Are Your Cogs Working Properly?
Physical health is often promoted and encouraged, from ads in social media to scientific articles that tout the many benefits. While physical fitness is essential, mental health is equally as important. A healthy brain is a machine with lots of parts, and all these parts are required for leaders to be empathetic, compassionate, and innovative.
What Does Your Brain Really Look Like?
While producing the Make Me A Leader documentary, I was fortunate to meet up with Dr. Robert Johnson, Medical Director for the Amen Clinics. We discussed brain health and optimal performance for leaders. The state of our brain has a massive impact on our moods, our emotional intelligence, our leadership abilities, and our interactions with other people. But how can we assess the health of our brain? You can’t exactly look in the mirror and see how your brain is doing.
Fortunately, neuroscience has given us tools to do what was once deemed impossible—we can obtain images of the brain to see how healthy it is or isn’t. Various imaging techniques are now available, many at your local doctor’s office, that can examine activity levels and blood flow.
Surface scans look at the outside cortex of your brain, and these are very sensitive indicators for overall brain health. Active scans examine emotional and stress trauma circuitry in your mind, which often manifest with anxiety and poor stress management.
Dr. Johnson and I also discussed how the frontal lobe is one of the main areas that relate to empathy. Injuries to this area, even seemingly minor ones like whiplash, can cause neuronal shearing, where the long, slender (and fragile) axons in your neurons can be stretched and compressed. But you don’t even need physical damage to have problems with empathy. Chronic stress levels lead to an increase in a chemical called cortisol, which can kill your brain cells.
One of the things we know from leadership research is that emotional intelligence is as or more important than IQ for an effective leader.
Dr. Robert Johnson
One of the keys to brain health is to seek a balance for all the demands on your time, attention and brain power. If you have a ‘fast and furious’ type of lifestyle, always on the go at work and play, you may develop something known as negativity bias. This is when the anxiety centers of your brain are overactive and change how you perceive things around you. The pace of your life has a direct impact on your ability to be empathetic and to successfully work and communicate and interact with others.
Relating Emotional Intelligence And The Health Of Your Brain
Emotional intelligence (EI) was identified decades ago as a dimension of intelligence. More recent research has solidified the link between EI and leadership effectiveness. Effective leaders have to walk the tightrope between hard and soft leadership skills, and while being task-oriented is necessary to run a successful company, a leader’s emotional intelligence can positively or negatively impact the business as well (Dabke, 2016).
The ‘soft’ skills needed to work with others include being compassionate and empathetic. But what can you do to ensure that your brain is healthy, and ready to handle these skills? It’s a little trickier than stepping on a scale, but there are options that you can explore to find out if the cogs in your mind are working properly.
Taking Charge Of Your Own Mental Health
- Consider imaging. To see the big picture, you should consider actually getting a picture—of your brain, that is. Many local offices now have the technology to get you started. These procedures are painless and can yield massive amounts of information about your brain.
- Feed your brain. Your brain does not need soda. It doesn’t require massive amounts of fatty, fried foods. It needs colorful fruits and vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats, in moderation. Your brain is what you eat, so take a look at your dinner plate tonight.
- Get plenty of rest. Your brain needs to rest. It needs more than adequate sleep. It needs time to relax and daydream. Finding this time is critical, each and every day. If you spend thirty minutes or an hour working your physical body, you can take time to let your brain have a break, too.
- Consider meditation or yoga. If you need help relaxing and unwinding, techniques such as meditation and yoga can give you a healthy way to calm the whirlwind in your mind. There are many resources online, or if you prefer meeting in a group, you can search online for classes in your area. A bonus—check with your human resources department. Sometimes these programs are provided, or the cost is covered!
- Self-reflect every so often. Sit down with a journal outside, and jot down things that have happened lately. Then, read your notes without criticism or anger or judgment. Are you happy with your life at the moment? Think about what would make you more content, and then work to reach those goals.
Being a strong leader requires a strong, healthy brain. An anxious, stressed, burned-out brain will not inspire other people or lend an empathetic ear. You’ll be waspish and probably snap at others. Your brain health, like your physical health, is an ongoing saga—you’ll always need to work on it. Slowing down and smelling the roses, so to speak, can be a significant first step to a healthy mind.
Citation:
Dabke, Deepika. (2016). Impact of Leaders Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Behavior on Perceived Leadership Effectiveness: A Multiple Source View. Business Perspectives and Research. 4. 27-40. 10.1177/2278533715605433.
