Our New Frontier: The Neuroscience of Engagement
As we tap into our twenty-first-century laptops, one click on
Google Earth shows that there’s not a whole lot of terra incognito
left. You can visit any country you want, and a few intrepid people
have even visited all 195.
But there are still new frontiers of knowledge to be explored,
and one of the most exciting is neuroscience, the study of the
brain. Using creative experiments and sophisticated technology,
such as fMRI and EEG machines, we’re starting to see that the art of
leadership has its basis in science. We can now begin to see what
really works and what doesn’t work in our attempts to engage with
those we manage and influence.
As we’re at the heart of this book with this, the Foundation
Question, now is a perfect time to make the connection between
your coaching habit and your head by looking at the neuroscience
of engagement.
Five Times a Second
The “fundamental organizing principle of the brain”—
neuroscientist Evan Gordon’s words—is the risk-and-reward
response.