The Neuroscience of Leadership

How to use neuroscience for better leadership

Bad days. We all have them. Sometimes it’s a single event that pushes you over the edge – a traffic jam, a missed deadline, or a tense conversation with your spouse. But sometimes it’s a pervasive pattern of events or behaviors that significantly impacts your long-term well being.

When a bad mood becomes chronic it can cause mental and physical harm – to you and others. In fact, neurobiological studies show that emotions are contagious. Leaders’ moods can actually alter the brain chemical state of their followers through a process involving the formation of “mirror” neurons. This means that those in positions of trust and authority can pass down hostility, anger, and depression – as well as joy, gratitude, and happiness – to their team.

Think about the implications of this finding. Leaders who practice emotion regulation can reduce not only their stress levels, but also the stress levels of their employees.

Instinctively, many of us sense this. That’s why we try to manage our emotions through suppression – or by keeping the proverbial “stiff upper lip.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t work. Although you may appear less emotional and more in control, you aren’t actually feeling that way. And studies have shown that suppressing your true feelings results in a release of cortisol, which triggers:

Increased blood pressure,
Increased activation of the amygdala (controls emotion),
Impaired memory,
and decreased cognitive performance.

Even worse, the people who interact with you can actually feel your stress. Think about a time that you were struggling to remain calm while your heart was racing and your mind was churning. It’s likely that the pleasant smile on your face wasn’t fooling anyone. That’s because when the electromagnetic energy of your brain and heart are out of rhythm others can sense it. And it affects their energy as well.

So, what should you do?

First, the importance of adequate sleep can’t be overlooked or overstated. It’s the number one tool for emotional regulation, helps improve the immune system and allows the brain to rest and heal.

Practicing mindfulness – being in a state of open and active attention to the present — is also critical. By training yourself to stay in the moment, you are literally freeing up your pre-frontal cortex, the part of your brain that influences your decision-making skills. When you do this, you stop being reactive and begin to be open to other points of view and other ways of seeing things.

Our thoughts, words and actions have a biological impact on others. Be realizing that their mood and energy sets the tone for their team – and by mindfully focusing on regulating and channeling their emotions and energy — leaders can powerfully influence their organization.

Look to future blogs to learn more about how neuroscience can enable people to make smarter decisions, think creatively, more effectively manage stress, and collaborate better with one another.