personality & the brain: a new paradigm for leadership development
TRANSCRIPT
Leadership systems that create powerful companiesLeadership systems that create powerful companies
Personality & the Brain:
A New Paradigm for Leadership Development
HRPA Hamilton Chapter - October 10, 2013
Facilitated by Heather Hilliard
Leadership & Behavioural Change Expert
www.CaliberLeadership.com
About the Speaker
Personality & behavioural change expert with over 25 years’ experience working with individuals, teams, leaders and organizations to eliminate dysfunction and maximize potential
Author, Who Are You Meant To Be? A Groundbreaking, Step-by-Step Approach to Discovering and Fulfilling Your True Potential
Creator, Striving Styles® Personality System, a neuro-psychological framework for development & behavioural change
Why So Many Leaders Fail to Achieve Potential
Operate from function that decides, defines and plans in a logical, rational and objective fashion
Don’t use the relational part of the brain: struggle to coach, resolve conflict, show appreciation, empathize, and manage performance
Focus on doing relationships, rather than being in them
Focus on changing leadership behaviour without understanding what drives behavior (e.g., behavioral competencies)
Role of Functions in Leadership
Brain scientists have determined that the brain has four functional quadrants that play different roles in our personality
While we are meant to use all four quadrants in various activities, most leaders use only one or two
Imagine the positive impact on your organizational results if your leaders were using all four quadrants of the brain!
Four Quadrants for Processing
Four distinct functional areas of the brain:
left and right hemisphere,
within each hemisphere, an emotional brain and a rational brain quadrant
Each quadrant is specialized to perform specific tasks very efficiently
Functions operate in the external or internal environment
Role of the Functions in Leadership
Business Leadership Set goals & expectations
Assess performance
Reinforce behaviors
Linear problem solving
Building desired future state
Process Leadership Produce results
Followership
Process and rules
Maintain status quo
Tactical planning
Strategic Leadership Envision desired future state
Vision & strategy
Design systems / consider context
Out of the box thinking/problem solving
Adaptable/situational approach
Social Leadership Determine emotional needs
Relational/social experiences
Reward & recognition
How people behave
Impact on people
Rational/Imaginative
Experiential/Emotional
Failure of Leadership Programs
Using one or two leadership approaches significantly limits leadership effectiveness, especially when we know we are not attending to a particular aspect of leadership but don’t know why
Leadership development programs often take a rational approach to relational brain development
These programs don’t help leaders learn to use their emotional brain; keep them in their comfort zone and fail to bring about any behavioral change
Importance of Needs
Exercise: Worst Leadership Behavior
In groups of 3, discuss leadership behavior that you have had to deal with and the impact it had on you and your coworkers
Leadership systems that create powerful companiesLeadership systems that create powerful companies
Four Types of Leadership
Based on brain functions
Business Leadership
Focus on producing results
Goal oriented, practical & objective
Organize people, tasks, timelines to achieve a common goal
Financial & budget
Use authority & power to ensure accountability
Function of the Left Rational Brain
Create an ideology for the way the world must be and make sure everything conforms
Decide what something (or someone) is, where it belongs, what its usefulness is
Plan, sort and organize experiences
Form our self-concept
Striving Styles in the Function
Strategic Leadership
Provide the vision & direction for the growth/success of an organization
Organizational transformation & change
Adaptability
Insight into markets, barriers, people
Architect of the big picture
Function of the Right Rational Brain
Imagine, conceptualize and synthesizes information and experiences
Create a vision for the future
To “know” without “knowing why”
Create our “self-image
Striving Styles in the Function
Social Leadership
Focus on how people feel as they work
Rights & entitlement of employees
Emotional intelligence / relationships
Rewards & recognition
Organizational culture
Communication, conflict resolution
Function of the Right Emotional Brain
Relate and bond to others
Evaluate experiences
Produce emotions
Store and recall negative emotional memories
Striving Styles in the Function
Process Leadership
Produce Standard Operating Procedures & policies to ensure things are done right and objectives met
Focus on efficiency, economy of effort, cost effective productivity
Manage performance to ensure everyone follows processes & procedures
Logistics, schedules, resources
Focus on maintaining & performing expected activities of the role
Function of the Left Emotional Brain
Experience physical sensations
Repeat experiences to recreate known sensations
Repeat and reproduce activities in specific sequence and order
Seek and experience positive or negative emotions
Striving Styles in the Function
Leadership systems that create powerful companiesLeadership systems that create powerful companies
8 Signs Leaders aren’t Using their Whole Brain
Autocratic Behavior
Key theme of outward focused left rational brain is “I know best and let others know”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Micromanaging
