‘Brain-Friendly’ Leadership is the awareness of how the brain functions and the application of this knowledge to optimally lead self and others. Being ‘brain-friendly’ is important because when the brain/body system works at its best, people feel more balanced, confident, productive and happier. Living life in an optimal state creates healthier family and work environments and it improves society as a whole.

A brain-friendly leader is someone who understands how the brain performs in an optimal state and is able to create an environment that supports it.

A brain-friendly workplace is an environment that fosters an optimised performance for every brain working within it. This increases engagement, trust, collaboration, productivity and wellbeing.

When people and/or leaders are not conscious of how the brain works best, multiple issues can emerge: increased levels of stress, information overload, poor decision-making, resistance to change, disengagement, loss of productivity, staff turnover, bullying, increased sick leave days, lack of trust and team work and limited or no innovation.

Achieving a brain-friendly culture is important because when people realise the impact they can have on other people (or their brains), they can correct the course of their actions, behaviours and decisions, improve the culture and how people feel about it.

The field of leadership development started to change when the term ‘neuroleadership’ was coined in 2007 (D. Rock). Since then, the interest of learning more about this discipline (which is basically learning about the brain and its application in an organisational context) has increased amongst consultants who work in this area.

In light of this transition, a new opportunity arose to build an easy framework that could guide the application of brain science to the development of leaders and cultures. Our research and prototyping started in 2009 when the About my Brain Institute was founded.

In 2013, the i4 Neuroleader™ Model & Methodology was born and the term ‘brain-friendly cultures’ was coined in Silvia Damiano’s book ‘Leadership Is Upside Down: The i4 Neuroleader™ Revolution’. This methodology is one of the most cutting-edge, comprehensive and practical leadership development & wellbeing methodologies in the marketplace.

Creating a brain-friendly culture is the 21st Century imperative when it comes to training and retaining the talent of an organisation. This term resembles the popularity of the ‘emotional intelligence’ concept which was at the core of leadership training in the 90’s. As the world changes, leadership practices need to change too. Incorporating the science of brain, mind & body in any leadership offering is the future.

Culture has been defined as “the way things are done around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 2000). If the focus shifted towards understanding how the brain works and what causes certain behaviours, ‘the way things are done’ would also change.

Some examples:

• Transforming a language that is threatening to the brain to one that is inspiring
• Providing a quiet space at the office to relax when people feel stressed
• Creating flexible work practices
• Encouraging people to exercise
• Rolling out mindfulness programs
• Changing the format of performance conversations

Becoming brain-friendly starts by educating people on the role of their brain and understanding how an unbalanced state can lead to stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. The more knowledgeable people are in regards to the strategies they can use to promote brain health, the more resilient and psychologically safe they will feel.

Learning how to be ‘brain-friendly’ can be done in the following ways:

1. As an organisation, you can assess if your workplace is brain-friendly by bringing the i4 Neuroleader™ Assessment & Program to your company. 
2. As a consultant or coach, you can become certified in the i4 Neuroleader™ Methodology to train and coach others on how to become brain-friendly. 
3. As an individual, you can assess yourself with the i4 Neuroleader™ Assessment and learn how to become a brain-friendly leader with our self-paced learning resources.

We are on a mission to create brain-friendly leaders, teams and cultures. Our i4 Neuroleader™ Methodology, Assessment and learning resources provide skills development in brain-based leadership to help organisations and their people become more conscious, healthier, happier and productive.