MC63 Are Our Brains Wired for Modern Leadership?

Management Café

Pilar and Tim discuss the fascinating article 3 Ways Our Brains Undermine Our Ability to Be a Good Leader by Cian McEnroe and David Rock at the Neuroleadership Institute. David's book "Your Brain at Work" was one of the first to bring brain science into leadership. In this latest research they argue that our basic brain behaviour can get in the way of our work as leaders. They go even further to suggest that the experience of leading can evolve our brains in ways that make it even harder to be a great leader.

This leads our hosts into a far reaching conversation debating big questions: Is leadership a natural human trait? Is modern leadership a different challenge to the leadership we have evolved for? Does climbing the leadership ladder diminish our capacity for empathy and connection? We dive into some statistics. And as a rare bonus, we have a disagreement between our co-hosts! Show notes:

00:00 mins We open by discussing whether modern organisations and work practices have created new challenges for leadership.

2:00 The article says leaders often fail at three core areas: focusing on the future, being good with people and driving realistic results.

5:00 Tim struggles with the premise that we aren't wired for leadership. He thinks leadership is a default behaviour for humans.

6:00 Pilar views it differently - not everyone is wired for leadership and the way we lead now is a bit different to what we are wired for. Maybe our biological disposition is towards a more collective and collaborative form of leadership.

8:20 According to the authors 60% of new managers fail within the first 24 months. This is a staggering statistic!

10:50 As people become more powerful they also become more optimistic. This can lead to inflated expectations and setting unrealistic targets. Which creates a disconnect between the leaders and individuals who do the heavy lifting. Pilar sees a direct link between this phenomenon and the failure rates in "top down" change initiatives. Those at the top are seeing the world differently. But it's important for leaders to stay connected to those who are doing work at the ground level.

11:40 Our brains view power as a reward, so we get a positive reinforcement from becoming more powerful. Which explains why those who want to climb the ladder can prioritise acquiring power at the expense of performing their actual job.

14:00 We see plenty of examples of this power/reality disconnect in tech companies like Basecamp.

16:45 People often get promoted into leadership positions because of technical skills, not people skills. But people skills are crucial in leadership!

17:10 Neuro-imaging studies have shown that focussing on goals has a seesaw relationship to focussing on people. Pay attention to one and the other gets dialled down. Research also shows that as someone becomes more powerful, their goal focus becomes more dominant. The authors argue that when making decisions, leaders must often detach and view individuals as chess pieces instead of human beings. Tim disagrees, he thinks it's a risk, not a requirement. Part of the challenge of being a whole hearted leader is blending the hard requirements of goals with the very real human elements of our people. Tim likes the phrase used by Jerry Colonna to describe this balanced stance "strong back and open heart".

18:50 Managers who are just focused on results and not people have a 14% chance of being viewed as a great leader. The opposite path of "people not results" reduces the odds to 12%. The key is to be good at both, this gives a 72% chance of being a great leader. Tim gets very excited by the remainder - 2% of leaders have no social skills and ignore results but are still viewed as a great leader!

21:20 Back to the topic of detachment, Pilar remembers a CEO who was asked how they slept at night having laid off a lot of people. Their answer? "I think about all the ones who are staying". She likens it to doctors who can emotionally attach to every patient or they will burn out. Tim disagrees strongly, feels the best doctors are those who find a way to stay open hearted. It's very difficult to do but it makes a big difference. Which, Pilar reminds him, is the argument the authors have put forward!

25:40 One of the great gifts a leader can give their team is bringing a different perspective. Pilar has always viewed focusing on the future as a core part of the manager's role.

27:45 We shoutout the 27% of Americans who the researchers found "rarely or never" think about five years in the future. Our hosts are not fans of five year plans either!

What about you, dear listener? Do you agree that our brains can get in the way of our leadership practice? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch through our Contact Form https://managementcafepodcast.com/contact/