share that study with you in a future blog.

The key here for all you business men and women is that even if you can't control your sleep (due to kids, deadlines, long hours, travel or even puppies) at least you can implement some high performance strategies to reduce the detrimental impact. If you guys have any other strategies that you have found in your research please share them with us.

By Jogi Rippel, Founder, CEO
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Joys and the Pains of the Journey

For those of you who know me, you know that I couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk about this year’s French Open and the achievements of Roger Federer.  What I love about Roger’s journey to becoming the best player ever to play men’s tennis, is that it’s full of lessons that you and I and everyone in business can learn from.
1.    Just because some things come easy, it doesn’t mean that you can take them for granted. Roger is a gifted player but he works very hard on his mindset, his game, his strategy, his image, and his self-development.
2.    Just because you suffer some losses doesn’t mean that you give up on what got you there. It doesn’t mean you have to panic or that you need to quit. Roger has had a few dips along the way to capturing the French Open. The biggest one was the emphatic loss last year to Rafael Nadal. But Roger never quit, he never panicked, he never lost his commitment to good habits, and on Sunday this paid off.
3.    Sometimes the greatest competition you face is between your ears. Being able to focus on what you can control, to commit to your “to be” goals, and to trust in your preparation and hard work is the key to overcoming your fears and in achieving your potential.
When Roger Federer was unbeatable he was fascinating to watch. But when he started losing, the press started pressuring him, and fans began questioning him – he became the greatest ever.
What if this current economy, the restructuring of your organization, or the growing pressures from the competition is just what you need to become the greatest ever? Do you have the habits, the hard work, the focus and the trusting mindset to make it happen?

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Missing Link

Recently Tom Peters wrote a blog titled, “Dealing with Recessionary Times”. In it he gave some great advice on what it takes during these tough times to succeed. He stated that he is inundated with questions on insights or advice he has for leaders during the current recession. Tom started with work harder and work longer. Then he went on to list 34 items that all emphasized the need for more passion, more attention to detail, more action, and more optimism.
As always, Tom Peters was very inspiring and insightful, but in this case there definitely was something missing. For those of you who know me, and know the passion we have Tignum for high performance, you can understand why I had to speak up. I commented that in my opinion he had given the perfect recipe for burnout. This type of work harder not smarter thinking is exactly what we are addressing in our book Sink, Float or Swim.
I went on to respectively add several Tignum mantra’s like, take better care of yourself than ever. Work smart rather than just work hard. Take time for a breathing break. Go for a walk. Eat for high performance. Aggressively challenge your thoughts, self talk and stories to make sure they are high performance and you’re not just being a victim.
The sad thing is that too many leaders also miss the very important habits necessary for sustainable high performance. Without these habits there will be no energy, resilience, brain performance, or capacity to achieve Tom’s 34 recommendations. These habits aren’t just nice to do, they are a strategic must.
Although, it is very common to forget about sustainability during tough times, it’s short sighted and self-defeating. Tom agreed with me and commented back that he couldn’t believe he made the oversight. As he said, it should have been at the top of his list. The question is: Where is sustainable high performance on your list?

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Human Sustainability

Recently I was asked to present to a group of college students the topic of sustainable living from a Tignum perspective. I knew that they were very familiar with the idea of sustainability from an environmental perspective so I wanted to stimulate them to think about sustainability from a human perspective. I apologize for this being so long but I thought it may provide some great nuggets for you too. Below is my rant:

In today's media the rave is definitely sustainability. Since Al Gore produced the inconvenient truth businesses, and individuals have been challenged on how they can reduce their energy consumption, reduce their carbon emissions, recycle more, consume less, and become more environmentally sustainable. Almost every company has a strategic plan on how to make their brand more "green". This is great for the reduction of global warming and the aversion of an environmental crisis but it doesn't necessarily address the inconvenient truth about humans.

Most human beings have extremely poor habits when it comes to their own sustainability. They count on medical discoveries to keep themselves alive longer but they do nothing to improve the quality of the years they have. Even worse, the demands of the business world are growing and this is exponentially increasing the stress that most people are under. When you combine the fact that we are eating more processed foods, moving less, getting more unhealthy, and under more stress you have the perfect recipe for a disaster (maybe even worse than global warming).

Interestingly enough, some of the solutions for global warming are equally beneficial for our own sustainability. If we consumed less food (especially processed and artificial foods) and eat more locally grown organic foods we would reduce the fuel used for transporting foods, we would reduce the need for packaging, we would reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides, we would produce less pollution, and we would produce more local jobs. But we would also improve our energy levels, enhance our resilience, improve our brain performance, expand our capacity to perform at a high level both at work and away from work. Similarly, if we moved our bodies more by walking, riding our bikes, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, etc. we would use less energy, create less energy, burn more calories, improve our health and become more productive.

We live in a time where expectations for performance are low. We have grown to accept mediocrity from the average person because they don't have the energy, focus, passion or capacity to consistently perform at a high level. This is a crisis. But it's also a huge opportunity.

For those that make their own sustainable high performance a priority they will be rewarded with  a plethora of options. Companies will be competing to get these people because they will be more creative, innovative, productive, and passionate. This is what companies will need to win.

So how can students begin now to invest in their own Sustainable High Performance habits? First, develop a high performance Mindset. That means become solution oriented rather than problem oriented. Quit buying into the drama of rumors and worst case scenarios and start challenging everything to find the truth. Stop settling for imitations and start creating innovations. Be new, be fresh, be passionate and be willing to take a risk. Second, begin eating in a high performance way. Your brain needs the right nutrients to perform its best. You need to keep your blood sugar steady and you need to be sure you are well hydrated. Stop using caffeine as the drug of choice to stay awake and instead use natural organic nutrient dense food to become alive. Stop skipping meals, especially breakfast, and start thinking about what your eating and the way it makes you feel. Eat better, eat more often,  but eat less at each meal. Get rid of sugar whenever possible and eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your diet now - its killing you. Third, move more and sit less. Swear off elevators, escalators, and people movers. You were born with a people mover - your legs. Your body was built to move. When you don't move regularly you are dying - period. Movement creates energy so skip the latte and try the stairs. Exercise is great but you can do less than you think if you just do it every day. Pick something you love like yoga, walking, riding your bike, or a recreational sport. Start looking at your body as something you are going to need for a long time (because you will). Treat it like you own it rather than like you’re just renting it. Finally, be sure to strategically plan for your own rest and recovery. Sleep isn't a luxury its a necessity. During sleep your hormones get balance, your brain gets renewed, your cells regenerate and your immune system gets strong. Learn to breath because breath connects your mind and your body and is the difference between being alive and being dead (if you don't believe me stop breathing and see what happens). Take some time to do nothing. Take powernaps every day (no more than 20 minutes). Plan breaks. Laugh often. All of these things help you recover.

If you do these things savagely well you will have more energy, a better resilience, a high performing brain, and an enhanced capacity. You will feel better, perform better, love better and live better. More importantly, you will be the cream of the crop, the golden nugget, and the most sought after commodity in the future. If you don't believe me, look around. That is what you're competing with and they don't look sustainable to me.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Get Out of Your Rut

Recently I have been reading a lot of blogs about helping people get out of their "rut" (example blog here) . I couldn't help but comment on this trend because they always miss what I feel is the most important advice.
1. Make a conscious decision that you are tired of just floating (being comfortably numb), with no passion to achieve your potential.
2. Create a clear vision of your best self. What would you look like if you were swimming (full of passion, energy, resilience and vitality) once again?
3. Spend at least 5 minutes every morning and 5 minutes every night (before bed preferably) intently visiting your best self vision.
4. Consciously change at least one of your low performance Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits.  You can read through our previous blogs for some fantastic examples. Even better, come to one of our high performance programs to learn them all.

The bottom line is that your energy, resilience, brain performance, and capacity are the foundation of YOU building a high performance YOU. You can try to do all the things that all the gurus are recommending but without this foundation you won't succeed. Start with you. Sustainable High Performance doesn't happen by chance, it happens by choice.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Just Reframe it!

