Neuroscience for Leadership: Harnessing the Brain Gain Advantage (The Neuroscience of Business) 2015th Edition

Un libro interesante para analizar el liderazgo desde el punto de vista del funcionamiento del cerebro y puntos de vista cientificos

Tara provides just the right dose of neuroscience details on the brain, which makes it very logical to understand how the brain functions at a basic level. Against this backdrop real life examples are woven, with suggestions to improve brain power. As a leader this book is a must-read and you will learn to be aware of situations and make subtle changes to your decisions/reactions

Neuroscience has developed to the extent that we now know that behaviour cannot occur in the body or the brain without some chemistry. This raises fascinating questions, among which is whether we are in charge of our brains, or our brains are in charge of us.Through the insights and research covered in this book, leaders can learn much about the complexity of their own functioning, as well as how to be human and effective when relating to others.There are eight primary emotions that make up the whole emotional spectrum of the feeling system. Five of these are survival emotions: fear, anger, disgust, shame and sadness, and all involve the release of cortisol. There are two attachment emotion spectrums: from love to trust, and joy to excitement. These are responses to oxytocin, dopamine and noradrenalin on brain receptors. One emotion, ‘surprise’, can turn the attachment into a survival emotion, or the reverse.Leadership training has become a huge industry because the demand for effective leadership is so essential. However, there is little hard evidence as to why something works when it does, and this is where the work of neuroscience adds value. It is beginning to shed some light on how the brain works, and affects and is affected by behaviours, beliefs and attitudes.The authors look at the issue of leadership from both the perspective of the leaders themselves and of the people they lead. I will focus only on the leader.Leaders generally have more than average testosterone, the hormone linked to the achievement and maintenance of high status and dominance. Leaders also have lower levels of cortisol, the hormone that the body produces in response to stress.Effective leaders are, generally, less stressed than subordinates. (This has been shown to be related to a good social life with friends and family, a key cushion against stress.)High testosterone combined with low cortisol appears to be a predictor of status and dominance in people, whereas the presence of only one of these does not correlate with success in business at all. Similarly, leaders are likely to have a well-developed pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain that is critical to the higher executive functions of the brain, such as focusing attention, self-control, planning and complex problem-solving.Many characteristics have been identified as required for leadership. The good news is that elite performance, brain agility and engagement, can be learned. To this end, the authors provide a guide to bronze, silver and gold “brain Olympics.”For bronze level performance, you should be getting good quality sleep for about six to eight hours each night. This amount of sleep allows sufficient time for the brain to rest and build up the resources required for resilience.Generally, the use of digital media should stop one hour before going to bed because of the effect of the unnatural light from the screen on the pineal gland. “You certainly should not be sleeping with your smart phone or device next to you because of the effects of Wi-Fi and G or G signals on your brain waves.One of the most important findings from brain science research concerns how the brain cleanses itself of toxic waste by-products whilst we sleep. Not getting enough sleep may prevent the brain from being able to remove neurotoxins. ‘Pulling an all-nighter’ far from being a source of bragging rights, costs about a standard deviation loss in one’s IQ score!Silver level performance requires doing all that is described for bronze as well as getting healthy nutrition, hydration and basic exercise. Recommendations for this level include doing 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on most days. This has been reported to boost productivity at work on the days you exercise in the morning by as much as 15%.The brain, although only 2% of body weight, consumes 20% of its glucose intake. This glucose comes from a healthy, balanced diet, rich in antioxidants and supplemented with vitamins and omega oils.Hydration is critical, and even just a small per cent decrease negatively affects your memory, concentration and decision-making power.For gold level performance, in addition to what is required for bronze and silver, you will need to learn, unlearn and re-learn. But you will also need to hone your ‘gut instinct’. Gut instinct is about intuition, judgment and decisiveness. This has a physiological basis due to the inordinately large nerve supply from our guts to parts of the brain concerned with instinct, mood and basic emotions.The authors describe the purpose of this book as a way “to help you accumulate sufficient knowledge about how some of the major systems of your brain and body work, so that you may be able to take better care of the machinery, understand it when it becomes distressed, and enjoy the power of it when, properly cared for, it is working smoothly and well.”There is much to learn from this book across a host of topics valuable to every leader who takes the responsibilities of leadership seriously.Readability Light ---+ SeriousInsights High -+--- LowPractical High ---+- Low*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy, and is the author of the recently released ‘Executive Update.’

This isn't another book on leadership and how to feel good. Think of it as a "flow" meets "new scientist". It won't give you the biggest science fix but it is a pretty good overview of how your brain changes when at work

Great read. Great blend of science and real world application. The book was well written and wasn’t overly technical which made it easy to fly through.

This was required reading for a course on leadership I’m taking. I was struck by the well researched presentation of leadership from a neuroscience perspective. It was very helpful.

This is an excellent and informative book packed with resources. As a Human Resources Officer that designs training seminars, I consider this book an excellent resource! I love it and find myself going back to it for leadership tips.

Great approach to the subject, combining biology, psychology, and people management

Written by authors who have considerable credibility and bring diverse lived experiences to the book, this is a great book that marries the advances in neuroscience and management and explains it in an easy relatable manner with some practical take away measures. Enjoyed the book immensely and being a healthcare professional with a great interest in neuroscience, it allowed me to see in a very intuitive and easily appreciative manner the principles of the brain and decision making applied to leadership and coaching

If you’re supervising a group of people and think about how to improve yourself, this book gives you lots of insights what you can

It has taken a while for the academic research in neuroscience to translate into useful and pragmatic advice beyond medicine. This book is excellent at just that. It explains the neuroscience behind great leadership traits and also advocates that we are able to change our leadership behaviour as the brain has proven to be plastic well into late adulthood. A great read for a different perspective on leadership.

The book is written in a highly digestible manner and also presents the subject in a logical sequence. The science is constantly linked to behaviours - making each section practically relevant to business situations. The first principles of neuroscience are clearly explained, which is helpful when adapting elements of the book to influencing behaviour in the office. An excellent read.

An accessible summary of recent research into how neuroscience can inform leadership styles. As a business coach I often refer to this book for information, models and tips.