Is Your Brain Trying To Sabotage Your Leadership?

If you've ever tried to lead a group of people—even a small group—you'll know it can be a real challenge.

Everyone has their own personality and way of doing things, so no two situations are ever the same.

Now you can add another complicating factor into that leadership equation: your brain.

Know Your Own Brain (And Those Of Others)

You don't need to be a neuroscientist to know that your brain controls almost everything you do. But how that control works is becoming clearer, as scientists get better at studying how the brain works.

Your brain functions by linking up different parts and activating them—in networks. Scientists are still working out what roles different networks play in our behavior. But we do know about two of the most commonly used networks, which have a big impact on the way we work—and lead.

Here Comes The Science Bit... Pay Attention!

So, your brain links together different parts to do different things. So what? Why does this matter for leaders?

The different networks within the brain allow us to carry out different kinds of tasks and behave differently, according to the situation.

The brain's go-to network referred to by neuroscientists as the Default Mode Network. Working together, these areas of the brain help us relate to other people and process emotions, allowing us to build relationships. Think of it as our normal “setting.”

One of the other commonly used neural networks is known as the Task Positive Network. This cluster of brain activities allows us to focus on detail, achieving goals and getting a job done.

When you're not doing anything in particular, your brain will unconsciously cycle between Default and Task settings several times a minute.

Given the need for leaders to build relationships with people to achieve business goals, it's easy to see how both of these networks will be vital in ensuring good leadership. However, this isn't easy.

Crucially, scientists have discovered that these two networks not only work independently of one another, but the use of one suppresses the other.

It helps to have an understanding of what each of the networks allows you to do, to see how this exclusive split impacts on your ability to lead. Your default setting enables you to read and understand people, use compassion and empathy and build meaningful relationships. The task setting allows you to think analytically, plan projects and concentrate on detailed activity.

When faced with a leadership situation, you're likely to fall into one or the other, naturally, based on your preference and past experience.

So What Does This Mean For You?

The so-called Default setting is not always the mode in which people feel most comfortable at work.

Those who spend a lot of time at work problem-solving, analyzing and planning can find themselves more at home in the Task setting. While this is great for getting things done, it's not the best place to be when you're trying to motivate or inspire others to do things for you.

Likewise, if you're naturally more of a people person you might find it hard to switch your brain into the right gear to really take in the detail of a financial report or business plan.

The same may be true of the team you lead: If you're working with lots of detail-oriented people, they may find it more difficult to connect on an interpersonal level—especially if they're in the middle of something. In the same way, people who build strong working relationships can find it hard to concentrate on solving problems or finishing tasks.

But that doesn't mean switching settings is impossible—far from it. In fact, simply understanding what’s going on can put you on the path to getting more from your people—and from yourself.

Brain Gym

As I've already said, when you're not doing anything in particular, your brain is naturally cycling between your Default and Task settings. The fact that it does that shows that, even though you're likely to have a natural preference for one or the other, you are capable of switching between them.

Like any other part of your body, your brain gets stronger with regular use. Choosing to engage in tasks that engage under-used skills can help when it comes with the ease of switching between brain settings.

It's likely that your usual way of doing things will continue to be the place where you feel most comfortable, but with practice, you'll expand your repertoire.

Now Try This

To help you improve your ability to switch your mental focus, there are plenty of activities you can try.

If you're more focused on big-picture thinking and building personal networks, spending some time with your finance or engineering colleagues solving problems or balancing books might get you where you need to be.

By the same token, if you're more naturally detail-focused, offering coaching or mentoring to colleagues can help you—as well as helping them—by letting you concentrate on listening carefully and building rapport.

When communicating with colleagues and team members, it can also help if you discover where their preferences lie. If you're trying to talk big picture with someone who sweats the small stuff or vice versa, you're both likely to end up frustrated.

Playing to their strengths when you can, and allowing them to change from one way of thinking to the other can pay dividends.

The Bottom Line

People are flexible, but benefit from greater understanding.

The more you understand yourself and those you lead—and modify your style to best suit the situation—the better a leader you're likely to be.

What's your take? Weigh in with a comment below, and connect with Zoë Goodacre (Google+) | @ZGoodacre (Twitter).

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• Is Your Brain Trying To Sabotage Your Leadership? ~ @ZGoodacre

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