There is no doubt that times are tough. Clients are losing their jobs, getting reassigned to other positions (not by choice) and many are taking pay cuts. During these times there are so many reasons to lose confidence, get angry, or even worse give up hope. I have been scanning the blog world for great reframes and today I found a really good one. It had to do with a buy out where the blogger, Polly Pearson, was giving her perspective about the worst job she ever had. As she reflected she realized that each "worst job" actually turned out to be full of great lessons. I can bet that we have all had this same or similar experience.

The kicker was when a fellow blogger commented on this blog, saying how unhappy s/he was with Polly's company, EMC,  for purchasing them. Due to the acquisition there were pay cuts and subsequently some bad feelings. But Polly's response was an amazing reframe. First, she clearly set her intentions of sharing some empathy and offering some great thoughts as a friend and not as an official of EMC.

Next she calmly and kindly shared some powerful advice that started with "Do something good for yourself or your family". At Tignum we think this is always a great place to start. Then she shared several of the positive aspects of the acquisition which included saving 2,000 employees from losing their jobs. If you get a chance I recommend you read the entire blog (here) , comments and reply because it shows a great example of a High Performance Mindset in action.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

You Are Fired!

Yesterday I had a sales presentation with a senior vice president of a huge software company. I introduced him to our approach on Sustainable High Performance and shared some of our tools and strategies with him. He was extremely excited about our work and totally understood how the performance of his team and his own could be significantly improved. After discussing some more details he came up with one big BUT. He said, "I am certain that if I invest in my team to improve their sustainable performance, I might get fired."  He was very serious about it and told me about the perception in times of cost cutting and how the corporate culture doesn't support it. Only investments that are at the core of the business can be made. That statement cracked me up because what is more at the core of business than high performing people? As you can imagine, I went home without a new exciting deal - but instead, with a new perspective on how poisoned many corporate cultures are, how trapped many senior leaders are and how little knowledge there is about what it takes to deliver high performance. I guess the great news is that there is plenty of room for improvement and tons of work to do  :-)

By Jogi Rippel, CEO and Founder
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Compartmentalize like Nadal

Today Rafael Nadal won his 5th straight Monte Carlo Masters on Clay. It was an incredible match where once again he was too tough, too focused, too smart and too prepared. In order to pull this super human feat off though he had to win 4 matches in 3 days against 2 other top 4 players.
Rafa’s play reminded me of what today’s business leaders must do. They have to play their best against the best competition even when they're tired. They have to bring their A game to work everyday and they have quickly adapt to the many challenges they see daily and weekly. So as I watched this match (and the post match ceremony) I wondered if there were any Rafa lesson’s that you apply to your performance (at work and away from it).
1.    Before every point Rafa makes sure that his mind is focused and that he has a plan. He never steps up to serve without laser like focus. You can do the same. Before every meeting, every presentation, every must-win event (and most events today are must-win) you can set your intentions and set your energy level and your focus where it needs to be (see previous blog What you focus on grows.)
2.    Rafa comes to every tournament exceptionally well prepared. He is meticulous in the way he manages his Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery. He understands that in tough competition in tough times you can’t leave anything to chance. You can do the same. Pay attention to the details. Do simple things savagely well. Take care of your most important asset – YOU.
3.    Rafa does a fantastic job of compartmentalizing. That is, he never lets a previous point or shot influence his current point or shot. He doesn’t let an outside element that he can’t control leak into his mindset to poison his game. He takes each thing and puts it into its box and deals with it appropriately (actually he deals with it exceptionally). You can do this too. You finish one meeting, its done. Go back to your office, review what went well, fix what didn’t go well and move on. You have an argument with one customer, one co-worker, or your spouse – compartmentalize it and don’t let it leak into your next conversation. You received some bad news from the market or an internal report, put it into perspective, identify what you need to do (solutions), and move on.
I love watching Rafael Nadal because for a young guy he is a master in his Mindset. I learn so much watching him and you can too. Let me know what you think. Who do you love to watch (doesn’t need to be an athlete) and what do you learn?

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Peformance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Is it Size or Impact?

Recently I came across a great blog (read full blog here) that got me thinking.  More and more in business we are seeing downsizing. This is interesting because it seems everyone is always trying to make themselves look bigger and yet they are actively getting smaller. In the world of consulting, freelancing or even entrepreneuring the key is to always build your brand and to look bigger. No matter what your role is in your company you always want to be significant, to be big. So is it size that matters or is it impact? I say its impact and your impact is a direct result of your punching power, your energy, your brain performance and your capacity. So the question is, What did you do today to increase your impact?

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

What Can We Learn From Former Recessions?

For a keynote we researched and analyzed some performance data from former recessions, like the one in the 80s. We came across data showing how mental and physical fatigue increased and how the number of people resorting to drug and alcohol abuse also escalated significantly. Even now, talking to HR professionals we hear more and more stories on increasing burnout statistics, sick days and people who are fed up with all the changes, unrealistic targets, reduced resources etc.
What resonated the most with us was the fact, that one of the key reasons some companies outperform their competitors, even in down cycles is that they continually innovate. The interesting thing is that innovation must come from somewhere, or more accurately, from somebody. So what does your company do for "somebody" to make sure they can perform at their best in a sustainable way while also being able to innovate? What do you do to continually perform at your best?  What do you do to remind yourself  that high performance does happen by design? What about your team? It all comes back to having a clear understanding of what  YOU at your "best" would actually look and feel like. It's the constant reflection of high performance habits in the areas of performance mindset, performance nutrition, performance movement and performance recovery.
And especially in tough times where these things might drop on the priority list, they need to be on top. It's your core asset - your brain, your body - that navigates you through the daily challenges.  As Tom Peters mentioned in an article a couple of weeks ago: "Take care of yourself more than ever."

By Jogi Rippel, CEO and Founder

The Tignum answer to the Never Ending Meeting Problem

At Tignum we are all about high performance. Seems like every time we work with a client the topic of meetings and what a waste of time they are comes up. We have brain stormed this topic many times and Seth’s list is a great one (see his full article here) .  A great question that once came up was, Why are meetings scheduled for 1 hour? The answer, we decided, was because that’s how the calendars are broken up in our outlook. The suggestion was to make all meetings 45 minutes. This would create a sense of urgency and more important leave 15 minutes to debrief from one meeting and prepare for the next. This brings up a short list of things that we at Tignum would definitely add to Seth’s great list to make meetings more productive.
1.    Show up ready – this means not only preparing your content but preparing yourself.
This means doing some mental rehearsal, setting some intentions for outcomes, getting yourself into the right state, dialing in your focus, and mentally preparing for all the what ifs. It means doing some movement to energize yourself and to turn on your right brain so you can be innovative and not just another in the box participant. It also means feeding your brain with a high performance snack filled with protein, B vitamins, complex carbohydrates and omega-3 essential fats. This will prevent brain fog, improve your concentration, keep your blood glucose steady, avoid mood swings and make your brain fire on all cylinders (a minimal requirement for any high output meeting).
2.    Be a high performer in the meeting.
This means starting by sitting with good posture at all times. If you don’t think this matters just sit for 60 seconds slouched over like you usually do and see how you feel, how you think and how you concentrate. It means staying hydrated by drinking water instead of sugary drinks or coffee. The brain is made up of 80% water and if you want it to function properly you have to keep it hydrated. It also means keeping the right Mindset by reframing negative non-productive statements, challenging bullshit stories that are full of drama and feed hysteria, and creating solutions rather than excuses.
3.    Set up a meeting culture of high performance by managing the team mindset, providing high performance snacks, and energizing the group with movement.
This means planning and setting expectations, which Seth definitely touched on. But to expand it a little, fill the room with water for everyone, provide high performance snacks not sugar filled partially hydrogenated sleeping pills (doughnuts and cookies). Get the group up moving every chance you can – do walking meetings, take frequent breaks (water helps with this), or just have everyone stretch and do a posture check. This also means challenging the team mindset by keeping each other accountable to stay focused, creative, optimistic and solution oriented.
We could go on forever on this but then it would be just like your last meeting.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

What you Focus on Grows

When I was a firefighter we used to notice how difficult it was for the police officers to accept the fact that in general, most people were good people. One day when I asked a veteran officer why that was, his answer was really enlightening. When 95% of your day is dealing with the worst 5% of the population you quickly begin to believe that 95% of the population are criminals. What do you focus on 95% of the time?
I remember an interview with Andre Agassi on a terribly windy day and they asked him if the wind bothered him. He smiled and replied, "wind – I didn’t even notice the wind. I grew up in Las Vegas where it’s always windy. I love the wind."  Funny, because Agassi's opponent blamed his own loss on the terrible weather conditions. What’s your wind that’s drawing your focus and ruining your day?
After working with thousands of top executives I’m convinced that too many people don’t take responsibility for their own focus. Either that, or they’re not even aware of where their focus is. If you really want to quickly improve your performance, take control of your focus and only place it on what you want to grow.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

How Many Emails do you Receive?

