Peak performance for individuals, teams, and organizations is about “resilience as recharge” – creating regular, reasonable routines that recharge us and help us Burn Bright instead of burning out. Our complex, volatile, and fast-paced world can drain us, especially during times of crisis and change. The lack of an “off switch” has people everywhere exhausted and approaching burnout, which was recently classified by the World Health Organization as an official syndrome linked to chronic, unmanaged stress and disengagement at work. This not only impacts individual performance and judgment, but also team effectiveness and organizational outcomes. There is an alternative. With intention and attention we can learn to avoid burnout and instead Burn Bright, bringing our best selves to all we do. Peak performers in every field know that high performance and productivity do not come from blindly pushing harder and working longer. Instead, they engage in a series of small, reinforcing behaviors to manage their energy and create conditions for peak performance.

In many ways, sleep is the X factor in bringing your best, most energized, most resilient self more consistently to all areas of your life. Without a strong sleep foundation, resilience is significantly harder to build and maintain. Building in time to recover and recharge at work improves resilience and strengthens your performance. Likewise, movement is a key component to increased resilience and performance, both in our personal and professional lives. Movement and exercise are a proven way to promote the growth of new brain cells. Even just five minutes of exercise outdoors can decrease stress, improve mood, enhance focus, and boost self-control. In the modern workspace many of us may find ourselves sitting at a desk or in conference rooms for hours on end, but there are strategies that you can begin to incorporate to bring movement into the workplace for you and your team members.

Developing and maintaining resilience is dependent upon a healthy body and mind. Because approximately 20% of our energy is spent fueling our brains, what we eat directly affects our mental state. While each person has their own individual dietary needs, research suggests that some common dietary habits can slow our effectiveness as individuals and as a team. That is because our brain is truly a powerful organ; it even gives us the ability to relive experiences and project into the future. Unfortunately, this can compromise our physical health and lead to anxiety and an utter lack of focus. Attention control and focus are key skills for modern leadership, yet they are increasingly difficult to achieve in our world of perpetual digital distractions. If we aren’t careful, we can be pulled mindlessly in many directions. By practicing mindfulness, we can reclaim and recharge our resilience and attention span.

The human brain is wired for social connection. As social animals, we search for psychological safety, ensuring that members are accepted fully and able to share interpersonally without risk. By building relationships before focusing on a task, we enhance our resilience and that of our team. Without motivation, there is no resilience to recover quickly from difficulties. As leaders, we ask others to spend the majority of their waking hours in service of the goals of the organization. As such, it is essential that we help them feel that their work, even the small daily tasks, is meaningful. Without motivation, there is no resilience to recover quickly from difficulties. As leaders, we ask others to spend the majority of their waking hours in service of the goals of the organization. As such, it is essential that we help them feel that their work, even the small daily tasks, is meaningful.

Your brain resists uncertainty because the unknown is threatening, even when change is good. It loves existing habits and routines, and it will try to resist new efforts at building habits, especially if it’s tired. However, your brain’s second priority is to maximize reward. By taking baby steps to maximize reward, you can approach resilience. When components of resilience are exhibited at work, they are seen as being lucky. Fortunately there are strategies to increase your luck in order to maximize reward. Too often people see resilience as the act of “bouncing back” when experiencing a setback. Truly resilient people are agile learners who develop and grow from their experiences. Their resilience allows them to “bounce forward,” moving them forward in life beyond where they might have been had they not experienced a setback.