Carla Fowler - Applying performance science

Keywords

Resilience - Performance Science - Purposeful Thinking - Goals - Decision Making - Brutal Force

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled, Carla Fowler an executive coach and founder of Thaxa shares her unique journey transitioning from a background in medicine and science to performance coaching. Carla emphasises intentional thinking as a skill to develop through practice and stresses the need for structured thinking processes and engaging with dialogue partners to clarify priorities for progress.

Carla outlines strategy or focus, execution efficiency, and mindset resilience as key areas and highlights strategic thinking's role in decision-making amidst uncertainty, focusing on good processes over specific outcomes. She also describes obstacles to decision-making, including rushing decisions or over-analysis, advocating for brutal focus and simplicity over complexity to achieve success with greater intentionality.

Carla's methodology centres on using performance science to help leaders achieve ambitious goals. She urges deliberate thinking development, akin to building a muscle, emphasising time for structured thinking and clear priority setting. Embracing brutal focus, Carla champions doing less with greater intentionality rather than seeking more, challenging the need for complexity when simplicity can lead to success.

Main topics

• Building transferable capabilities.
• Practicing purposeful thinking
• Setting goals and priorities to drive progress.
• Being comfortable with uncertainty in decision-making processes.
• The need for a structured approach to decision-making.
• Considering time constraints and opportunity windows.
• Focusing on simplification and removing unnecessary tasks to enhance decision-making effectiveness.
• The "brutal focus" approach to problem-solving by eliminating distractions and excess initiatives.

Timestamps

1: Introduction to Coaching Methodology. Introduction to a coaching style using performance science to approach ambitious goals. Building transferable capabilities based on science and medical background. 00:59 -03:25

2: Importance of Purposeful Thinking. Challenges of making time for thinking in a fast-paced environment. Practicing purposeful thinking through dialogue and asking important questions. Strategies for sticking with the thinking process and building endurance. 04:14 - 09:00

3: Applying Performance Science. Multidisciplinary nature of performance science, focusing on thought performance. Breakdown of performance science into strategy, execution, and decision-making elements. Importance of mindset in facing uncertainty and making decisions. 11:58 - 15:17

4: Clarity and Focus in Decision-Making. Process for making decisions in uncertain situations and having a clear plan. Common obstacles in decision-making processes and the need for sufficient time.  Importance of focus and brutal prioritisation in problem-solving. 16:23 - 21:20

5: Coaching Process and Cognitive Re-engineering. Explanation of the term "Greek" in relation to tasks and achievements. Cognitive re-engineering in coaching to break down goals for clarity. Sharing resources for learning more about coaching and performance science. 22:46 - 24:53

Action items

Find out more about Carla at www.thaxa.com or visit the welcome page https://www.thaxa.com/p/resilience-unravelled for a free download - The 8 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Choosing a Coach (and how to avoid them!)

You can connect with at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-fowler/ or https://twitter.com/DrCarlaFowler