Written by: Wayne Elsey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Business is a living and breathing activity that changes every day. For generations, business leadership involved learning through experience. If leaders were interested in the art of leadership, they would know about it through the information from Stephen Covey, Malcolm Gladwell, and Seth Godin. Now, we have a new area of inquiry through the concept of neuroleadership. In short, this concept fuses neuroscience with leadership principles.
Understanding neuroleadership
One of the great things we’ve seen since the pandemic is the power of AI and tech—it’s genuinely taken off. Tech has captured the minds and imaginations of the public and business leaders. Neuroleadership was coined by David Rock, author of Your Brain at Work. The concept combines leadership, human behavior, and neuroscience, including the workings of the nervous system and brain. It means that neuroleadership joins the science of human physiology with generations of theories on leadership. In other words, neuroleadership is a game-changer.
The reality is that leadership is about more than just authority, responsibility, and decision-making. It's more than that. Great business leaders tap into human behavior. In the past, leaders may have done it instinctually, realizing team reactions to one or another management approach. However, now, leaders can have a much more precise understanding of what happens within people when managers do X or Y. For instance, do people respond when managed with a rushed urgent timeline, or not? What’s the science behind it in the human brain?
The role of neuroleadership in the digital age
We know that companies operate in a highly competitive landscape. The fact is that technology has super-powered a lot of what we see and do. For example, chatbots have become much more ubiquitous since the development of tools like ChatGPT. However, understanding humans and how they get motivated is still at the core of leadership. That’s why I care much more about the manager-to-mentor approach than exclusively focusing on outsourcing things to tech. It won't work for one, and for another, humans and tech are a winning combination.
When it comes to neuroleadership, we have an incredible opportunity. In other words, we can tap into profound science-based information about how to inspire team motivation. We can empower business leaders and help them to increase performance while also helping to ensure employee well-being. One of the other fascinating elements of neuroleadership studies is that it also focuses on the happiness of teams. It's true what they say. Happy employees are high-performing and motivated employees.
As a result, in the modern business client, neuroleadership is a vital part of contemporary management. At a time when businesses are caught up in how to use tech and amp up team performance, neuroleadership allows us to use science to lean into human behavior to create genuinely productive teams. The knowledge and information age has created an automation paradox. While tech is great, there are genuine challenges with workers and automation.
Navigating the automation paradox
In the digital age, workers fear that their jobs will be replaced by automation. It's one of the core reasons for the 2023 writers and actors strike in Hollywood. Automation promises increased and incredible efficiencies. We know that. In turn, those efficiencies reduce costs and streamline processes. But we also have the issue of the potential displacement of workers. As a result, there's a much greater need for the human touch.
Neuroleadership gives leaders and managers a much better perspective in addressing the automation paradox and a highly competitive business landscape. In other words, leaders studying neuroleadership have a broader array of tools in their toolbox. They fully understand why creating teams and environments with continuous learning and adaptability is essential. In short, they're not parroting these ideas. They know why these management approaches are critical to business success.
Implementing neuroleadership strategies
Suppose you're a servant leader who wants to integrate your management with neuroleadership. Where do you start? For one, it's essential to become self-aware. In other words, before a leader looks at the team, the first place a manager needs to look is at themself. It's essential to realize that a growth mindset is vital for success. Wanting to learn about neuroleadership and how it can improve the company is a crucial place to start.
Self-awareness is a cornerstone of effective neuroleadership. For instance, leaders and managers have biases and emotional triggers. What are they? When leaders understand themselves first, they can better understand their teams. Fortunately, plenty of books and classes are available to start the neuroleadership journey. Through mindfulness and reflective exercises, leaders can become self-aware and better equipped to address complex challenges.
Shaping the future
We’ve come to a place in business where neuroscience and leadership are fusing into a vital field of knowledge for leaders. At a time when we know that the power of technology will only increase business pressures to compete faster, and with the automation paradox, leaning into neuroleadership allows leaders to work smarter. It’s a chance to enhance employee engagement, motivation, and innovation. The concept of neuroleadership is poised to shape the future of business in a way few things of the past have done.
© 2024 Wayne Elsey. All Rights Reserved.
Wayne Elsey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Wayne Elsey is the founder and CEO of Elsey Enterprises. Among his independent brands, he is also the founder and CEO of Funds2Orgs. This social enterprise helps nonprofits, schools, churches, civic groups, individuals, and others raise funds while helping to support micro-enterprise (small business) opportunities in developing nations and the environment.
