The Brain New World of Neuroleadership

Globalization, the technological revolution and constant disruptive change is contuniously transforming the world in which we live and work, posing new and unique challenges to leaders at all levels and in all spheres. What was still effective just a few years ago no longer works and leaders everywhere struggle to simultanously keep an eye on the vision and acquire the people skills to develop and facilitate engagement, collaboration and creativity.

In the midst of these tremendous challenges neuroscience has recently opened up new doors and possibilities by providing astounding new insight into the workings of the human brain, specifically in social situations. Neuroleadership is an emerging field which blends the latest neuroscientific knowledge into the fields of leadership d  evelopment, management training, diversity management, change management, education, consul ting and coa ching.

The Inner Journey

While many leaders and managers realize that conventional management practices no longer make sense, applying what we are now learning about how the mind works to the workplace requires a bit of getting use to for some. The best place to start is to understand five basic principles about how the human brain works:

1. The brain's primary function is to keep us alive.
2. It does so by regulating physiological functions and scanning the envi ronment for possible threats and rewards.
3. The brain uses the same automated neural networks and processes to deal with physical threats (e.g. a predator) and rewards (e.g. food); and with social threats (e.g. humiliation) and rewards (e.g. praise).
4. When a threat-response is activated it impairs performance while a reward-response improves performance.
5. Leadership behaviour plays a major role in activating either threat or reward responses in the workplace which has a direct impact on productivity and results.

The fact is, the automated responses in our brains have a much greater impact on what we think and on how we behave than we previously realized. Chronic stress, low job satisfaction, disengaged employees, low levels of motivation and even bad health can all be negative manifestations of these neural responses. However, knowing this now provides exciting science-based possibilities for those willing to learn and adapt their leadership behaviour to a positive brain-focussed approach.

Outcomes of Brain-Focused Leadership

Applying the principles of neuroleadership enable leaders and managers to improve their capacity for:

• Performance-enhancing Leadership;
• Decision Making and Problem Solving;
• Creative Thinking;
• Collaboration;
• Fostering Engagement and Motivation;
• Facilitating Change;
• Dealing with Diversity;
• Dealing with Stress and Adversity; and
• Managing Conflict.

What We Offer in Neuroleadership

SLI embraces neuroleadership as probably the single greatest step forward in the history of leadership and organizational development and therefore incorporates neuroleadership into all our coaching programs, leadership development programs and consulting interventions. Our flagship and very exclusive "Lead with the Brain in Mind" program runs over 9-months (10 modules) and equips leaders to apply neuroleadership in virtually every aspect of leadership. In addition we offer a selection of workshops and executive presentations on neuroleadership and are currently in the process of setting up an international partnership to offer a fully-accredited diploma in neuroleadership in the near future.

For more on neuroleadership and related topics:

• Strategicleaders Blog
• The Neuroleadership Daily
• Manie Bosman on Twitter

Read more about our 9-month "Lead With the Brain in Mind" program or the next 2-Day Masterclass in Neuroleadership!

Ready to improve the way in which you lead, work, interact or communicate? Phone, send an email or visit the Contact us page.