The document discusses the essential relationship between physical activity, mental well-being, and performance in the workplace, emphasizing the impact of happiness and stress management on individual and team effectiveness. It highlights the benefits of high-intensity exercise in promoting cognitive functions and emotional health, ultimately leading to better job performance and workplace culture. The findings suggest that organizations should implement wellness programs that encourage regular high-intensity training to optimize employee health and productivity.

1. www.iedp.com
Feeding Curious Minds
www.IdeasforLeaders.com
DevelopingLeaders
ISSUE 23: 2016
Big picture leadership, fine-tuned Quarterly
General Motors CEO Mary
Barra’s Leadership Journey
Bob Rosen
Feelgood to Performance
Rakesh Sondhi
Innovation in the Mind
Gerald Hüther
Creating an Impact
Conversations with Dominique Turpin
and Scott Beardsley
Corporate Best Practice
BG Group, PIRCH Inc and
Boehringer Ingelheim
Insights from Ashridge Hult, CCL,
Cranfield, Darden, Göttingen IESE, IMD,
UC Berkeley, Tuck, Vlerick and others
From Innovation Graveyard
to Innovation Hotbed

2. Executive Development
Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016 | 23
F
or many years academics and consultants have studied a variety of factors
that impact on the performance of an individual, and of teams, in a work
environment. Consequently, programs have been created incorporating
sophisticated development techniques to change and grow people so they
perform at their optimal level. However, most people will admit that corporate performance
is very rarely maximized at both an individual and a team level. Additionally, the increasing
fast pace of work, combined with competitive pressures of modern day life, are leading to
higher stress that impacts individual well-being, and thus performance in an organizational
context. Companies realize it is not enough to just have highly educated and skilled people
– they need to ensure their workforce is also healthy and happy, if they want to possess
exceptional teams that perform at the highest levels, consistently.
Combining an interest in sport, both individual and team, with organizational performance I
have often wondered about the degree of linkage between the mental and physical state,
in terms of the well-being of the individual and the delivery of goals of an organization.
Playing various sports, I always noticed how my mental state, and impression of well-
being, was affected by the level and type of physical activity. In this article I explore the
link between the type of physical activity undertaken by an individual, and the impact on
the mental factors and well-being that drive performance in the workplace.
Well-being or wellness defined as the state of being happy, healthy and successful
comprises many elements including physical activity, nutrition and mental exercise. A
higher level of well-being or wellness provides a greater ability to cope with higher levels
of stress and pressure, having a huge impact on the performance of the individual. Stress
is the adverse reaction an individual has to different levels of pressure. Pressure can be a
positive state if managed correctly. Stress releases cortisol, a hormone raising blood sugar
levels, and having a negative impact on performance.
Yerkes-Dodson’s Law demonstrates the role pressure plays in enhancing performance.
There is a point on the pressure performance curve where pressure begins to have a
negative effect on performance. Optimum performance is achieved during an average
level of pressure to deliver outcomes.
The key elements contributing to an individual delivering exceptional performance are
happiness, self-awareness and authenticity.
Shawn Achor argues 75% of job successes are determined by our level of happiness (a
mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging
from contentment to intense) and our ability to see pressure as a challenge rather than
as a threat. The more an individual is happy, the more likely success will be the outcome,
Feelgood to Performance
The Organizational Benefits of High Intensity Exercise
By Rakesh Sondhi
Authenticity
Focus
Self awareness
Confidence
Humility
Happiness
Positivity
Relationships
Creativity
Energy levels
Key success factors
for performance