The better question is actually, how many times per day do you check  your email and how often do you get interrupted by phone calls, text  messages, IMs and colleagues just coming by your office? Researchers at the University of California in Irvine found that the average  amount of time an employee can devote to a  project before being  interrupted is 11 minutes. You might be indifferent to this because you think you have mastered multi-tasking.  In actuality, researchers have found neurological evidence that the brain 
cannot do two things at the same time. Your brain basically switches  between tasks (the exception are automatic processes in your body like  breathing).
Dave Crenshaw talks in his book, The Myth of Multitasking about how switching impacts your performance and reduces your effectiveness. After a switch, you have to go back to your old task to review where you are - and the more complicated the task the greater the cost of this switch. Basex Research estimates an average of 2.1 hours of lost productivity per person per day due to interruptions. So here is my question to you again: How many times per day do you check your email?  Please share with us your email strategies and the email etiquette of your company.

By Jogi Rippel, Founder and CEO
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

A Crisis is a Great Time to Redefine Success

I just got off the phone with one of our clients. She was very frustrated because no matter what she does she can’t close a deal. Being a highly successful sales VP for a very big software company, this type of resistance is something she has never experienced. We talked about her Mindset and the challenges she is facing with trying to reframe her frustrations and rejections to make her thoughts and self talk more high performance and more positive.
As we talked I recognized that one thing that has shifted in these tough times is the definition of success. If you are married to your quarterly projections, your gross income, or your net profits you are clearly set up for failure. The key, not just during this crisis but all the time, is to become more process oriented in your goals. That is, focus on the processes that you know lead to success. Recently, Geoff Colvin, in his enlightening book, Why Talent is Overrated, presented some great research on goal setting and success. The poorest performers don’t set any goals at all. Mediocre performers set goals that are general and often focused simply on achieving a good outcome. But the best performers set goals that are not about the outcome but rather about the process of reaching the outcome.
So the big question is, what are these processes? The most important processes are the ones that increase your energy level, your resilience, your capacity, and your brain performance. If you let these processes go you don’t have a chance of being a high performer or of surviving these tough times. Once you commit to your Performance Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits you will quickly enjoy the benefits of being more passionate, more confident, more focused, and more creative. With these key qualities you’re ready to get back to your fundamentals and plant all the seeds that will lead to future success.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

High Performance is a Work in Progress

Recently, I gave a lecture at the IMD business school in Lausanne, discussing Tignum and our work on sustainable high performance. At the end of the lecture, one student raised his hand and asked the question, “I really like what you do and totally believe in it, but how come YOU look so tired?”
I smiled because I was actually grateful that this question was asked. I answered, “The problem with sustainable high performance is that most people think it is a result, when in all actuality, sustainable high performance is a process.” 
It’s always work in progress – even for us at Tignum. There are high performance days and also days where we slip back. Luckily those days are 
extremely rare. The key is to have the awareness for it and to continuously work at it.  My mistake was with travel preparation.  I arrived late to the hotel, was in a smoking room and was next to a noisey street. The quality of my sleep along with the recovery from my long trip was almost zero. I know now to be more precise with my travel plans and it was a clear demonstration to my lecture attendees that sustainable high performance really is a work in progress – But the great thing about that is, we are always just one step away from making a better choice! 

By Jogi Rippel, Founder and CEO
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Shift happens - Are you prepared?

During the introduction of our Tignum High Performance programs we talk about the changing business world, the increase in speed, the rise in pressure, faster product launches, email overload, etc.  Change is constant.  It’s often viewed as intangible, but it’s a given.  At Tignum, we prepare our clients to remain sustainable high performers, to be resilient, to have energy and to cope with uncertainty. 

Recently, one of our clients sent us a video (see below), which collected some interesting numbers and facts about the shift in the world.  We wanted to share it with you and ask; How do you prepare yourself?  How do you prepare your core asset to handle change?  Do you take the time to reflect on your current habits and constantly re-innovate yourself so that you are prepared for whatever shift happens?             



By, Jogi Rippel, Founder and CEO
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

How is your blood pressure during the tough times?

I just checked my blood pressure and it's 124/80.  It's been 6 months since I last checked it, but it's okay.  How is yours?  I ask this because in tough business times, most executives are so focused on solving the business issues that they put their core asset (themselves) second, third or even worse.  Pressure, stress, travel and other extreme demands impact your cardiovascular system and one sign of this is your blood pressure.  The consequences of high blood pressure can be pretty bad. 

I just returned from a stroke clinic at Lake Constance, where I visited a friend who had a brain stroke.  He had high blood pressure but didn't pay attention.  An artery in his brain ruptured.  It's a very sad story.  He just turned 40, has 3 little kids and now has to learn how to swallow, speak, read and walk again.  The problem with blood pressure is that you don't feel it when it's high, and often times don't realize it's high until it's too late.  So let me ask you again; What's your blood pressure? 

By Jogi Rippel, Founder and CEO
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Drama – Leave it for the Theater

In life there are many set backs, surprises and upsets. In fact, we will all experience at least one, if not more, crisis. It may be a loss of a job, it may be a significant accident or injury, or it may be something that happens to a close relative. In these situations there are few things that can destroy your mindset and drain your energy more than unnecessary drama. It’s not to say that these situations don’t deserve an emotional response, but the key is to give just the right emotion. Too often people over react, then create drama. Why do they do this? There are many reasons but most of the time they do it to get more attention, to create significance. The problem is that drama is not real, it’s not authentic, and it’s not solution oriented. Yes it creates attention, but it rarely creates solid high performance solutions. If there’s one thing I learned in the fire service it’s that drama rarely is productive. When a crisis really occurs it’s best to respond with exactly the right amount of emotion. Not any more or any less. During these crucial times it’s best to focus on the solution rather than the story. Leave the story making for the media, leave the drama for the theater, and spend your mindset energy on the truth and how to solve the problem.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

Performance Drugs

Nowadays drugs seem to be everywhere in sports. There are steroids to help players get stronger quicker, There is EPO to enhance endurance. There are stimulants to help players get up for their games and then of course there are barbiturates to help players come down. We have seen gold medal sprinters lose their gold medals, Tour de France teams lose their sponsorships and even a race winner lose his first place finish. This year we saw Olympians and professional cyclists fail drug tests because they weren’t aware that the inventor of CERA, the next generation EPO, also supplied the World Anti-Doping Agency with a test to catch dopers.

