Effective leadership is critical to the success of every organization. As the speed of technology accelerates and today's business climate becomes increasingly complex, leaders face more information, constant change, and intense time pressures with little time to think, reflect, and be at their best. Experts estimate that the human mind thinks more than 50,000 thoughts per day. That's an average of 2,500 to 3,300 thoughts per hour. With that, people receive 11 million bits per second from the environment. Cognitive neuroscientists' studies reveal that 95 percent of brain activity is generated in a nonconscious manner, leaving only 5 percent of a person's cognitive activities (decisions, emotions, actions, behavior) to be carried out consciously. That means today's leaders who are busy and distracted need to slow down to speed up.