3. Executive Development
24 | Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016
creating ‘a happiness advantage’, where intelligence, creativity and energy levels rise.
90% of our happiness is predicted by our internal state. Success follows happiness not
the other way round. Increased happiness releases dopamine in the brain, invigorating
your learning ability and drive for success.
Jay Niblick identified five levels of performance, of which the “genius” level is the absolute
peak of performance. He discovered the key ingredients needed to perform at the genius
level were authenticity and self-awareness. Authenticity is the “degree to which one is
true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite external pressures” and self-
awareness is the “capacity for introspection, and the ability to recognize oneself as an
individual separate from the environment and other individuals”. Both of these factors are
very dependent on the individual state of positivity and happiness of the individual.
Research by John Eliot, a sports psychologist and adjunct professor at SMU Cox, has
suggested that ‘overachievement’ (defined as “individuals who go beyond expectations
and consistently perform at their best”) is a product of a qualitative mindset based on
happiness and confidence. All performers, regardless of activity, described the same basic
reasons behind their success and achievement – they had freed themselves from goals
and judgements – the conventional prescriptions for achievement and success – and had
more freedom to express themselves and perform better. Eliot discusses two mindsets
that overachievers embrace. These are the training mindset, which is more goal oriented
and quantitative, and the trusting mindset which is more about delivering performance
and qualitative. The trusting mindset frees individuals from outputs and focuses more
on “rhythm” and expression. However, optimization of the trusting mindset is achieved
by embracing the training mindset during the development, and refinement, of skills and
competencies. Importantly, the quantitative mindset plays a major role during any form of
training undertaken by the individual, including physical training.
Performance and pressure
based on Yerkes Dodson Law
Source: Williams 1994
Boredom Comfort
Stretch
Improved
Stretch
Strain
Crisis
Exhaustion,
Serious health
problems,
Breakdown,
burnout
Fatigue, Poor
performance,
Panic, Ill health
Optimum performance
moving across
these 3 zones
Average MaximumMinimum
Performance
Pressure
90% of our happiness
is predicted by our
internal state. Success
follows happiness not
the other way round

4. Executive Development
Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016 | 25
There are numerous initiatives, such as the US Healthy Workforce Act of 2007(s1753),
across the world encouraging companies to offer wellness and health-based programs
to improve performance through maintaining a healthy workforce. In many cases these
focus on avoiding negative outcomes, such as absenteeism, but there are more positive
outcomes to benefit companies in terms of more creative and productive teams.
Currently, employers face two key issues in the workplace with both older and younger
workers. The first is an ageing workforce or more specifically the apparent deterioration in
mental performance, as employees get older, leading to a decline in individual performance.
Many areas of research suggest that processing speed, attention, memory and executive
function deteriorate with ageing. Changes in brain volume occur faster in adults after 50
years of age, with an annual decline of 0.35% compared to 0.12% in young adults. The
volume of the hippocampus, which plays a major role in memory formation declines at a
rate of 0.86% per year (from 26 to 82 years), 1.18% per year after 50 years, and 1.85%

5. Executive Development
26 | Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016
per year after 70 years. The second issue is the low attention span (ability to focus mental
efforts on one activity, which is considered key to the achievement of goals) of younger
workers, making it difficult to establish longer-term relationships and team performance.
As people get older their brain’s processing speed declines due to the loss of white
matter integrity (essentially the myelin coating the axons that connect the ‘grey matter’ in
the brain, and enhance the speed of transmission within the brain) and also a decline in
working memory. Also, older people have reduced inhibition compared to younger workers
leading to increased distraction through irrelevant information. The ability to focus is an
issue for people of all ages.
Exercise is stated as a key activity that influences the above factors driving performance,
but specific forms of practice can have different levels of impact. Physical exercise is a
key contributor to wellness and happiness, and thus to the mental state needed for high
performance through improved decision making and focus.
As people age and exercise more, the VO2
max (i.e. the volume of oxygen consumed
while exercising at maximum capacity) improves leading to improved cognitive functions
(i.e. perception, thinking, reasoning and memory). Interestingly, studies have shown that
aerobic based exercise improves cognitive behaviour whereas other forms of exercise,
specifically strength and flexibility exercise, did not improve cognitive behaviour as
significantly. In addition, cognitive behaviour improved considerably where the activity or
exercise undertaken required attentional or executive control i.e. the exercise program
actually involved some level of decision-making and focus. Studies show physical activity
leads to neuron generation, through an increase in Insulin like Growth Factor 1(IGF-1),
and changes in the level of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a key
protein improving neuroplasticity, and thus learning and memory.
Cognitive behaviour
improved considerably
where the activity or
exercise undertaken
required attentional or
executive control i.e.
the exercise program
actually involved some
level of decision-
making and focus
Benefits of exercise on the brain
EXERCISE
• Increase of motor control
• Better performance in ADLs
• Increase in cognitive function
• Improvement in quality of life
NEUROGENESIS ANGIOGENESIS NEUROPLASTICITY
BENEFITS
• Antioxidant activity
• Synthesis of
dopamine
• BDNF
• IGF-1
• Synthesis of
acetylcholine
• BDNF
• IGF-1
• Serotonin
• Norepinephrine
• BDNF
• IGF-1
CONSEQUENCES
• Improved postural
balance
• Improved mood
• Higher self esteem
• Increased interest in
enjoyable activities
• Happier
• More creative
• Improved memory
• Generation of new
memories
• Improved cognitive
function and learning

