Yes, there is a Leadership Brain!
Armed with a few simple facts about how your brain works can make your workday world easier.
It all comes down to the auto-brain. Based on Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman’s work, we can split the brain into two parts: fast and slow. I renamed Kahneman’s fast brain the auto-brain and his slow brain, the focused brain. Your mind is either concentrating (focused-brain) or on autopilot (auto-brain).
Your auto-brain – runs the show most of the time. It relies on past learning, habits, and primal drives like fight-or-flight. It’s all the things we do without having to think about them. This is the brain energy-saver mode. It is practical and used for most choices, actions, and situations.
The focused brain is the brain’s rational, consciously aware, and problem-solving part. It takes a lot of energy to use, and we don’t need to use it all of the time, or we will wear out pretty fast.
There are two main ways leaders can leverage this information.
1. Think through what parts of your day can stay brain-automated and which require your focused brain.
The best question to ask yourself is, “What times of my day do I need to focus more? Some examples include:
Problem-solving situations
Conflict situations or negotiations
Creative-thinking situations
The times when you can relax and let the auto-brain run the show include repetitive administrative tasks, predictable situations, and habitual behaviors. Even so, at least once a day, you should pause and use your focused brain to reflect on how the auto parts of the day unfolded in case your automatic programs need a little tweak or extra support.
2. Understand that much of the pushback you get from your team at work is due to their fast/auto-brain unconsciously resisting before giving the situation proper thought.
How do we engage our teams’ focused brains when we need them?
Be forgiving and remember that their auto-brains contain fast instincts, drives, and emotions. Like all of us, they are just human.
Slow things down. Ask questions and allow time for answers. Encourage reflection and delayed replies. Ask questions and don’t require an immediate response.
Make the work environment safer so you don’t trigger angst stored in the auto-brain. How do you do that? Go back to the basics of saying hello in the morning and giving positive feedback to reduce employees’ unconscious psychological fears.
So, take some time to analyze your average day. What bits should be automated, and which need your energy and focused attention? Make a list.
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Until next time.
Mike