Overpower others
Don’t delegate authority
Critical, demanding, impatient behavior
Lack of empathy
Leader: Need to be In Control
Absentee Behavior
Key theme of inward focused left rational brain is “I know best and don’t tell others”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Withholding knowledge, information, direction
Expecting employees to know what to do without telling them
Avoiding involvement with employees
Hiding out in office or work from home
Passive aggressive behavior
Intellectual: Need to be Knowledgeable
Image-Driven Behavior
Key theme of outward focused right rational brain is “I am the best and I let others know”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Using employees ideas as their own
Overly concerned with image (great guy, gal)
“Punishing” employees who publically disagree or blindside
Speaking about “I” not “we”
Avoiding reality
Performer: Need to be Recognized
Don’t Share their Vision
Key theme of inward focused right rational brain is “I see all and expect others follow”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Expecting employees follow without explaining where they are going
Impatience to get to vision; don’t tolerate others’ slower movement
Don’t follow up or hold accountable
Intimidate by asking direct questions
Rationalize poor performance
Visionary: Need to be Perceptive
Put People Before Results
Key theme of outward focused right emotional brain is “I know what’s best for people”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Ignoring own or business priorities
Doing employees’ work for them so they don’t have to struggle (foster dependency)
Insisting on harmony; shut down creativity/innovation
Insisting on cooperation and consensus building that impedes decision making
Taking employee behavior personally
Socializer: Need to be Connected
Don’t Assert their Authority
Key theme of inward focused right emotional brain is “Others know what is best for them”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Letting others define authority & take lead
Misunderstand & personalize behaviour of employees (focus on feelings, not issues)
Don’t expect or demand of others
Don’t give feedback; let employees make mistakes
Do everything themselves; perfectionisticArtist: Need to be Creative
Fail to Plan or Follow Through
Key theme of outward focused left emotional brain is “I do what I want to do when I want to do it”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Impulsive decision making (frustrated employees)
Failing to stay with prolonged challenges
Leaving employees to figure things out for themselves
Failure to follow through on commitments
Lack of empathy for people of different styles
Adventurer: Need to be Spontaneous
Resist Change & Innovation
Key theme of inward focused left emotional brain is “I do what I am supposed to do when I am told to do it”
Leading exclusively from this function results in:
Say “no” to suggestions/ideas without consideration
Lack empathy
Demand adherence to status quo, despite pressing need for change
Critical & judgmental of people who are different
Failure to correct performance; do it themselves
Stabilizer: Need to be Secure
Leadership systems that create powerful companiesLeadership systems that create powerful companies
Tools for Whole Brain Leading
How the Brain Develops
Brain develops through experience
Using other functions requires scheduling time to perform the activities associated with the function, i.e.
Business leaders need to spend time in social leadership activities daily
Process leaders need to spend time daily in strategic activities/discussions
Competencies need to be developed for each of the four quadrants relative to the business or role
Personality & Brain Functions in Leadership Development
The personality of a leader is expressed through the functions of the brain
Therefore, leadership development needs to incorporate approaches that target developing brain functions and not just focus on behavior
Approach focuses on developing individual leaders as well as embedding whole brain approaches into systems
Tools for Whole Brain Leadership
Leaders
Build self-awareness - understand own brain (Striving Style) and predominant leadership style
Determine extent of use of each quadrant; determine area that needs to develop
Provide activities that engage specific areas of the brain
Provide expectations, coaching & feedback
Tools for Whole Brain Leadership Systems
Do your organizational systems support development of all 4 leadership styles?
Do your systems focus on behavior instead of engaging the whole brain
Need to incorporate approach into: Strategy, goals, planning processes Selection, retention, career pathing Performance management systems Competency systems Values & culture Rewards & recognition Training & development
Tools for Whole Brain Leadership Organizational Culture / Team Culture
Determine what is the brain predominant function of the leadership team
Identify what leadership functions will dominate the culture
Address gaps
Provide team experiences to develop lesser used leadership functions
Our Approach
Striving Styles Personality System is a neuro-psychological framework for development, behavioural change and achieving potential
Can be integrated into any development program
Audit existing programs to ensure design & delivery reflect personality, emotions and how the brain learns
Facilitate organizational change, eliminate dysfunction and disengagement
Build expertise of anyone involved in training, development & behavioural change