With so many examples of athletes getting caught, with such strong repercussions being doled out for getting caught, and with possible life threatening risks of using these drugs – why do so many athletes still do it? The answer is simple – they feel they need to do anything possible to try to win. Even though there are great examples of drug free, highly ethical, scientifically and statistically proven methods of training (such as those used by our partner Athlete’s Performance), athletes continue to be taunted by the quick fix to improve their performance. The crazy thing is that the same thing occurs in the business world. With the crazy demands and growing need to perform, many business executives turn to short cuts to improve their performance and help them make it through the day. Although many of these drugs aren’t illegal (Fortune reports that executive drug addiction is increasing rapidly), they are still unhealthy and unsustainable short cuts with often dangerous side effects. Whether it’s caffeine every time you need to be alert, alcohol every time you need to relax, sleeping pills every time you need to sleep, anti-depressants to fight mood swings, or pain pills every time you have aches and pain – the truth is that there is a better way.

The Tignum strategies are designed to create habits that help you develop yourself into a Sustainable High Performer – drug free. Daily Prep movements and proper hydration help energize you, mobilize you and eliminate musculoskeletal pain. Our Movement, Nutrition, and Recovery strategies are designed to help you get quality sleep, get rid of depression and maximize your creativity and focus whenever you need it. Our Mindset strategies are designed to develop your confidence, clarity and sustainable high performance. The best part is, the Tignum Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery strategies have no negative side-effects. But I will warn you, they can be addictive.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Failure Feeds Success

When clients go through the Tignum program there are always a few people who comment “this time they don’t want to fail like they have in previous attempts in other programs.” I love this comment because it shows their commitment, but it also shows their fear of falling into the same traps they have experienced before. At Tignum we realize that changing habits is never easy. We also realize that every change has mini-setbacks called Dips (see Dip blog).

For some clients their previous failures have been so prevalent or emotional that they truly can’t see themselves being successful. Instead, the only image they have is of them being initially excited and motivated and then looking at themselves in the mirror one day and asking what happened. This is totally normal because that’s the way the brain works…but it doesn’t have to be that way.

In fact, research has shown that one of the best indicators of future success in developing new habits may just be how many times you’ve previously failed. This is because each time you try to change yourself, you learn something new about yourself, you become more motivated, and you get closure to success. Therefore, a quick reframe of previous failures is to see them as practice sessions for making the real change.

If you combine this reframe with the mental imagery of seeing yourself successful, you just may break the trend and you may just fulfill Scott’s Law of Success – You’re only one day away from being right on track and becoming a Sustainable High Performer!

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Leadership in Crisis

In my many years in the fire service I definitely recognized that leadership is critical during a crisis. In fact, it was something that I studied, emulated, and tried to deeply understand. Recently, I read a great book called Extremis Leadership: Leading as if Your Life Depends On It by Tom Kolditz. Since we are in a major market crisis right now, I felt the Extremis part of this book would be more than appropriate.
As I read this book, I quickly realized that Extremis Leadership is exactly what Tignum prepares our clients to do. There is a time to energize your team but there is also a time to calm and focus your team. Interesting enough, only your preparation, intentions, and Mindset will determine your ability to do this.
When it comes to a crisis, competence becomes the primary basis for trust. As we always say – first a leader must lead themselves and then they can lead others. Your habits, your concentration, and your ability to learn from every situation will be critical. This means, how did you review your previous performances, how much did you work on your Mindset, how much did you show up for work everyday prepared to be your best?
In leadership there is a time for introspection but in a crisis, Kolditz points out, a leader’s focus must be outward. It must be on the environment and on the problem at hand. Such control of focus must be practiced and it depends on you being fully recovered, fully hydrated, well nourished, fully present, and completely engaged. This is the Tignum Performance Highrise during an earthquake and once again it depends on a strong foundation and on strong support from your Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery pillars (habits).
Sustainable High Performance is an interesting term because it suggests that it’s about tomorrow. Don’t fool yourself, if you’re in a crisis – tomorrow depends on your ability to perform today. Build those Tignum habits now!

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Airport Heaven - I found it!

Today I am heading home after 4 weeks on the road. Like most of my clients, when it comes to traveling, it’s almost always about finding a second best solution. Today, though, I may have hit pay dirt.

It’s been awhile since I’ve connected through Houston, but I must say this could rank at the top of my high performance training airports. I have a 2-hour layover, so I really have a chance to see this airport from all four TIGNUM Pillars (Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery). From a Nutrition point of view this place is full of choices, and some of them are actually healthy. I’ve found raw nuts, fresh fruit, great salad places, and some great frozen yogurt (20%). From a Movement standpoint, this airport is huge. I’ve walked for an hour and I just returned to my starting point. I did 6 flights of stairs, and what seemed like 3km of fast walking. Besides breaking a small sweat, I am totally energized. From a Recovery standpoint, there are a lot of quiet places to sit, breathe and listen to some TIGNUM soundfiles. There are also a lot of bookstores, which give my mind a chance to expand and explore and forget about the stresses of travel.

So what about Mindset? Well, like I said, it is a big airport – and that means long cues on the runway waiting to take off. What a great opportunity to catch up on my reading. Talk about great reframe practice.  Perfect airport for a Sustainable High Performer!

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

New Plan to Dine for 2009

I recently read that New Years celebrations are thought to be one of the oldest of all traditions, close to 4000 years old. 

For 2009, Tignum would like to have you Think Different about how to organize your nutritional goals.  Daily, human sustainability, resilience and enhanced mental performance becomes more essential than ever in the current economy.  Your brain function, both in mental toughness and creativity will need to be sharp and in top shape. Why not make this year “the year” to nourish your brain and construct a brain nutritional program to not only enhance mental acuity and agility but also to protect it against stress.

Key nutrients have been shown to protect and nourish the brain while under stress.  L-tyrosine is an amino acid used by the body to produce certain adrenal stress hormones and chemical messengers in the nervous systems (neurotransmitters).  Research shows that levels of L-tyrosine in the brain decline with stress, and by supplying higher levels of tyrosine, it will help reverse this decline and improve brain performance.  Nutritional research also shows that using tyrosine as a supplement can help mental performance during physically stressful situations, such as noise and cold conditions.

Dairy products, lean meats, fish, whole grains (especially quinoa, oats, and millet), avocados, bananas, almonds, sesame seeds, beans (esp. lima beans) are all good sources of tyrosine.  Healthy fats (ie Omega 3 fatty acids), Vitamin C and B vitamin family are also key for brain function. Starting out the New Year with awareness of brain enhancing nutrients can be a great step towards becoming a Sustainable High Performer in 2009.

By Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition
TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Struggling to Lose Weight – First Lift Weights

Struggling to Lose Weight – First Lift Weights

Losing weight is not for sissies. There are no short cuts and it takes work. At some point you have to adhere to the law of nature that says you have to burn more calories than you eat. This has been proven study after study. But what does that mean? Does it mean that you need to burn more calories in your workout than you eat? No. It means you need to burn more calories in the entire day, the entire week, the entire month and the entire year than you take in during this time.

This is important because most of my executives can only exercise 30 to 60 minutes per day (some slightly more and some slightly less). With this reality, how many calories can you really burn in 30 to 60 minutes? With a very intense workout (zone 3 intervals) you may be able to burn 500 to 600 calories. That’s 2 Cokes, 3 beers, one piece of cheesecake desert, or maybe even one side dish of chips. If you do the math, the odds are against you.

So what is the key then? The key is certainly to reduce the calories you take in but it’s also to increase the number of calories you burn the 23 or 23.5 hours that you aren’t exercising. The only way to do that is to increase the amount of lean tissue (muscle) you have. As people age, if they don’t do consistent resistance training, their muscle mass will atrophy. In fact, doing cardiovascular exercise may even contribute to this atrophy.

Whenever I get a client who is struggling to lose weight, even though they may be doing cardiovascular exercise, I always recommend some type of resistance training. Of course at TIGNUM we have the perfect solution – The No Excuse Workout. So get rid of the excuses and get rid of those kg you’re trying to lose.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Power of the To Be Goal

So often I talk with clients who have tons of goals. They want to get this done, get that done, do this, do that. Their list is long, but their excitement to accomplish it all is short. They describe their life as a virtual treadmill, where they run and run but find themselves in the same place (at least in their own perception).

