Are you left-brained or right-brained?
The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” - Robert Frost
No, I am not turning into a neuroscientist or getting a PhD in brain science (though that possibility cannot be denied!). What has however compelled me to write this piece of article is the immense research into brain science that is being used to enhance leadership competencies, fuel performance, improve decision making and just understand ourselves better.
As David Rock states in his book, Quiet Leadership, “over a hundred years ago, most people were paid for physical labor. Today, most people are paid to THINK!”
Here, I will share some of the research and findings on the brain that I find extremely insightful and so might you.
Are you Left-Brained or Right-Brained?
You don’t really have to answer that question. Today, calling yourself left-brained (analytical) or right-brained (creative) is at best metaphorical. This test has been cited for years in self-help columns and myriad personality assessment tests, thanks to the Nobel Prize winning research of Roger Sperry in the 1960s. The decade of the 90s though, has turned earlier brain research on its head, thanks to the invention of superior brain imaging and mapping devices. We all use our brains on the whole and not specific parts (left or right) of it when called upon to perform either an analytical or a creative task.
Neurons that fire together, wire together
Our brains are made of 100 billion neurons and there are multiple connections amongst these (don’t attempt at calculating the permutations and combinations!). So think of the brain with multiple connections between these neurons – like several complex maps in the brain.
The brain craves for patterns; it is constantly making links and associations between existing maps and new incoming information. Now every time the brain succeeds in making an association or a pattern between the neurons, these neurons fire and then wire together forming a new map. The wiring gets stronger as this new information is repeated or simply put - neurons that fire together, wire together.
This is the reason why, learning a new task is difficult at first (patterns are being formed), but if you keep doing it again and again, you just get better at it. Because your brain is now on auto-mode, it just knows what to do thanks to the maps that are already formed. This is also why highly successful leaders automate most of their daily tasks. When your wiring is strong for routine tasks, the brain frees up working memory to do more higher order cognitive tasks.
So (unless your boss tells you to teach a fish to climb a tree!) do not balk at learning a new skill; give yourself time and with continual repetition you are certain to master it.
Brains are plastic
Did anyone ever tell you that our brains are fully formed by the age of eight and that they can never change? Not true! The concept of brain neuroplasticity suggests that our brains can be molded during the entire lifetime. New neural pathways continue to be forged and brains get wired and re-wired throughout our lives.
Brain & Multi-tasking
Here comes another oft heard but ‘holds no water’ statement – “Women are better at multi-tasking”. Says who? Neither men nor women are any better or worse when it comes to performing 2 (or more) higher-level cognitive tasks at the same time. No one can read an email and pay attention to someone speaking to him or her at the same time – you can do these one after the other. You can drink coffee and pay attention to someone speaking to you at the same time, yes, because drinking coffee is not a higher order cognitive task, your brain doesn’t have to focus when doing that. So stop attempting to multitask, it’s not going to work and if anything, it will only dampen performance, not enhance it.
‘Aha’
“We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are” - Anaïs Nin.
Given the complex set of wiring in each person’s brain, the simple truth is that no two brains are alike. Similar to a fingerprint, we have our unique set of patterns and filters through which we see things and interpret them. Understanding and making this simple reality a part of our everyday conversations will save us the humungous task of forever attempting to make people see “our point of view”. This approach will never help. The best approach in this scenario is to invoke the other’s person’s thinking by using thoughtful questions, and let them have their own insight (or the ‘aha’ moment) to solving a problem. A good manager will empower her people to “think” better and not tell them to get things done a certain cookie-cutter way.
Executive and Leadership Coaches worldwide are adopting this new brain research into their offerings to fuel performance and success. I invite each of you to explore this field more to gain more self-awareness, insights and just simplify your life.
