In the Zone: What's Really Happening in the Brain

Athletes frequently talk about being "in the zone," experiences in which they are able to execute very high levels of skill without thinking about it. Instead of concentrating on doing well, they "shut off the mind," get into a "comfort zone," and the body takes over. Achieving this extraordinary mental state is the goal of most athletes.

Non-athletes sometimes talk metaphorically about being "in the zone" when they perform at a high level. I don't believe this experience is a metaphor, however.

Neuroscience, the study of how the brain functions, gives an elegant explanation of in-the-zone performance. People don't wake up every day with a blank slate, having to learn everything all over again. Images, sensations, facts, relationships, theories, behavior patterns and skills are stored in memory for later use, over and over again. The ability to do this assures our survival in a complex world.

These remembered patterns are "hard-wired" in the physical connections of brain cells (neurons). The connections form efficient neural pathways in the brain that enable patterns such as images or skills. During the learning process, repetition stimulates the filaments (dendrites) on the ends of brain cells to grow until they connect with other brain cells to form a series of cells, or a "pathway." Once physically connected, the pathway is permanent. If the pathway is used, this reinforcement prevents the pathway from atrophying.

The conscious brain does not require a neural pathway to perform a skill. A person can focus on the required elements of performance to coordinate the various mental capabilities to execute a skill, whether it has been ingrained or not. However, doing something this way requires intense concentration. The performance will be unfamiliar and awkward, and the results are typically not exemplary. A fully established neural pathway is needed for smooth, comfortable performance of the skill.

Concentration isn't required for skill performance using an established neural pathway. Once all the neural connections are in place, a skill is fully ingrained and can be implemented automatically without thinking about it. This is the typical "in-the-zone" experience that athletes speak about.

Of course, the brain doesn't care if a behavior pattern is an athletic one or any other kind of performance. Mathematicians can perform in the zone. Plumbers can perform in the zone. Leaders can perform in the zone.

In fact, we depend on professionals for this level of performance. We want them to always do their best work and to feel natural about doing it.

But it takes many, many repetitions of a maximally effective behavior pattern to "master it," to connect the neurons, to make the performance a frequent, comfortable, automatic feature of one's behavior. To achieve that level of ability, a professional must have "paid plenty of dues," meaning countless repetitions of the desired behavior pattern.

This is why one-day, three-day or even week-long courses in leadership development do not allow enough practice for the participant to ingrain the skill. An extended period of structured follow-up reinforcement will be needed to turn knowledge and motivation into the ability to perform the desired behavior automatically. This process could involve many months of committed effort on the job to accomplish the desired changes in behavior. Only then will a leader be able to perform as expected: in the zone.

Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com

Dennis E. Coates is CEO of Performance Support Systems, author of MindFrames, a brain-based personality assessment system (www.initforlife.com) and co-founder of the Train-to-Ingrain alliance (www.train-to-ingrain.com, info@train-to-ingrain.com, 800-488-6463), which delivers a reinforcement-centered approach to learning and development that achieves permanent, measurable improvements in workplace behavior and positive impacts on business results.

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