The Neuroscience of Leadership

I just read an article in Strategy+Business called The Neuroscience of Leadership (click here to read the full article).  The authors, David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz, provide a summary of two decades of research into how people change their behavior.  Their work adds depth to the basics of change I discussed in my last post.

The authors explain that organizational change only occurs when individuals change their behaviors.  And personal behavior change is very hard (look at how many heart patients are unable to adopt healthier lifestyles even after going through the pain and expense of bypass surgery). 

Recent research linking psychology and neuroscience, and aided by new imaging techniques, has led to six conclusions about change (quoted from the article):

• "Change is pain. Organizational change is unexpectedly difficult because it provokes sensations of physiological discomfort.
• "Behaviorism doesn’t work. Change efforts based on incentive and threat (the carrot and the stick) rarely succeed in the long run.
• "Humanism is overrated. In practice, the conventional empathic approach of connection and persuasion doesn’t sufficiently engage people.
• "Focus is power. The act of paying attention creates chemical and physical changes in the brain.
• "Expectation shapes reality. People’s preconceptions have a significant impact on what they perceive.
• "Attention density shapes identity. Repeated, purposeful, and focused attention can lead to long-lasting personal evolution."

What does that mean for the leader seeking to create organizational change?  Focus on solutions, not problems.  Use questions, rather than statements, to push people to find their own solutions to the change imperative.  Paint a broad vision without being too prescriptive about specific behavioral changes - let people work those out for themselves.  As people develop insights, continually remind them of what they have learned - to increase focus and attention density.