Can You Hear Me?

Before making an important announcement aboard the ship a boatswain whistle is used to get the attention of the crew. A friend recently asked me for some sage advice on how to influence teammates in Active Listening. How do you get your team’s attention?
To start, the practice of “situational awareness” is very important; are all attendees present both physically and mentally?

Performance – Cognitive

Treat your mind as a muscle that can atrophy if not exercised. In the military, we used a term called Mental Gym to exercise thought in highly intense and stressful environments. For example to quickly calculate torpedo firing solutions while tracking enemy submarines or calculating the “Closest Point of Approach” while tracking ships in the open ocean to avoid a collision.

Performance – Physical

Fuel your body with premium unleaded…not the cheap stuff. It sounds harder than it is. Start with small digestible steps and pay attention to the nutrition label. A balanced diet of nuts, fruits, greens, and meats in “moderate” portion sizes is the key. Have the discipline to plan ahead and remove the excuse of “It’s late, I have no time” and default back to the easy take-out menu.