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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalajieving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovaliedo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode three point fifty one, and today we're going

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<v Speaker 2>to get into something most leaders neglect but shouldn't and

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<v Speaker 2>that's their mental fitness. Not their mental health necessarily, although

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<v Speaker 2>that matters too, but more like their mental stimulation. The

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<v Speaker 2>day to day job of leading people can slowly turn

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<v Speaker 2>your brain into a task list machine, emails, meetings, budgets, repeat.

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<v Speaker 2>That's not leadership, that's maintenance. So let's fix that. Let's

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<v Speaker 2>get intentional about daying mentally sharp, curious, and engaged. Here

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<v Speaker 2>is a top ten list of mental stimulation activities that

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<v Speaker 2>help you stay sharp, fulfilled in a happy leader. Number

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<v Speaker 2>one morning mind warm ups. Before you open email. Try

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<v Speaker 2>something like wordle or a Saduku puzzle, or a quick

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<v Speaker 2>round of chess on your phone. It's not just a game,

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<v Speaker 2>it's your brain's warm up lap for the day. Start

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<v Speaker 2>your day sharpening your logic and pattern recognition before diving

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<v Speaker 2>into the chaos of leadership. And your job. Number two

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<v Speaker 2>journal with a twist. Journaling isn't just for emotions. It's

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<v Speaker 2>a place to solve problems. Once a week, write a

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<v Speaker 2>leadership challenge like it's a case study. What went wrong?

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<v Speaker 2>What could have gone better? What did I miss? Treat

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<v Speaker 2>your day like it's prepping you for a TED talk.

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<v Speaker 2>Number three the wh Why I walk? Take a ten

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<v Speaker 2>minute walk, but with one role. You pick something you

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<v Speaker 2>see and ask why why is that delivery truck park there?

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<v Speaker 2>Why is that building designed that way? Why is that

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<v Speaker 2>sign red and not blue? You're not looking for right

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<v Speaker 2>answers your training curiosity. Number four Reverse roles exercise. Pick

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<v Speaker 2>a role in your organization that you don't have, and

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<v Speaker 2>imagine you're that person for ten minutes. What are they

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<v Speaker 2>worried about today? What's on their plate? What decisions do

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<v Speaker 2>they wish you'd make differently? This is leadership empathy training,

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<v Speaker 2>fast and free. Number five Learn something totally random. Take

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<v Speaker 2>one hour a week and go learn something that has

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<v Speaker 2>nothing to do with your job. Watch a documentary on honeybees,

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<v Speaker 2>or read about submarine warfare. Listen to a podcast about

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<v Speaker 2>deep space. It's not a waste, it's cross training your brain.

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<v Speaker 2>Number six Book Club of one. Always be reading a book,

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<v Speaker 2>not scrolling, not headlines in actual book fiction, non fiction leadership,

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<v Speaker 2>even graphic novels. Books slow your brain down and force

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<v Speaker 2>you to focus. That's an underrated skill in today's rapid

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<v Speaker 2>response leadership world. Number seven microw ted talks. Give yourself

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<v Speaker 2>three minutes and explain something out loud and idea of value.

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<v Speaker 2>A decision is if you're on a TED stage. It

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't have to be recorded, but it forces clarity. If

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<v Speaker 2>you can't clearly say it, you haven't clearly thought it.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a leadership red flag. Number eight Mental debate drill.

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<v Speaker 2>Take a strong opinion you have and argue the opposite

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<v Speaker 2>side for five minutes, not just to be devil's advocate,

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<v Speaker 2>but to train your ability to think flexibly. This kind

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<v Speaker 2>of brain gymnastics helps you approach tough decisions with better

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<v Speaker 2>balance and less bias. Number nine New environment, same job,

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<v Speaker 2>once a week, do your usual routine in a totally

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<v Speaker 2>different place. Take a zoom call from a park, write

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<v Speaker 2>your reports from a coffee shop, move your one on

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<v Speaker 2>ones outdoors. Physical shifts help spark mental ones. Your brain

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<v Speaker 2>loves variety, its bored with your desk in number ten,

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<v Speaker 2>play with people smarter than you. Seek out conversations with

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<v Speaker 2>people who challenge you mentally. This doesn't have to be

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<v Speaker 2>about leadership. It could be a chess partner, a history buff,

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<v Speaker 2>a data scientist. The point is to surround yourself with

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<v Speaker 2>brains that push yours steal sharpens steal. So leadership isn't

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<v Speaker 2>just about making decisions or setting direction. It's about staying

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<v Speaker 2>sharp enough to notice the details, nimble enough to change

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<v Speaker 2>when needed, and aware enough to spot the blind spots.

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<v Speaker 2>That takes mental stimulation. This list isn't about adding more

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<v Speaker 2>to your day. It's about how you move through your day.

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<v Speaker 2>A curious, stimulated brain leads better, listens better, and lives better.

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<v Speaker 2>So try one or two of these this week and

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<v Speaker 2>you'll notice the difference. You'll feel it, and eventually so

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<v Speaker 2>will your team. And before I close, I've been notified

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<v Speaker 2>that this show is number four on the feed spot

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<v Speaker 2>Top thirty best seven minute podcast list. I've included a

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<v Speaker 2>link in the show notes in case you want to

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<v Speaker 2>check out that full list of podcasts. This has been

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<v Speaker 2>the seven Minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more. Paul fell of Alito podcasts. Visit Paulfellowalito dot com.