Occasionally I have a client who is going through a real challenge, or even a true crisis. Perhaps they have an impossible job, maybe they have to live away from their family, maybe they are going through a divorce, a serious illness or even a death in their family. These types of things can really exhaust you, throw you off your course, or take away your passion for work or life. They can be real performance busters.

During these times I always remind my clients that these situations are temporary, but the opportunity they offer for true transformation could last you forever. Discomfort, and even pain, is a great teacher if you take the time to reflect on the lessons it can teach you. The key though is to have a “To Be” goal.

Who do you want to be when this crisis is over? Can you see yourself being that person?  Can you see yourself being a Sustainable High Performer?  What would be the benefits of you becoming that person? If you focus on these things, you will suddenly find the discomfort and pain bearable – because the new you is worth the journey. 

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Key to Developing Kids – Praise Effort

Recently a great study came out where they looked at the most important keys for raising successful children. They looked at parents who constantly reinforced success and thought that certainly this must be the key to confident, self-assured and successful kids. These parents praised their kids constantly, telling them that they were winners. They found something in every performance that they did well. These parents used terms like: you’re the best, you’re a winner, you’re the smartest, etc.
The other group never talked about success, winning, achievement, or even excellence. Instead, they only praised their kids on effort. Whenever they saw their kids putting effort into something, they commented on how great it was. They used terms like: I’m really proud of how hard you worked, great effort – way to work hard, doesn’t it feel great to put that much effort into something.
At the end of the study, the kids who were praised only on effort, rather than achievement, were the highest performers. Even more important they had the highest self-esteem, the most self-confidence, and the greatest sense that they could prevail even in tough situations.

When I was in the fire service, running the recruit training academy, I used to share with our new hires that we were in a real dilemma. We had hired them for the next 20 years and yet we didn’t know what the job would look like in 20 years.  Therefore, we were hiring them for their effort. If they put the right effort forth, every day of their career, they would get the knowledge and skill necessary to succeed.

If you want to raise successful kids, with a “can do” mindset, you may just want to catch them putting forth a winning effort and then praise them for it. And keep in mind, this may work wonders in your teams at work as well- helping to make them Sustainable High Performers.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Your Mindset is the Biggest Team Builder

Every TIGNUM program we run we have a discussion about what makes up a performance mindset and what destroys a performance mindset. This often leads to a comment that nothing destroys a performance mindset like the negative mindset of a colleague. This brings up a great discussion about whether a person’s mindset is contagious or not.

There is some interesting research that strongly suggests that your thoughts definitely impact those around you. Your attitude affects those around you. In a team, we are constantly impacting and influencing each other’s mindset.

Recently, a client shared with me, that taking her team through TIGNUM was the single best leadership and team building experience she has ever had. At first this really surprised me, since our program was never designed to achieve this. But when I reflected on how this could happen, it made perfect sense to me. When you get a team of Sustainable High Performers together, and they all desire to achieve excellence by building their own (and then virally their team’s) performance mindset, it’s no wonder they develop a team bond like they never had.

This is why one of the most important things a leader can do is to develop their own high performance mindset and then infect their team with it. 

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Buffet Mindset

A breakfast buffet at a nice hotel is a thing of beauty. You know the buffet I’m speaking of. It has all the breads and pastries, eggs, bacon, ham, fruit, yogurt, meat, cheese, juice………….This morning I was getting my breakfast at the buffet at the Hilton in Munich and something hit me. The mindset you take into a buffet determines so much. Yesterday morning I clearly remember thinking about getting my money’s worth at this 26 euro breakfast. I grabbed a plate, and as I frantically worked clockwise around the buffet, I filled my plate to the brim (maybe two). I didn’t miss a beat because I wanted to be sure to get every penny’s worth. I’m sure you’ve done the same so I don’t need to tell you how I felt the next three hours. I was full, bloated, uncomfortable and half asleep. This morning I decided to approach the buffet with a different mindset. I certainly couldn’t change the cost but I could change my mindset. This time I entered with a “get my health’s worth” approach. I was amazed at what a difference it made. Instead of the normal load and run approach, I walked around the buffet once clockwise, once counter-clockwise, and then I was ready to select only the foods I needed to improve my health. I got my protein, my fiber, my fruits, my probiotics and surprisingly it all fit on one plate. In fact, there was actually some room to spare. I relaxed, I didn’t worry about the cost (can’t control it anyway), and I enjoyed every bite. The crazy thing is that all day I have felt great. I have energy, I have focus, and I’m firing on all cylinders. Funny thing, I would certainly pay 26 euros to be this high performance. I guess today I really did get my money’s worth.

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

Stimulating the Economy

Every day I turn on the news and hear about the struggling economy. They talk about government loans to banks, incentive packages, lower interest rates, etc. It’s all about stimulating the economy.

Then I head to work, talk to prospective clients (many of them CEO’s or board members), and hear about how exhausted their leaders are because of their current work challenges and work loads. The thing that really perplexes me is to hear their frustration with their leadership fatigue as they explain to me that now is not the time to invest in their Sustainable High Performance.

Today, during a recovery walk, a thought hit me. Why don’t we stimulate the economy by stimulating the leadership of the Fortune 100 companies? This is what speculators, investors, and fund managers should be talking about. Let's help them realize the benefits of being Sustainable High Performers.

By Jogi Rippel, Founder and CEO

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Team Approach

So often people see TIGNUM as something they should do on their own, something they should do when there is enough “extra” time, something that will make them healthy. What they fail to recognize is that everything we talk about at TIGNUM is designed to help our clients perform their best during the most demanding times.

One of the most rewarding clients we have worked with have been the Unilever Audit teams. These teams travel all over the world and perform internal audits on business groups or small companies that make up the Global Unilever business. These audits are psychologically, physically, emotionally and professionally challenging. They require that a team travel to a location, spend 4 to 6 weeks of intense work, and live away from home in a hotel. It is very stressful and it challenges any routine of normalcy.

This year we completed taking every single member of the Unilever Global Audit team through the TIGNUM program. This gives us a rare opportunity because the team can implement their TIGNUM Sustainable High Performance strategies together. As I’ve always said in the fire service, “No one ever goes into a fire unhealthy and comes out healthier.” The truth is that every crisis or major challenge takes a little away from you. This is why you have to be at your best before it hits, take care of yourself during the event, and recover adequately after it’s over so you’re ready for the next challenge.

After a recent audit in Vietnam, one of our clients emailed me sharing the power of the TIGNUM Sustainable High Performance strategies on his team. This is his note to me.

“It's the first time I've experienced an Audit where the whole team fully embraced the TIGNUM mindset. At the outset the team members agreed to volunteer as Champions to lead the various TIGNUM Pillars (Mindset, Movement, Nutrition, Recovery). From amongst our activities we held daily movement sessions, set aside an area for Power naps, nutritious snacks, etc - all sustained throughout the Audit. It worked. It made for a positive and effective team. In my view, it had an impact on making this a less stressful and successful Audit.“

There is nothing new here, but its clear that sustaining this mindset has an impact on our abilities at an individual and social level....having one motivated person in a team is great, but when everyone is firing on all cylinders it sure does make a difference”

So often it’s difficult for people to see the power of integrating Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery strategies. They fall into the trap of just thinking it’s a health issue. Clearly this demonstrates this is about performance – yours and the teams. What more can you do to help your team become Sustainable High Performers?

By Scott Peltin, Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Curious about Sea Vegetables

Western cultures are only recently beginning to enjoy the taste and nutritional value of sea vegetables, often referred to as seaweed, that have been a staple of the Japanese diet for centuries. Sea vegetables are neither plants nor animals but classified in a group known as algae and are found growing in both marine salt waters as well as fresh water sources.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Japanese cultures have been consuming sea vegetables for more than 10,000 years. In ancient Chinese cultures, sea vegetables were relegated for honored guests and royalty. Globally, many countries near coastal waters also have incorporated sea vegetables; they include Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and coastal South American counties.

