Your Secret Leadership Power? It's Right Before Your Eyes. ✨
For most of my life, I struggled with my vision. When I was at primary school, my big, colourful glasses, akin to Dame Edna's, were a constant source of frustration and shame. My poor eyesight, I thought, was something unchangeable, defined only by a prescription and better frames as the fashion moved on from 80s excess. But recently, I’ve discovered something mindblowing: our vision is not just about seeing clearly; it's a powerful, trainable tool that directly shapes our leadership, nervous system, and ability to perform at our peak.
So, I decided to stop accepting my poor vision as a fixed state and started training it. After all, I preach growth mindset to my clients 😉. This is about more than eyesight; it's about unlocking new levels of focus, creativity, and calm. This is a game-changer, and I want to share why it’s the secret power every leader needs to cultivate.
The Overlooked Link: Your Eyes, Your Brain, and Your State of Being
We often forget that our eyes are literally part of our brain. In fact, nearly 50% of the brain's pathways are dedicated to vision, making it our most dominant sense. This profound connection means that how we use our eyes has an immediate and powerful effect on our nervous system and even our brain chemistry.
I first learnt about the visual cortex's strong link to dopamine, the "great motivator chemical," when training with the Physical Intelligence Institute. When we see something we want or imagine a goal vividly, we get an anticipatory hit of dopamine that literally moves us to action. That’s why visualisation is so powerful for motivation and a tool in many coaches' toolkits. Variety and novelty in what we see also trigger dopamine, sparking creativity. Our visual experiences are constantly shaping our drive and engagement, often faster than our analytical brain can keep up.
The Modern Leader's Dilemma: Trapped in Tunnel Vision 💻
Our modern work life, dominated by screens, has hijacked this powerful system. Staring at computers and phones for hours on end forces our eyes into a chronic "locked-in" focus. This sustained near-focus mimics the biological "tunnel vision" response our ancestors used to zero in on a threat, like a saber-toothed tiger.
According to neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, the average adult now spends about seven hours a day on screens, effectively keeping our visual system, and therefore our nervous system, in a constant, low-grade fight-or-flight state.
This visual stress manifests as:
Anxiety and irritability.
Reduced creativity and an inability to "think outside the box."
Brain fog, fatigue, and headaches that we often mistake for burnout.
When we are visually "locked in," we are physiologically less patient, less open, and more reactive, hardly the ideal state for effective leadership.
The Antidote: Balancing Focused and Expansive Vision
The good news is that this is not a permanent state. Dr. Appelbaum's work shows that vision can be trained at any age. And it's not about achieving 20/20 eyesight - something very few of us need to do for our work, unless you are a fighter pilot, and something my optometrist seems to be 'obsessed' with. It’s about learning to balance two critical modes of seeing:
Focused (Central) Vision: The "tunnel vision" we use for detail-oriented tasks.
Expansive (Peripheral) Vision: A soft, wide gaze that takes in the whole scene.
Activating our peripheral vision does something incredible: it switches on the parasympathetic nervous system - our "rest-and-digest" mode - promoting relaxation and calm. When you gaze at a wide landscape or simply soften and widen your field of view, you are directly telling your brain to switch off the stress response. Isn’t that amazing! 🤯
For leaders, mastering the ability to shift between these two modes is key. It allows us to toggle between intense, detailed work and expansive, "big picture" thinking, fostering creativity and strategic insight. This balance is also the visual foundation of the flow state, where razor-sharp central focus exists alongside wide-open peripheral awareness, making performance feel effortless.
Reclaim Your Vision, Enhance Your Leadership: Practical Exercises
Like me, you may have been told by your doctor that your vision is fixed. But the brain's ability to rewire itself (neuroplasticity) proves we can improve how our eyes and brain work together. Here are a few simple exercises from Dr. Appelbaum that you can start today:
1. Near-Far Focus "Push-ups" 💪
This drill strengthens your focusing flexibility.
Cover one eye and hold a thumb or pen in front of you.
Bring it as close as you can while keeping it clear, and hold for 5 seconds.
Then, shift your gaze to an object at least 20 feet away and relax your focus for 5 seconds.
Repeat 10 times for each eye.
This counteracts the strain of constant screen work.
2. Peripheral Vision Activation 🌁
This is a powerful way to calm anxiety and build situational awareness.
Pick a target straight ahead and stare at it.
Without moving your eyes, use your side vision to notice an object to your left or right.
Point to it while still looking at your central target.
Then, check your accuracy.
Practicing this "opens up" your periphery, which has an instantly grounding and calming effect.
3. The 20-20-20 Rule ⏱️
This is simple visual hygiene.
Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
This small break gives your focusing muscles a chance to relax, preventing the buildup of visual stress.
By incorporating these practices, you can retrain your visual system to support your leadership goals, reducing stress, enhancing focus, fostering creativity, and even improving your presence and connection with others.
This journey is a personal one for me, but its implications are universal. Vision is our most overlooked tool for influencing how we feel, think, and perform. It’s time we started seeing it for what it truly is: a superpower waiting to be unlocked.
With more clarity of vision,
Dag
If you're a leader, founder, or team struggling with brain fog, trapped in tunnel vision, or simply want to unlock new levels of focus, calm, and strategic insight, let's talk.
I help people access clarity, courage, and creativity through embodied leadership practices—from visual training and somatic awareness to presence, intuition, and sustainable performance. Together, we’ll expand your perspective, switch off the stress response, and help you lead with razor-sharp focus and confidence.
📅 Book a Coaching Session: Book a discovery call here.
📧 Email me: coaching@dagmaraaldridge.com
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