Executive Psychotherapy to Overcome Destructive Habits

Peak performance is a state influenced by many habits. The more constructive habits a person has the higher their performance. The more destructive habits, the worse their performance. When a person has performance impairing challenges executive psychotherapy to overcome destructive habits can be a highly effective route back to peak performance.

Destructive habits rarely start out as such. In decades of providing psychotherapy for executives, I have never found anyone with a destructive habit who set out to form one. Normally their habit emerged because that behaviour was constructive in the context it was formed. After that point, for most people, all it takes is a subtle change in context and what was yesterday constructive, is today destructive.

For most of us, after our habits are formed they become invisible to us; we lose awareness of the habit. It becomes part of the furniture, our mental furniture. Before long we have a vast number of habits, of which we have little or no awareness.

For almost all executives and professionals, the context in which they operate changes frequently, if not constantly. That is certainly true for executives who spend all day every day leading change. For others who maintain the status quo, change is less frequent. For both, any change in context can render yesterday’s constructive habit, overnight, destructive.

Now that we understand the challenge, at overview level, let’s dig a little deeper.

Most people are aware of the concept ‘habit,’ a behaviour that is repeated without any thought and little, if any, effort.

Habits, for most people, are frequently repeated behaviours. That is one very true part of a larger picture. We also have thought habits. You will have experienced this yourself. Certain thoughts you always have in a the same context. For example, you might always have the same thoughts when you put on your physical exercise clothing. For some those thoughts might be similar to: “I’ll be glad when this is done!” For others the habitual thought might be: “Great: some me time!”

Predictable and repeated thoughts are just one dimension of the multi-faceted phenomenon known as ‘habit’. We also have emotional habits. Using the same exercise example, you might instantly start to feel good when you put your training shoes on. Or, your heart might sink as you feel you have to, yet again, do something you hate for reasons that are beneficial.

Already we have explored three dimensions of the habit phenomenon, (behaviour, thought, emotion), and there are many more.

For most people, the complexity of the dimensions of habit and how they interact is something they have never thought about.

When I conduct executive psychotherapy to overcome destructive habits I believe it is essential that the client fully understands the dimensions of habit, how habits form, and how they can be changed.

Why?

Firstly, to enable the executive to address any other problem habits that may emerge.

Secondly, and, this is hugely valuable to people are or wish to be peak performers, to equip the client with the ability to form any constructive habit they wish.

Thirdly, to give the client full control over all their habits, now and in the future.

Once equipped with a full understanding, of how to form, and change any habit, executives can choose their own level of performance.

Most people for whom I have provided executive psychotherapy to overcome destructive habits arrive with the expectation of overcoming a destructive habit and finish their sessions (usually two to three) with the ability to choose and adopt the constructive habits they want, and change the ones they don’t.

If you are considering executive psychotherapy to overcome destructive habits, and want to also acquire the ability to choose and adopt constructive habits call

Prof Nigel MacLennan on

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Copyright Dr Nigel MacLennan 2016