You may wonder what is so special nutritionally about these sea vegetables that they have survived the test of time and been incorporated in so many cultures. Interestingly enough, they offer the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean-the same minerals that are found in human blood. Sea vegetables are a very good source of the B-vitamins, particularly folate-important cancer protective nutrient as well as a regulatory constituent in controlling key inflammatory factors. In addition, sea vegetables contain lignans, plant compounds which help with detoxifying processes in the body.

The major impact of sea vegetables I see, relates to its ability to support thyroid function. In Tignum’s nutrition module we emphasize how to use foods to impact our vitality and optimal energy. The thyroid is vital for regulating metabolism in every cell and plays a role in virtually all physiological functions thus consuming foods to support this vital organ will optimize energy in the body.  Even the slightest imbalance in thyroid function can impact your resilience and performance.

Research has also shown that sea vegetables can be key to reducing inflammation in the body which can be quite key in lowering your risk for many degenerative disease conditions. Interestingly enough, the mineral profile is ideal to also help restore normal sleep patterns especially women who are experiencing symptoms of menopause.

Get to know your sea veggies: There are thousands of types of sea vegetables that are classified into categories by color, known either as brown, red or green sea vegetables. The following are some of the most popular types:

Nori: dark purple-black color that turns phosphorescent green when toasted, famous for its role in making sushi rolls.

Kelp: light brown to dark green in color.

Hijiki: looks like small strands of black wiry pasta, has a strong flavor.

Kombu: very dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets, oftentimes used as a flavoring for soups.

Wakame: similar to kombu, most commonly used to make Japanese miso soup.

Arame: this lacy, wiry sea vegetable is sweeter and milder in taste than many others

Dulse: soft, chewy texture and a reddish-brown color.

Next week take the opportunity to think different about your resilience and vitality, think like a Sustainable High Performer and choose to try a sea vegetable to support your metabolism!

By Patti Milligan, Diretor of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Find One Thing You Love

We live in a world of constant change. Most of the clients I deal with are in a constant flux. They are moving to a new city, they are traveling constantly, they are changing positions within their company, and they can’t seem to find the happiness they are seeking.

Recently, I was working with a client and he told me: “I’m trying to keep a positive mindset but to be honest, I don’t like living in London, I don’t like my new position, I miss my friends back home, and it’s really hard right now.” I immediately could feel his pain and his feelings of being overwhelmed with NEW. The problem when we are confronted with all of this new is that it’s hard to see the light of comfort when we’re buried with so much unfamiliar.

This is very common and it often leads to feeling sad, feeling lost, and losing motivation to be a high performer.  The key to finding your high performing self during these times is to find just one thing you love in your NEW. What is one thing you love about your new city? What is one thing you love about your new role? What is one thing you love about your new situation? When I ask my clients these questions they can always find one thing. In fact, they often find more than one.

Once you’ve found this One thing to love the key is to only focus on this one thing. Embrace it, experience it, explore it and enjoy it. Quickly you will turn your anxiety into enthusiasm and quickly you will be out of the doldrums and back into being a Sustainable High Performer. Try it and let me know what happens.

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

What About Tomorrow

Recently I went to a great Melissa Etheridge concert. For those of you who have attended one of our programs you are familiar with her song “The Inconvenient Truth”. This song is a great reflection song about facing the truth within ourselves, even when it may be inconvenient. I love her songs because they always make me think and feel something significant. This is exactly what happened when I heard one of her new songs “What About Tomorrow”.
This song really resonated with me because this is the essence of what Sustainable High Performance is to me, and TIGNUM. Sure you may perform at a high level today but what about tomorrow? Do you have the habits, strategies, and actions necessary to do it again tomorrow? And the next day?  Are you a Sustainable High Performer or are you just a Blind High Performer (someone who is living on fragile credit)?

As we age we get new experiences, new knowledge, and new opportunities. Unfortunately though, many people have such bad Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits that they never get to take advantage of these new opportunities. They never planned for “Tomorrow”. We need to have the energy, capacity and passion to make “Tomorrow” really special.

Sustainable High Performance doesn’t happen by chance it happens by choice. The choices you make today will truly impact “What Happens Tomorrow”. What will your legacy be? What are your Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits? What happens tomorrow depends on them.

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Link between Hunger, Food Cravings and the Brain

Every month, I like to scan the biochemistry and nutritional research, to see if a particular study stands out for its’ “think different” approach to a common issue.

A particular study conducted by Dr. Stephen Anton’s group in the Southeast region of the US seemed to do this with their obesity research.  They wanted to explore any particular biochemistry imbalance that could influence food cravings and hunger to result in weight loss. They did uncover an interesting relationship with a micro-mineral level in the brain and how that could influence hunger, cravings and overeating.
Now initially you say this is common sense but the “think different “ aspect to this study came into play when they began looking at biochemistry mechanisms that actually did all three (reduced cravings, hunger and increased food satisfaction).

In two separate studies conducted- one double blind animal study and another human subject study, they measured the micro-mineral (chromium picolinate which is key to proper glucose metabolism) to assess its relationship within the brain. The researchers explained that having an optimal blood level of chromium picolinate was enough of an influence on the brain’s hunger center to suppress cravings/hunger and elevate meal satisfaction!

Working with the Sustainable High Performer clients at TIGNUM, I find that "knowing” the nutrition strategies is not the issue, sometimes consistently “doing” them can be challenging for some of above stated reasons. Thinking differently about food cravings, hunger satisfaction and managing weight by choosing foods are nutrient dense to optimize micro-mineral levels may be hold a key for high performance clients. I look forward to more exploration of unique associations between eating behaviors and nutritional biochemistry to offer us understanding on how to have more vitality and eat to thrive just not survive.

By Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Guilt – The Mindset Slayer

When I’m helping clients build the proper habits to have a High Performance Mindset I’m constantly reminded that there is an on-going battle in place. There are the habits we are trying to develop to move us up the hill and then there are the boulders falling down the hill that are trying to slay us. One of these boulders is guilt.

Guilt is basically a feeling of failure for not reaching an intended outcome. The problem is that these intended outcomes can come from many different places (family, bosses, co-workers, religions, society, etc.). These outcomes are often unrealistic, unhealthy, not pertinent or meaningless.

So what is the key to getting rid of guilt? First, quit focusing on outcomes and instead focus on the performance based factors you can control. This means, focus on your self-talk, the stories you tell yourself, your mental preparation, your review process, your movement habits, your nutrition habits, and your recovery habits. Second, question the outcomes you keep chasing. Are they realistic? Are they within your control? Have you tied your self-worth to them? Where did they come from? What would happen if you didn’t achieve them (worse case scenario)? Are they necessary?

The interesting thing that I’ve found is the more my clients focus on these outcomes, the more guilty they feel, the more distracted they become, the more overwhelmed they feel and the greater the chance of them falling short. The more they focus on their habits, on the little things they can do everyday, and on the action items within their control the more often they not only meet their goals – they exceed them and become Sustainable High Performers.

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Employment Trends Make Sustainable High Performance Even More Important

Yesterday I saw a report that predicted employment trends for the next 12 years. In light of the current turmoil of the market I found these trends especially meaningful. The projected trend is that very few workers will be able to retire at the current acceptable retirement ages of 59 to 64. This will be for several reasons. First, due to the challenges businesses are facing with the Generation Y workforce, older executives will be asked to continue working to provide leadership and experience. Second, with the market sensitivity and the growing debt of many nations, it is unlikely that the current government retirement benefit plans will remain healthy enough to support our current retirement ages. Finally, with the progress of modern medicine, the life expectancy is growing longer and longer. Unfortunately, with the rising levels of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease this may not mean a longer high quality life.

These projections really interested me because one of the things that we try to do at TIGNUM is to help our clients Think Different about their future. We challenge them to plan for their own performance, sustainability and vitality just as they customarily do for their financial health. We say, open your mind, become more aware of your potential to be better tomorrow, and make the changes now so you can enjoy the benefits. Unfortunately, so many people wait for a crisis to really change their habits. With the new trends the need for strong Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits has never been greater- and these four pillars are key to becoming a Sustainable High Performer.

by Jogi Rippel, Founder and CEO

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

One of Tignum’s Recovery Tools Linked to a Key Tignum Nutrition Level!