6. Executive Development
28 | Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016
Different forms of physical exercise based on intensity, duration and focus have different
levels of impact on health and performance, with high intensity and shorter duration
exercise having an increased benefit.
Evidence suggests exercise has a positive effect on mental health and cognition, but only
with appropriate regular and frequent practice. Studies have shown that exercise at high
intensity compared to low or moderate intensity, lead to greater pleasure and positivity
due to the level of challenge or pressure offered by this form of exercise. Excessive
stress is shown to release cortisol in the brain leading to a high cortisol state causing
hippocampal degeneration (the human brain has two hippocampi, one on each side of the
brain, and consolidates information from short-term memory to long-term memory and
spatial navigation) and poor performance in memory tests.
Different intensities of exercise have different levels of impact on cognitive functions.
High intensity training (working at 85-95% VO2
max) has a greater benefit on neurological
behaviours that are present for longer periods of time, such as dementia, compared to
low intensity training. High intensity training is of shorter duration (20-30 mins) with
significantly greater benefits than lower intensity training at longer periods of duration.
It also improves mood, focus and discipline due to the shorter timeframes and greater
mental strength needed to see the challenges through.
High intensity interval training (HIIT), including multi-functional movement, requires the
brain to be engaged, and demonstrates an increased connection between the brain and
body. Multi-functional training involves multiple parts of the body linking with decisions
from the brain, and focuses on adaptation and creativity. Research has shown that low and
moderate level exercise takes about 12 months for the brain to see benefit, compared to
six weeks for high intensity training.
Moderate to high intensity exercise lowers serotonin in the blood and increases it in
the brain, increasing happiness and reducing depression (Serotonin is a neurotransmitter
connected with states of happiness and well-being). Matt Killingsworth, a Harvard
doctoral researcher, mentions happiness increases where there is less wandering of the
mind. He also discusses the importance of exercise in increasing levels of happiness as
their mind is more focused. People are less likely to allow their minds to wander when
they undertake physical exercise, especially exercise at shorter periods of duration and
high intensity, leading to improved performance. People are also happiest when they are
appropriately challenged, not threatened. Frequent multifunctional, high intensity training
(3-5 times per week) may be configured to provide appropriate challenges that push
individuals and in the process increase happiness on a regular basis. Prof Ed Diener, best
known for his work on happiness at the Universities of Utah and Virginia, discovered the
higher frequency of positive experiences increases happiness, rather than the intensity of
positive experiences.
The higher frequency of positive experiences
increases happiness, rather than the intensity of
positive experiences.

7. Executive Development
Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016 | 29
Westudiedtheimpactofdifferentexerciseregimesonthevariouselementsofperformance
described above, specifically, happiness, focus, humility, mood, creativity, energy levels and
delivering results, through surveys and detailed interviews with business professionals,
working in high stress roles, following controlled multi-functional, high intensity exercise
programs over a six week period.
70% of participants involved in competitive exercise regimes were more challenging in
their work environments compared to 100% of participants involved in lower intensity
training, who were less challenging in their places of work. Participants training at a higher
intensity level tended to hit their targets more regularly compared to when they failed to
fit in the higher intensity training. The mindset of the individual tended to be more focused
on challenging boundaries of personal and professional life when they were regularly
training in high intensity training.
Participants found greater satisfaction with the quality of outputs during the weeks
they were able to carry out any form of exercise regularly and frequently, suggesting
this positive mindset and higher levels of self-esteem appear regardless of the type of
exercise undertaken.
Interestingly, the energy levels of the participants were significantly higher when they
had undertaken high intensity training. For example, one of the participants involved in
the controlled program was a medical doctor, who found his energy levels were at their
lowest level during the weeks he was unable to do any high intensity training, even though
he was doing a considerable amount of his own lower intensity training. In addition, the
generation of new Ideas seemed to be linked to energy levels and the mental state,
specifically level of happiness, of the participants.
Participants in the controlled study agreed the variety and diversity of challenges offered
in multi-functional, high intensity training was very stimulating, due to the level of surprise
and uncertainty. Greater variety in exercise formats also developed the adaptability of
participants’ as they had to survive with unknown environments, reducing the opportunity
to be prepared and familiar with specific challenges. Once again, the medical doctor
commented on how HIIT (high intensity interval training) helped in coping with the huge
workload and stresses he had to cope with on a daily basis and noted how his stress levels
increased, and performance levels decreased, the days he was unable to fit in the HIIT

