Jan Sky The Neuroscience of Leadership.........
Understanding your brain’s social structure can positively affect your team’s 2014 corporate performance and output.
The stimulation of creative and innovative problem solving skills in a complex and chaotic workplace environment
requires a multi-lens approach to facilitate and broaden solution capacities. An easy working model that can be used
on a daily basis is as simple as identifying and unlocking barriers in the brain’s neural pathways that form part of the
brain’s social landscape.
These barriers are also called ‘states’ or ‘ego states’ and support or inhibit workplace performance by creating a
balance of function. The states may unconsciously inhibit or support an individual’s life and work performance and it is
helpful to identify and understand them particularly if goals and objectives are not being achieved. The states are
aptly called inhibitive and supportive and knowing which state is dominant or executive at any given time is crucial.
Underperformance in the workplace can be challenging and confronting—unhealthy and unproductive outcomes
effect the entire organisation. Maximising team performance through increased capability and solution capacity can
prove highly beneficial and productive and lead to a happier and more motivated workforce.
Today’s business environment is complex and chaotic. Issues and solutions can be multi-dimensional and benefit
enormously from engaging in a perspective that stimulates knowledge, expertise, emotional and intellectual
properties of staff. The successful performance of a team depends on the collective energy and synergy that propels
improved communications, productivity, staff morale, internal conflict, staff absenteeism and staff turnover.
The advantage of reshaping or reframing the way your team interacts, problem solves and challenges complex issues
can be as easy as helping them unlock or overcome barriers that may have developed within individual staff members
mindset, within the organisation or the environmental culture.
Focussing your team’s internal process allows team members to operate from their strongest and most suited
executive cognitive state to achieve the team goal and identify the best person for a particular job. Difficulties within
teams can originate in such basic differences as individuals own personal internalised philosophies, ideas,
communications and other expectations, unresolved conflicts or resentments.
CASE STUDY
David was the senior manager of a large regional organisation. A very precise person, he laboured over the decision-
making process. David’s colleagues and team were frustrated over his management style. David continually asked staff
to gather more information with any ideas or suggestions he received always put on hold. There was no delegation
with productivity of the company severely affected.
After consultation, David’s inhibiting and supportive ego states were revealed. His inhibitive state had roots in a ‘fear
of not wanting to make poor decisions’. David however had a very strong supportive or ‘risk-taking’ ego state which
was dominant when he was rock climbing and wind surfing while outside of work. The dual sense of excitement and
anxiety he felt when doing these activities focused his thinking and pushed him to succeed.
A discussion on the possibility of making the ‘risk taking’ state dominant or executive in the workplace empowered
David. He soon realised he could make quicker and calculated decisions by using the strengths of his senior executive
team.
Don’t be like David and let your fears get in the way of achieving the success you want. Begin to unpack the many
different parts (or states) in you.
Greater awareness leads to a better understanding of who you really are. If you find yourself in 2014 behaving from a
state of ‘doubt’, examine how you behave and ask yourself if there is a more positive, supportive or empowering state
you could use to succeed in that situation.
Jan Sky is a Corporate Behaviour Change Specialist, coach, trainer
and psychotherapist and author of the bestselling book ‘The Many
Parts of YOU’ published in English and Finnish. Based in Sydney
Australia, Jan can be reached at +61 2 9522 2050 or e mail:
[email protected] | Web: http://www.execstateid.com.au