The pressures on modern leaders to deliver have never been greater. With the news cycle measured in milliseconds, access to information at our fingertips through mobile devices, and the integration of technology into nearly every aspect of our lives, the pace at which we expect and demand our leaders to operate is literally breathtaking. We want them to be experts in their chosen field, and also a dozen others including AI, communication, human behaviour, organisational psychology, finance, law, sales, marketing, digital services - the list is endless. The pressure to succeed can be overwhelming. I know, I have been there, and I was overwhelmed.
The Influence of Biology on Leadership
As a trained lawyer, business executive, coach and leadership development practitioner, I have witnessed first hand the many different examples of leadership and teamwork that exist in the workplace. Whether the human relationships were delivering great productivity, or dogged by politics and self-interest, the underlying common factor is a shared biology.
How we eat, sleep, think, behave, exercise, reflect, choose our why are all driven by the complex neurobiology of the brain, as informed by a lifetime of stimulus from the world around us. The interaction of complex chemicals, emotional responses, learning and brain chemistry layered over time builds our default operating system. Until we achieve a degree of self-awareness and then mastery over that operating system, we are trapped by our history. For leaders, these defaults can be limiting, or at their worst dangerous.
Finding My “Why” in Leadership
Knowing this, supporting leaders to grow in self-awareness and access the skills to elevate themselves and therefore others around them with higher quality interactions that have more opportunity for themselves and for others, to bring more happiness into the workplace, has become my “why”.
Adaptability, agility, empathy, authenticity and critical thinking are just some of the facets that we now regard as being essential for modern leaders. There are many different toolkits that seek to support leadership development and growth in these key competencies. Sometimes I have been a participant, sometimes a leader seeking ways to grow and develop teams.
The Need for Heart-Centred Leadership
In my experience they all have something to offer, but to me they rarely seem to encompass the full spectrum of human existence - we want to grow our leaders realistically and respectfully, recognising that they need to be not just surviving, but thriving. I believe we need to go beyond just the tools and tap into heart-centred leadership that supports people to connect to their purpose, find meaning in what they do, and combine practices to nourish body, mind, emotions and spirit.
The i4 Neuroleader™ Certification Experience
Knowing this about me, a colleague recommended I undertake the i4 Neuroleader™ Certification process. This has opened a window into a new and deeply engaging area of growth for me, neuroscience, whilst at the same time being a tight fit with my leadership development philosophy.
Going beyond psychology and coaching practices, the i4 Neuroleader™ Certification intersects with my desire for a more holistic approach. It has its underpinnings in a wealth of peer-reviewed scientific research into brain function and holistic health and well-being to support cognitive function. The use of real-world examples, with engaging contributors from around the world, brought the material to life. At its core this programme translates complex science into accessible, practical materials that support coaches and participants alike to reflect on behaviours, motivations and cognitive processes in a positive way, with a view to growing leadership potential.
Balancing Labels and Behavioural Outcomes
One comment I often hear from clients is that they don't want to be labelled, put in a box, or have their behaviour picked apart by colleagues’ negative comments. Labels can be helpful to some, but more often in my experience they can be reinforcing of unhelpful behaviours, giving individuals licence to continue to behave in a certain way because that is ‘just the way I am’.
We have become familiar with ‘overpathologising’ in our search to find solutions to unlocking the best out of people. I believe that avoiding labelling individuals altogether and focussing on the behavioural outcomes that we want to see is a much healthier approach. Add to that a much broader understanding of brain health, gut health, sleep patterns, stress management, and well-being more generally, and how all these factors combine to support cognitive function and you have a comprehensive view of how to support an individual to grow and learn.
Integrating Family and Friends into Leadership Assessment
In particular I was impressed with the decision to use family and friends as assessors in the i4 Neuroleader™ 360° feedback review process, as well as colleagues and clients. Why should this matter? I have long been an advocate that like it or not, we all bring our whole selves to work every day, and likewise our whole selves back into the home at the end of the day. Rigid compartmentalism between work and not-work was in vogue in the last century, however, it is rarely achievable.
At the same time being able to maintain ‘emotional professionalism’ at work and acknowledge the existence of emotions and their impact without letting them overwhelm, or produce harmful outcomes, requires self-awareness and self-control. To scertifiay that neither world impacts the other ignores reality. Bringing family and friends into the assessor group was illuminating for me, showing how I adjust my personality (or not!) depending on the audience, and providing fertile ground for reflection and growth.
The Importance of Holistic Self-Reflection
This has also been true for clients who I have seen initially surprised, and then after some taking some time to consider, come to the realisation that a particular behavioural trait common at work is perhaps not serving them well at home, or vice versa. Often the report has shone a light into dark corners for high performers who had not realised they were neglecting sleep, or play or time for reflection, all things that the certification process has highlighted as being really essential for brain health and function. And that is another hallmark of the programme - rather than focussing on negative scores or comments, something our natural negativity bias wants to do, the i4 Neuroleader™ Assessment highlights deltas and consistencies.
Actionable Insights for Personal and Professional Growth
If all of your assessors consider you to be persuasive, then you probably are, even if you don’t think you are yourself. If however they differ in opinion, that is a useful line of enquiry: why do your assessors differ in opinion between groups, or why do they have a different view compared to how you view yourself? How often do your raters see you, and in what context?
These lines of inquiry, especially when supported by a coach, are cleverly designed to deliver actionable insights and behavioural change opportunities for growth. As a coach and leadership development specialist, it has been rewarding to take participants on the journey of self-reflection, to see them expanding their understanding of how they show up, and how they step more fully into being the best version of themselves.
Balancing Wellbeing and Leadership Using The i4 Neuroleader Model
Empowerment Through Neuroscience: How The i4 Neuroleader™ Methodology Reshaped My World
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