8. Executive Development
30 | Developing Leaders Issue 23: 2016
session. Another key feature of high intensity training was the role of time driven goals
in creating exhilaration, thus improving the mood and happiness when the target was
achieved, in the form of an adrenaline rush. Exercise in an appropriate class environment
created a degree of peer pressure, under a fun scenario, lending itself to building a happy
environment and positive mindset.
Multi-functional, high intensity training creates unique challenges requiring mental
stimulation and increasing levels of personal awareness regarding the effort to deliver
outcomes. Participants commented on how the shorter duration of high intensity training
combined with the novelty of the challenges provided little opportunity for the mind to
wander, and thus created a happier mindset and associated benefits.
Without exception participants found high intensity exercise stimulating, focused and
hard. Another participant involved in the controlled training environment was a business
account director who had not trained for many years and had smoked for 27 years. After
six weeks of training he started seeing significant changes in mindset and energy levels
at work. Due to the challenges in the workout, from a neurological point of view, he found
it difficult to sleep initially as he was looking at how he could improve performance, but
as he got familiar, and fitter, with the program he found he was less stressed and started
embracing a deep sense of achievement. There was also a noticeable change in his
happiness levels, both at work and at home. Within the work environment his energy
levels and positivity led to an increase in productivity as he felt less stress in pushing his
personal performance boundaries. This resulted in increases in revenue in the business.
He began pushing conversations more and being more challenging, in a positive way, in
the workplace. At home he was feeling better about himself having stopped smoking,
and wanted to spend more time with his family, thus reducing stress. The variety in the
exercise program was stimulating, enabling him to manage new situations in a relaxed
and productive manner.
The key requirements for an effective corporate wellness program, similar to our
customized HIITBOXX program (HIIT incorporating multi-functional movements using
boxing) are training at appropriate times within a workplace environment e.g. early
morning, lunchtimes and early evening. This ensures the program is less of a burden as
it is carried out during the working day. These sessions are 30 minutes in total, including
rest periods. Coaches should be appropriately trained on the concepts of high intensity
exercise, and also be highly motivated to stretch participants through creative challenges
that are varied on a regular basis. Monitoring of heart rates also acts as a motivator for
participants. Programs should be diverse and varied using transitional full body movements
involving mental challenges. Programs based on sports such as boxing are very effective
in achieving this, as they utilize full body movements. In-company programs should be
monitored from a participation perspective and also from a change perspective. These
programs should ideally be coordinated with corporate HR functions to ensure maximum
value is delivered to the company by leveraging competencies developed in the wellness
program with more traditional training programs.
We will continue to research the area of wellness programs and corporate performance
in the future.
A fully referenced version of this article is available on request from editor@iedp.com
Rakesh Sondhi is Managing Director of BMC Global Services Ltd, a
management consulting firm based in the UK (www.BMCGlobalServices.
com), and Adjunct Professor at Hult International Business School, London.

9. Despite much discussion about the need for leadership
development in corporate and public organizations, and
the considerable industry that surrounds it, this is the first
authoritative periodical focused entirely on this area.
Developing Leaders looks at the critical confluence between
the provision of executive education and the real everyday
needs of organizations to strengthen their management
teams, their corporate performance, and their leadership.
The publication presents the latest thinking and most recent
developments in both academic and commercial executive
education provision worldwide, what it is achieving and which
are the best models for success, sharing the experience and
expertise of top leaders and world class educators.
Developing Leaders is published in both hardcopy and
online “page turning” format. The quarterly magazine
complements the IEDP website - the definitive resource for
executive developers worldwide.
www.iedp.com