I wanted to share this research article that discusses the impact of Laughter. A Japanese study looked at the effect of laughter on diabetes patients. The researchers were measuring the effects of laughter on blood sugar levels and immune cell function. The study intervention was carried out over two days.

First day they were exposed to comic videos and during the laughter, blood samples were taken 3 different time periods to measure blood glucose levels and immune cell response. The next day was the control day and no humor introduced but the same blood parameters were measured. Results revealed that after the period of laughter on the first day, the blood glucose levels over the course of 4 hours (even with a meal) were better controlled and steady then the day without laughter. The researchers also reported that on the first day, the increase in Natural Killer cells suggested that laughter also could have an impact on the immune system.

In the Tignum recovery module, we discuss how laughter can help offer recovery and rejuvenation to positively impact performance and sustainability. I always find that I get excited when we can have clinical evidence that is measurable that links the Tignum strategies to optimal health and performance.  By employing laughter as a recovery tool, you can steady blood sugar and positively impact your immune system-both important for sustainability and peak performance (mentally and physically).

The Japanese doctors that conducted the study concluded their results add to the growing body of evidence pointing to the healing effects of laughter. I think I will go read the comics in the local newspaper to help me keep my Sustainable High Performer mindset! Hope you do as well.

By Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Little Things Keep Habits

Today I had one of those crazy days where my best plans to get a workout in fell to the wayside. I swore when I woke up that I had time to get 45 minutes of movement in.  But after an unexpected call and an urgent SMS message that didn’t happen. I rushed off to work with a day full of meetings, emails, and coaching calls and as usual very few opportunities to squeeze my movement in.

After a long day, I crawled home in rush hour traffic and arrived home to my teenage son who was waiting for me to take him to the store to get some last minute school supplies. By this time I was not only sure that my movement had fallen to the wayside, I was tired and almost happy to let my movement habit slide away.

Then I remembered my own advice: “Something is always better than nothing!” “The key is keeping your habit!” So I went upstairs and invested 10 minutes into a No Excuse Workout. I don’t want to be smug and say I told me so, but I did. I couldn’t believe how much better I felt, how much my energy improved, and most important how proud I was with myself that I kept my promise to myself to do some movement today.

When you think about the key to becoming a Sustainable High Performer it really is action. It’s having great habits and moving from knowing to doing.

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Lavender Shown to Have Mild Relaxation Effects and May Benefit Circulation

I love to read my monthly issue of Herbalgram. It is published by the Herb Research Foundation and provides a wealth of key botanical research as it applies to health and healing. This summer issue highlighted one of my favorite herbs: lavender.

We are all aware that mental stress impacts the human body in a variety of ways.  This study addressed the effects of stress on restricting the heart’s blood supply which increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. This Japan study looked at the effect of the herb-lavender as aromatherapy on blood flow to the heart and cortisol levels (stress hormone marker). Results showed that men that used 4-5 drops of lavender oil in 20 ml of hot water as aromatherapy in their rooms had statistically significant lower blood levels of cortisol and increased improvement in blood flow to the heart. The researchers concluded that this was the first study of its kind that measured the acute effects of aromatherapy on heart circulation and stress hormones. They hope that more trials will be done to look at the long term effects of aromatherapy on the human body!

This is great news to all Sustainable High Performers, it opens the door to think different about our plants and herbs around us and how our health can be impacted.

By Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Think Better

I just finished reading an interesting book called Think Better by Tim Hurson. It's all about how to become more innovative by improving productive thinking. While I was reading this book it really made me think. I started thinking about what motivated me to think about TIGNUM. Sure there was the motivation of my father being sick but clearly, from the beginning, there was more. That "more" for me was the irony that so many people thought that "thinking differently' just happened. This amazed me and started me down the path to really look at how to help top executives learn to be more innovative, more creative, but most of all better thinkers so they could perform better for longer.

When I met Scott, and we talked about the importance for firefighters to do this under the most stressful situations, I knew we were onto something. Today I realized that the world, and most of our clients, are in one of these "stressful situations". There are huge global challenges, huge business challenges, and huge personal challenges and yet the need for clear, creative, innovative and better thinking has never been higher. Unfortunately, most of the CEO's and other top executives I meet, still think this happens by chance. They think you either have it or you don't.

My experience, through TIGNUM, has taught me that nothing can be further from the truth. Everything can be taught! The tipping point is that just because you Learn it doesn't mean you'll Do it. Doing it is really the key and that's what Scott showed me that firefighters do best. They practice their performance mindset on the small calls, doing the simple things, so that when they need them the most they will be second nature. This is the same approach we have taken with teaching our Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits. We ask our clients to practice them everyday so when the pressure really hits, on those really stressful days (which seem to be coming way more frequently), these habits that make them Sustainable High Performers, will be second nature.

When I hear a client say that they didn't have time to use our high performance strategies I immediately know that here is a client that is leaving their performance and their sustainability, and unfortunately their company's performance to chance. I can't remember who said that desperate times require desperate measures but at Tignum we believe that's a recipe for a disaster. Desperate times (e.g. tough markets, smaller margins, tight competition, high stress, high workloads, etc.) require good habits - Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery habits!

By Jogi Rippel, CEO

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Feeling Empty After Vacation

I hope this blog finds you happy and relaxed after a nice summer holiday. Unfortunately, the story I hear all too often is not one of returning to work refreshed and rejuvenated, but rather one of shock, despair, and a gasp for air. Why does this happen? How can 7 days, 14 days, or even longer of vacation leave you feeling inadequate within 2 hours of returning to work?

The answer is simple but often overlooked. It’s a matter of not preparing your mindset for the change of scenery and demands. It’s basically bringing a knife to a gun fight and this is why it can be so unnerving.

As a Sustainable High Performer, the next time you take a vacation try doing a little gear shifting before you head back into the jungle. The night before you go back to work take 30 minutes and begin planning for your transition. What will be in your inbox? Who will be waiting to meet with you? What tasks will be the most critical for you to tackle? Spend some time doing some mental preparation for what’s ahead, how you will meet the challenges, where you will get your recovery breaks, where you will need to be really sharp, and what you plan on accomplishing (realistically).

When you go back to work ill prepared you not only leave high performance to chance, you also throw away the money and time you spent rejuvenating yourself. The next time you take a holiday (even a 3 day weekend), spend 30 minutes getting into your performance mindset before you head back to work. You just may find the challenges that wait for you stimulating.

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

The Magic of the High Performance Mindset

I have been thinking a lot lately about the magic key for improving Mindset in our clients. I tried to organize and summarize all of the coaching calls I’ve had with my executives, the courtside conversations I’ve had with my athletes, as well as the Mindset things I’ve struggled with over my years in the fire service and in my personal life. If I had to put it all into one word it would be Control.

It seems to me the constant Mindset battle is trying to change things that we can’t control. It could be the traffic, the late train, the delayed flight, the number of meetings in a day, the number of emails, the demands and expectations of others on me, the needs of our spouse or our kids, the price of fuel, the state of the economy, the political opinion of my friend, the cost of my daughter’s education, the gusty wind on the tennis court, or the mountain of other challenges we face everyday. The more I look at all of these things (that appear completely unrelated) the more I realize that they all share one common thread – I can’t control them.

Faced with this earth shattering truth, I realize that I only have two choices: I can worry, complain, kick, scream, and suffer (a great way to move in the direction of burnout) OR I can laugh and focus on only those things that I can control (a great way to move in the direction of being a Sustainable High Performer). This doesn’t mean I ignore all of those other things. On the contrary, If I ignore them they will control me. They fester in my subconscious and they leave me feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. The answer is to be very aware of them, but this means being aware that they exist and that I can’t control them.

