Leading in a Non-Linear World

CHAPTER 10A MORE HUMAN MINDSET – ALIVE, OPEN, AND CONNECTED

The foundational mindset on which we build all others we call more human. It connects us to our mind and body, unlocking the interior resources that fuel our wellbeing. Building this mindset starts by deepening our self-awareness so we can see more clearly the gap between what we know, what we need, and what we do. The critical assumption we're continuously testing is that we're getting what we need to feel alive, open, and connected.

By strengthening the feedback loops that attune us to our needs, healthier behaviours become our choices more naturally, rather than attempting to rely on willpower or habit-building techniques – both of which we have found to be ineffective sustainable strategies.

FIGURE 10.1 Building the ‘more human’ mindset

Source: Jean Gomes

We have an extraordinary capacity to dissociate ourselves from our most fundamental needs. We often describe and treat our bodies as if they were machines that we own and that will function regardless of what we do to them. At the point of his imminent death from cancer, the public intellectual, Christopher Hitchens, reflected that ‘I don't have a body, I am a body’.

We live in an era of abundant information and resources to support our wellbeing. At the same time, lifestyle diseases, mental health, and social problems are soaring. We are wealthier, more informed, ...