Unlocking the brain: 3 tools for leaders to make better decisions
The brain is incredibly complex, and leaders who understand how others’ brains work will be better equipped for decision-making, problem-solving and collaboration.
Image credit: Google DeepMind on Unsplash
While our brains are configured to respond to social threats and rewards with the same intensity as physical threats and rewards, the threat response is more intense than the reward response.
In other words, the brain is more primed for survival than for seeking out opportunities.
For example, in a team meeting, the brain is more likely to focus attention and energy on what is uncomfortable than on what is a pleasant input.
Knowing this, how do leaders overcome their own brains’ default response to what may be perceived as a threat, lead their teams more effectively and make decisions that inspire confidence rather than fear?
Three critical neuto-tools
Neuroscience suggests there are about six primary ways to help improve leaders’ decision-making processes. Here, we focus on three critical neuro-tools: sleep, brain dexterity and growth mindset.
Sleep
While good nutrition and exercise are well-known enablers for brain fitness, sleep is highly underestimated as a leadership enabler.
Too often, leaders feel compelled to compromise sleep in the face of multiple operational priorities.
The truth of the matter is that the brain activates its repair and restoration mechanism during sleep to reset and create balance.
Research has demonstrated that it is not only about the number of hours we sleep, but the quality of sleep we get.
When we are in our deepest sleep – characterised by slow delta waves – the brain solves some of our most complex problems.
Leaders need to understand that when they don’t sleep, as a result of trying to ‘sweat it out’, they compromise their capacity to make sound decisions.
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Brain dexterity
Secondly, another important neuro-tool that successful leaders use is brain dexterity. Most people have left (logic) or right (creativity, holistic, language) hemisphere dominance.
When under pressure, people tend to default to their dominant side.
So, the left hemisphere person will likely become more mechanical and focus on the issue in a clinical way, and the right hemisphere person might not be able to choose between one creative idea and the next.
Leaders are therefore encouraged to improve dominance in both hemispheres – to activate capacity for both.
This can be achieved through neuro-coaching techniques, for example, neuro-linguistic programming, amongst others.
Leaders who can recognise their limitations and the impact they have on people they lead are also those who are humble enough to acknowledge when they need to embark on a brief coaching journey to develop their brain dexterity and promote the use of both hemispheres in equal measure.
Growth mindset
Thirdly, leaders should nurture a growth mindset as opposed to remaining in a fixed mindset state.
Those with a growth mindset are more likely to identify opportunities within a challenging season, are positive and likely to believe their abilities can be enhanced through learning, while those with a fixed mindset tend to have a self-limiting outlook on life and tend to avoid even the smallest risks that could yield greater business returns.
When corporate leaders introduce changes to an organisation, those with a growth mindset are likely to navigate challenges more effectively, persevere in the face of adversity, accept and learn from failure, and focus on the process rather than the outcome.
Ultimately, leaders who understand how their brains work and take the time to improve their decision-making capabilities will be those who help their businesses thrive rather than be rendered vulnerable to constant crisis management.
About the author
Dr Phyllis Ndlovu is the founder and CEO of Kisima Psychological Services and a sessional lecturer at Wits Business School.
She has worked in the public and private public sectors, providing mental health and human resources solutions in a variety of different settings.