This leaves me with one solution. Be diligently aware of the situations in my life, be painfully honest with myself on what I can control, and be passionately committed to action on the things that I can control. The key to making this fundamental, but monumental shift, is to ask yourself – What can I control? What can I do? Then do it with an unmatched excellence.

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Oscillation

A question I often get is: "How can I use some of the TIGNUM recovery strategies when I'm in the middle of a meeting and I feel the pressure growing?" . This is a great question because clearly you need to stay 100% present during these challenging moments. This may not seem like the appropriate time to put on your ipod, close your eyes, and break into some alternate nostril breathing.

If you really think of the essence of this very common question it is: How do I prevent feeling overwhelmed in the moment that I need to really be a Sustainable High Performer? My answer to this is: "Preparation is everything!".  As Scott often says, he's never seen a firefighter who went into a fire unhealthy and unprepared come out of the fire healthy and prepared. The fact is that the challenges we face chip away at us, unless we are prepared to handle them.

So how do you prepare yourself to be a high performer when you really need it? You practice your Mindset, Nutrition, Movement and Recovery strategies even when you don't think you need them. Everyday you get several often unnoticed opportunities to practice your high performance strategies such as mental imagery, oscillation, eating for brain performance, or moving to increase your creativity and focus. These strategies, and the many others you learned in the TIGNUM program, are cumulative and they strengthen your resolve and resilience for when you need it. Even more important they ensure you will be a high performer even when you find yourself in that pressure cooker.

By André Hartwich, Performance Coach

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Going Nuts Can Be a Good Thing

A study was published in Journal of Nutrition a few months ago that caught my attention. It compared two groups of men and women, one who consumed 45 grams of nuts (namely macademia nuts-which are high in monounsaturated fat) and the other group had no nuts but the same amount of total fat.  The study measured the change in lipid profile between the groups. The results revealed that the nut group had a significant reduction in both LDL (unhealthy) cholesterol and total cholesterol in just 5 weeks as opposed to the group without nuts.

This is great news for blood cholesterol management, which many of us Sustainable High Performers can benefit. But  I think  this study could have gone further and also measured inflammation markers and immune system function. If they had, we would have seen a decrease in inflammation markers and increase in immune system function, which really speaks to long term vitality and resilience. Nuts offer a great profile of key antioxidants and minerals that serve the body well to reduce inflammation and bolster the immune system. At TIGNUM, we want you to Think Different about foods and this is a great study to highlight all that nuts can offer. Go ahead, go nuts! (just watch the quantity to maintain a healthy weight)

By Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Take a Deep Breath!

I recently read a great article about the power of a strong mindset in race car drivers. At 200 mph/322 kmh (just slightly under the current speed of business), the unprepared brain will trigger a panicky jolt of energy, that floods the body with adrenalin and cortisol. When Patrick Jacobs coached Indianapolis 500 winner, Gil De Ferran, he coached him to resist that primal instinct with controlled breathing techniques learned through Prana Yoga. This clearly shows that with practice, breathing can help anyone handle stress, and perform their best, even under the greatest amounts of pressure.

If these techniques can be used at 200 mph/322 kmh they can also be used by Sustainable High Performers during a meeting, during a negotiation, or anytime you need high performance.

By Adrianne Bowden, Tignum Coach

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Some Insights on Coffee

About three weeks ago, I read Jane Brody’s column in the New York Times(5 Aug 2008) on sorting out coffee’s contradictions. While I enjoy Jane’s thoroughness to her research review, I wanted to share my thoughts and encourage you to  Think Different about reading this at face value.

The article mentions that coffee (in particular caffeine) is not dehydrating because there was very little difference seen in the amount of urine produced by coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers. Current cellular hydration studies show that the amount of urine you produce HAS nothing to do with cellular hydration status and how water is distributed throughout the body. True optimal hydration as it relates to energy production, proper body functioning and strong immune system  is not measured by urine quantity. Associating hydration with urine produced is unfortunately prevalent but really a bit of  "old school thinking”. In fact, coffee is highly acidic and facilitates water redistribution, pulling water out of the cells and thus compromising cellular functioning which impacts energy and immune system function.

The article concludes coffee doesn’t contribute to bone density loss and thus doesn’t pose a risk for bone health.  There is question among integrative medicine experts if measuring bone density is the most accurate way to assess bone nutriture and risk for bone thinning disease. They contend that measuring the  “rate of turnover of old bone and new bone” is much more dynamic way to assess bone health and disease risk. Using this criteria, coffee’s tannins and oxalic acids actually have been shown to stunt the bond-building cells (osteoclasts) and therefore do affect the rate of bone turnover and could increase disease risk.

Lastlly, there is strong evidence optimal adrenal health could hold a key to aging gracefully and body rejuvenation. Adrenal glands are critically involved in immune health and overall vitality. Overstimulation of the adrenal glands can lead to adrenal burnout, a condition seen more frequently in younger and younger folks.  Coffee studies show that they "stimulate" adrenals superficially and may in fact play a part in adrenal health.

I would like to re-iterate our TIGNUM Sustainable High Performer nutrition philosophy. First, we invite you to become more aware of how your food and beverage choices impact how you feel and your health. We also believe that there is a moderation and common sense approach to foods. Elevating your awareness can allow you to make different choices and see how they impact your vitality and resilience. Therefore if you choose to enjoy coffee, please do so being fully aware!!

By Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Watch Top Athletes at the Olympics - and Learn!

You all knew I would have to talk about the Olympics since we are right in the middle of them and there are so many amazing stories. I don't even know where to start, because I love stories, but I think the Dara Torres story really resonates with all of us that have jumped past 40 years old.

Dara Torres was the oldest swimmer to medal when she was 33. But of course that was two Olympics ago because now she's 41. Like many of us she is a parent now (with all the extra demands that come with that), and like many of us she has realized that she doesn't bounce back like she did at her first international race when she was 14. This weekend Dara won a silver medal, missing the gold by only .01 seconds. What was her secret to perform at such a high level, at the age of 41, against the greatest swimmers in the world?

After many injuries and set backs, Dara realized that it wasn't just how hard or how often she trained. She realized that it was how well she recovered that really made the difference. Training only 1/2 as much as she did in the past, focusing more on stretching and other restorative modalities, and keeping a mindset that it's quality of movement that matters not just quantity launched her the medal stand. In addition, watch her before her races, after her races and in her interviews - she's always taking advantage of her best relaxation tool - her smile! She is a great model for Sustainable High Performers!

By Scott Peltin,  Founder, Director of Performance

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance

Healthy Cholesterol levels achieved by Nutrients vs. Medications

This could be great news for one out of three of us that are struggling with high cholesterol!

Recently Mayo Clinic Proceedings published a well controlled study that I was excited about because it showed that patients achieved lower blood cholesterol levels via nutrients (fish oil and red yeast rice combination) even BETTER than a daily statin medication.

Dr. David Becker from Univ. of Penn commented that this research was intriguing  and great news for patients to have an alternative treatment for managing cholesterol levels through natural supplements. He noted that many cholesterol medications have side effects and can stress liver function which can negatively impact health.

The study details revealed the high cholesterol patients that were given a combination of fish oil and red yeast rice had a 42% reduction cholesterol levels. Fish oil quantity was 3000-4000 mg/day. The red yeast rice contained a total monacolin content of 5.3 mg.

Of note, Red yeast rice is the product of yeast grown on rice. It is a dietary staple in some Asian countries, and reportedly contains several compounds that inhibit cholesterol production.

Globally, we are studying nutrients to enhance health, correct bodily dysfunction such as high cholesterol and to rejuvenate cells from aging which will lead to incredible diet regimens that work in harmony with our body. This study is a step in the right direction! Remembering to have adequate fiber from foods such as beans, apples, pears and oats can also help manage healthy cholesterol levels as well! Stay tuned for more great nutrition research- and eat the Sustainable High Performer way!

by Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition

TIGNUM - Institute for Sustainable High Performance