- Leadership & Culture (321)
- Brain Health & Wellbeing (201)
- Innovation (104)
- Performance (95)
- i4 Neuroleader (83)
- Our News (73)
- Collaboration (69)
- Agility (54)
- Practitioner Stories (43)
- In The Press (36)
- Balance (35)
- Integration (34)
- Make Me A Leader (33)
- Imagination (32)
- Awareness (27)
- Communication (26)
- Inspiration (24)
- Intuition (23)
- Brain-Friendly Channel (22)
- Curiosity (22)
- Courage (20)
- Attitude (18)
- Adaptability (16)
- Drive (15)
- Case Studies (14)
- Generosity (13)
- Ethics (9)
- Mental Readiness (9)
- Influence (8)
- Brain-Friendly Leadership (7)
- Oracle Cards (1)
- 1 September 2024 (4)
- 1 July 2024 (2)
- 1 June 2024 (6)
- 1 May 2024 (2)
- 1 April 2024 (3)
- 1 March 2024 (1)
- 1 November 2023 (1)
- 1 August 2023 (1)
- 1 July 2023 (2)
- 1 June 2023 (2)
- 1 May 2023 (4)
- 1 April 2023 (2)
- 1 March 2023 (7)
- 1 February 2023 (4)
- 1 January 2023 (1)
- 1 September 2022 (1)
- 1 May 2022 (3)
- 1 April 2022 (1)
- 1 March 2022 (5)
- 1 February 2022 (4)
- 1 January 2022 (4)
- 1 December 2021 (2)
- 1 November 2021 (4)
- 1 October 2021 (3)
- 1 September 2021 (6)
- 1 August 2021 (1)
- 1 April 2021 (1)
- 1 December 2020 (2)
- 1 November 2020 (1)
- 1 September 2020 (1)
- 1 August 2020 (1)
- 1 July 2020 (3)
- 1 June 2020 (4)
- 1 May 2020 (3)
- 1 April 2020 (4)
- 1 March 2020 (6)
- 1 February 2020 (4)
- 1 January 2020 (2)
- 1 December 2019 (3)
- 1 November 2019 (3)
- 1 October 2019 (5)
- 1 September 2019 (4)
- 1 August 2019 (4)
- 1 July 2019 (4)
- 1 June 2019 (5)
- 1 May 2019 (9)
- 1 April 2019 (9)
- 1 March 2019 (8)
- 1 February 2019 (7)
- 1 January 2019 (8)
- 1 December 2018 (5)
- 1 November 2018 (10)
- 1 October 2018 (16)
- 1 September 2018 (9)
- 1 August 2018 (10)
- 1 July 2018 (9)
- 1 June 2018 (8)
- 1 May 2018 (9)
- 1 April 2018 (9)
- 1 March 2018 (9)
- 1 February 2018 (8)
- 1 January 2018 (8)
- 1 December 2017 (6)
- 1 November 2017 (9)
- 1 October 2017 (9)
- 1 September 2017 (8)
- 1 August 2017 (10)
- 1 July 2017 (8)
- 1 June 2017 (8)
- 1 May 2017 (9)
- 1 April 2017 (8)
- 1 March 2017 (6)
- 1 January 2017 (3)
- 1 December 2016 (4)
- 1 November 2016 (5)
- 1 October 2016 (4)
- 1 September 2016 (2)
- 1 August 2016 (4)
- 1 July 2016 (4)
- 1 June 2016 (2)
- 1 May 2016 (3)
- 1 April 2016 (3)
- 1 March 2016 (7)
- 1 February 2016 (2)
- 1 January 2016 (5)
- 1 December 2015 (2)
- 1 November 2015 (2)
- 1 October 2015 (4)
- 1 September 2015 (2)
- 1 August 2015 (2)
- 1 July 2015 (1)
- 1 June 2015 (3)
- 1 May 2015 (4)
- 1 April 2015 (5)
- 1 March 2015 (3)
- 1 February 2015 (3)
- 1 January 2015 (3)
- 1 December 2014 (3)
- 1 November 2014 (3)
- 1 October 2014 (3)
- 1 September 2014 (5)
- 1 August 2014 (4)
- 1 July 2014 (5)
- 1 June 2014 (3)
- 1 May 2014 (1)
- 1 March 2014 (1)
- 1 December 2013 (2)
- 1 November 2013 (1)
- 1 July 2013 (1)
- 1 June 2013 (1)
- 1 May 2013 (3)
- 1 April 2013 (1)
- 1 March 2013 (2)
- 1 February 2013 (1)
- 1 January 2013 (2)
- 1 November 2012 (1)
- 1 October 2012 (1)
- 1 September 2012 (1)
- 1 August 2012 (2)
- 1 July 2012 (1)
- 1 June 2012 (1)
- 1 May 2012 (2)
- 1 April 2012 (1)
- 1 February 2012 (1)
- 1 January 2012 (1)
- 1 November 2011 (1)
- 1 October 2011 (3)
- 1 September 2011 (2)
- 1 July 2011 (1)
- 1 June 2011 (1)
- 1 May 2011 (1)
- 1 April 2011 (1)
- 1 March 2011 (1)
- 1 February 2011 (2)
- 1 January 2011 (4)
- 1 December 2010 (4)
- 1 November 2010 (3)
- 1 October 2010 (5)
- 1 September 2010 (4)
- 1 August 2010 (4)
- 1 July 2010 (3)
- 1 June 2010 (4)
- 1 May 2010 (7)
- 1 April 2010 (5)
Subscribe by email
You May Also Like
These Related Stories
No Comments Yet
Let us know what you think