- How do you define neuroleadership and to what extent can it be beneficial in environments characterised by uncertainty and constant change?
It is knowing oneself how the brain works and its interrelationship with emotions and thus enhancing one's effectiveness and well-being, as well as that of others, especially in complicated environments. Human rationality is only apparent, it is only a part of the reality we live in. Leaders move and move us through emotions, they establish a deep emotional connection with others. They are literally in tune with the people around them and they create and nurture bonds. Neuroscience has scientifically supported the openness to this new paradigm of leadership and self-leadership.
- What does it mean?
Neuroscience has provided the definitive scientific backing for things and concepts that would otherwise still be regarded as mere hot air or esotericism. For example, it has made it possible to prove that it is not the brain that governs our whole organism, but that there are very important holistic interrelationships with the heart and intestines or breathing that send more and more powerful information to the brain than they receive from it.
For example, it has been possible to prove how continuous stress and anxiety affect parts of the brain such as the insula that induce us to be less sensitive and empathetic. And hundreds of other things.
- What are the key cognitive and emotional skills that a leader must develop to lead effectively in a constantly changing environment?
In these environments it is essential to be able to adequately control one's own emotions and to enhance positive feelings and emotions, thus creating good connections with ourselves and with others.
Dealing and self-leading with the changing and sometimes even mutating day-to-day responsibilities, biologically generates stress that activates the sympathetic nervous system, releasing adrenaline and cortisone, and leads to disconnection with others and with ourselves. So we are all exposed to it. The ability to free ourselves from ongoing stress and return to authentic connection and attention to both ourselves and others, through experiences that enrich us and activate our parasympathetic nervous system, is fundamental to enhancing our creativity and positive relationships and therefore a more expansive brain.
- How can self-leadership be fostered among team members to make them more resilient and adaptable in the face of change?
If we are not aware of how we feel, how can we estimate the impact of changes on us? Firstly, therefore, it is important to connect as much as possible with a full awareness not only of our thoughts, but also emotionally, sensorially and intuitively, while relinquishing control of everything.
Secondly, it is essential to achieve greater harmony between thinking, feeling and experiencing. To do this we can for example meditate, practice yoga, play, laugh or walk in nature or visualise how connected events of the past have helped us in our achievements later on.
- In situations of high uncertainty, how does it affect leaders' decision-making, and what strategies can help improve decision-making in these contexts?
It affects by over-activating our empathic system and stress and if we do nothing it will generally activate insecurity and fear. In these circumstances it is understandable that activating competencies that can help us in decision making (such as complex problem solving, flexibility or empathy) is not so easy for our brain and in fact it is not possible for it to do so by operating dominantly from the cognitive (left hemisphere).
Especially in contexts of high uncertainty it is necessary to activate our right hemisphere which is designed to remember things in relation to each other and to concentrate on the big picture; for it there is no time but the present moment, it thinks more intuitively and widens the capacity to notice associations, perspectives, details, subtleties and non-apparent connections. It does not get stuck in our past, nor is it afraid of what the future will or will not bring and therefore enables us to surf in highly uncertain environments. The activities in the answer to the previous question are useful for this.
- In environments of constant change, how can neuroscience be applied to improve effective communication and team management?
First of all by knowing well how our brain works, that our brain is eminently non-rational. Understanding and practising that what we communicate is totally different if we are empathising and really connecting with others (activation of the insula) than if we are "ruminating" our own ideas and objectives without really listening. There is a subconscious that drives most of our decisions, thoughts and emotions. To the extent that we make this conscious, our communication will be much more objective and empathetic. There are no absolute truths. The brain is only interested in our body's survival, it is not interested in truth or reality. It is essential that teams understand this.
- What specific self-leadership techniques or practices do you recommend for maintaining high performance in situations of stress and continuous change?
Practices that activate our parasympathetic nervous system. Such as conscious breathing, widening of vision and connection with purpose. Connecting with high vibrational attitudes to have and maintain high vital energy (high vibration) thus increasing the electromagnetic waves that the heart sends to the brain. We can achieve this with breathing and visualisation. Or by developing a connection with physiological sensations. All this will lead to the creation of new neural connections to achieve and maintain high performance in situations of great change.
- How they can the leaders identify and manage effectively the negative emotions in himself same and in his teams during periods of uncertainty?
The neuroscience ascertains and teachs us how affects us negatively the insecurity in the emotions, that is basic to have emotions balanced to be effective and that for this can activate emotions of high vibration with attitudes like the gratitude, the authenticity, the integrity, the goodness, the courage... Breathe and visualise these attitudes does the difference.
- How can leaders effectively identify and manage negative emotions in themselves and their teams during periods of uncertainty?
Neuroscience confirms and teaches us how insecurity negatively affects our emotions, that it is essential to have balanced emotions in order to be effective and that we can activate high vibration emotions with attitudes such as gratitude, authenticity, integrity, kindness, courage... Breathing and visualising these attitudes makes a difference.
- What role do emotional intelligence and empathy play in neuroleadership, especially when faced with uncertainty and volatility in the business environment?
The recipe could be something like this: Moving from doing and having to being. Practising non-identification, acceptance and non-judgement. And practising and practising trying not to be reactive, not to react like automatons, as we have always done. Observing, breathing, feeling more.
Meeting ourselves in order to identify the desired direction and sense of change.