
Is your legitimacy being questioned? Here’s how to respond
Having your legitimacy questioned can happen to anyone, particularly in novel, tense, or challenging circumstances. Here are three tools to deal with it....

by Francesca-Giulia Mereu Published April 22, 2024 in Brain Circuits • 4 min read
Your energy is fueled and sustained by your habits. To perform at your best more often, look to form habits that recharge your batteries and veer away from those that drain them.
To get started today on new, helpful habits, here’s a four-part list:
Describe what you wish to happen: a behavior, mindset, etc. Use all your senses: what you wish to see, hear, do, feel…
E.g., I want to:
A habit that sticks is made up of many smaller practices. List three or four “mini-habits” to start. A mini-habit should be meaningful to you as well as doable on a regular basis, even when you’re tired or busy.
E.g., I will…
List the benefits. For example, what would be the emotional payoff? How does it relate to who you are and to your potential best self?
E.g., I could use this time to…
Start as soon as you can with the mini-habit that you find most appealing or most likely to succeed. Being too ambitious might increase your risk of derailing.
E.g., Stop answering emails after 8pm for two evenings each week.
In the next part of our two-part series, you’ll find a checklist to help sustain the small habits you are working on forming.

Executive coach
Francesca–Giulia Mereu is an executive coach with over 25 years’ experience, specializing in personal energy management and leadership transition. She is the author of Recharge Your Batteries, a certified yoga teacher, and creator of the popular “Energy Check” online tool. She coaches senior leaders at IMD and through CCHN, the Center of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. She shares more energy-focused posts via her LinkedIn private group.

16 hours ago • by Fiorella Erni, Francesca-Giulia Mereu in Brain Circuits
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Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanÂ

Executive coach
Francesca–Giulia Mereu is an executive coach with over 25 years’ experience, specializing in personal energy management and leadership transition. She is the author of Recharge Your Batteries, a certified yoga teacher, and creator of the popular “Energy Check” online tool. She coaches senior leaders at IMD and through CCHN, the Center of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. She shares more energy-focused posts via her LinkedIn private group.

16 hours ago • by Fiorella Erni, Francesca-Giulia Mereu in Brain Circuits
Having your legitimacy questioned can happen to anyone, particularly in novel, tense, or challenging circumstances. Here are three tools to deal with it....

July 3, 2026 • by Alan Rousso in Brain Circuits
Leaders are conditioned to leap into action to meet challenges. But what if remaining calm and simply listening is what the people around you need in such moments?...

July 1, 2026 • by Ben Bryant in Brain Circuits
Trust is foundational in leadership, yet is more of a science than an art. Answer the questions below to assess whether an absence of trust is affecting your leadership. ...

June 30, 2026 • by Dorotea Brandin in Brain Circuits
Master Cultural Calibration: open mind, explicit norms, and regular alignment to keep cross-border collaboration clear and productive....
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