Tis the season for fitness resolutions. Many people are hitting the gym to get more fit in the new year. While fitness goals can vary widely, many will say they want to get stronger and have more muscle. But even the people that are very consistent in getting to the gym may not achieve these goals. One big reason is that many people do not understand the importance of the mind-muscle connection.

A weak mind-muscle connection will not provide enough stimulation to provoke the desired muscle growth. Either the right muscle will not be tasked enough or the wrong muscles are being recruited to compensate. Can’t flex it, can’t grow it.

This is an especially important concept for leaders to understand if they really want to achieve desired improvements in individual or organizational effectiveness. Many give up on changes because “we tried that” and did not see the benefits or could not make it work. The problem is not that the activity (action) was not appropriate, it often that the appropriate level of focused effort was not applied.

It takes appropriate focused effort to get teams working more effectively.

It takes  appropriate focused effort to get an organization more innovative.

It takes appropriate focused effort to apply new leader habits.

Build a strong connection through practice and focus. Go beyond going through the motions —and then see what develops.