When faced with a problem, many leaders instinctively focus on what’s wrong, making it harder to find solutions. This happens because when the nervous system is in a state of fight or flight, the brain is wired to detect threats and fixate on the problem, blocking access to solutions. The breakthrough problem solving method comes when you transition out of survival mode and into "solution modality." This occurs when your nervous system moves from fight or flight into a state of psychological safety, allowing the brain to unlock creative solutions. This blog will show you how to do just that!
Table of Contents:
Why Your Nervous System Matters in Leadership
Your nervous system significantly impacts how you perceive and solve challenges. When in a fight-or-flight state, your brain focuses on threats, limiting your capacity for clear thinking. In this survival mode, it’s easy to get stuck on the problem rather than engaging in an effective problem-solving method that brings creative solutions to light.
How Fight or Flight Keeps You Stuck
The fight-or-flight response is an evolutionary tool designed to protect us from physical dangers. Unfortunately, in modern leadership, this response can trap you in a state where all you see is the problem, and your brain is too overwhelmed to process a solution. This is why, even after spending days on an issue, the answer remains elusive. Your nervous system, under stress, is designed to focus on the immediate threat (the problem) and not the long-term solution.
The Power of Psychological Safety
Imagine after days of frustration, you suddenly find the answer while relaxing—perhaps during a walk or a lighthearted moment. What changed? Your nervous system shifted into a state of psychological safety, where your brain could finally access the problem-solving method that had been out of reach. This transition, referred to in Polyvagal Theory as social engagement, allows for open-minded thinking and creativity, where answers flow naturally. Moving into this state is key to unlocking solutions.
Problem Solving Method: How To Shift Your Nervous System into "Solution Modality"
To be an effective leader, it's essential to manage your nervous system to stay in solution modality. Here are three effective problem-solving methods to help you shift out of fight or flight and into a calm, productive state:
1. Deep, Slow Breathing
One of the simplest ways to calm your nervous system is through deep, slow breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing slows your heart rate and signals to your brain that you’re safe. This breathing technique engages the ventral vagal pathways, helping you shift away from stress and into a state where you can use a more effective problem-solving method. When your mind and body are calm, creative solutions that were once blocked become accessible.
2. Scheduling Your Day into 30-Minute Blocks
Another highly effective problem-solving method is organizing your day into 30-minute blocks. Structuring your time in smaller, focused segments helps prevent overwhelm and reduces the stress that can trigger fight-or-flight mode. Each block can focus on a specific task, and taking a break between blocks allows your nervous system to reset. This structured approach not only keeps you grounded but also helps prevent the mental clutter that can obscure solutions.
3. Dance to Uplifting Songs
Physical movement, especially dancing, is a fun and effective way to reset your nervous system. Dancing helps shake off the tension associated with stress and fight-or-flight responses, putting you in a more relaxed, solution-focused mindset. This is one of the best problem-solving methods for shifting energy and improving mood, which leads to clearer thinking. When your body is in motion, your brain often follows, allowing solutions to come to you more easily.
Finding What Works for You
It’s important to recognize that different problem-solving methods work for different people. While deep breathing might work wonders for some, others may benefit more from dancing or scheduling time blocks. The key is to experiment and find what helps you shift from a fight-or-flight response into a state of psychological safety. This solution modality is where your nervous system is calm, and your mind is free to explore creative solutions. By becoming your own scientist, you can find the methods that consistently help you reach this state.
The Power of Being in "Solution Modality"
When you’re stuck in survival mode, your brain fixates on the problems at hand. All you see are obstacles, because your mind is wired to detect threats when under stress. However, when you move into solution modality, your brain naturally shifts from problem-focused thinking to opportunity-focused thinking. In this state, you unlock the creativity and clarity needed for effective problem-solving. Great leaders know how to regulate their nervous system, allowing them to effortlessly transition into solution modality and guide their teams through challenges with confidence.
Conclusion
Effective leadership goes beyond tactics and strategy. It requires a deep level of self-awareness and emotional regulation. Leaders who can manage their nervous system are more resilient, adaptable, and capable of finding solutions in high-pressure situations. By learning how to shift from a reactive state to a proactive, solution-focused mindset, you become a leader who doesn’t just react to problems but actively creates solutions.
Great post.
The answers are right in front of us but if we are in the wrong state and lack the awareness to notice it, all we are going to see are problems & obstacles.
Regulating our nervous system successfully, is a moment my moment game as well as an inner game. We have to do what we need to do when no one is looking and when we are in a lower state we should be aware and be able to pull ourselves out of it.
I really enjoyed this post, so much truth backed by science.
In a state of fight or flight, the brain is unable to generate thoughts outside of that frequency. If we cannot get into psychological safety then we cannot access creative thinking to solve the problem. This resonates, because only when we take a step back can we address our perceived problem.
‘Problem solving methods and how we shift our Nervous System’. This really highlights how quickly we can shift. There's no need to stay in fight or flight, you have to know what shifts you.
As always, it starts with me! Get into psychological safety, bring ourselves into a calm state to unleash our problem-solving selves! Implement the three techniques:
Deep breathing
Create a schedule to minimise overwhelm, and mental chatter with structure
Shift our energy through dancing/physical movement.
When we are in solution modality we will see the answer.
💡
We underestimate the role psychological safely plays on leadership. The ability to remain unfazed and grounded helps us to have the clarity. This clarity brings the solution.
We need to understand our triggers, fears and unlearn them to truly lead.
THIS! The solution is always there, available to us. What we need to do is get ourselves in that frequency. We spend too much time in fight or flight and immobilisation!
I was in Canary Wharf for a meeting this morning and it hit me - soo much weight and judgment I've been carrying all my life, about money and the people who have it. Deep slow breaths, as I was choosing to see this place as an energy vortex instead of the source of a lot of evil. Then I was able to be fully present for a client, guiding him from anger towards the people who don't meet his standards to understanding the benefit of his emotional regulati…