The i4 Neuroleader - Effective Leadership For The Demands Of A 21st Century Workplace

Last week, About my Brain's i4 Neuroleader Model was the featured topic of Juan Carlos Cubeiro's leadership blog (Talking about Talent) in a story entitled 'Five Hours on Neuroleadership.' Below I have provided a summary of his post, as it contains some very important and clarifying distinctions about the characteristics that define a Neuroleader and separate him or her from managers and leaders of today.

In doing so, he provides a case for a growing imperative that organizations around the world embrace this new model--a model based on neuroscience research into optimal brain functioning. Because, when brain function is optimized, it translates into a greater abundance of effective leadership traits, attributes, skills, and behaviors that are essential to lead people and organizations in our fast-paced, global 'innovation' era workplace.

Painting a picture of these three disparate figures, Cubeiro credits About my Brain's CEO, Silvia Damiano, for creating the and this metaphorical comparison of the leadership requirements of the Industrial (past), Knowledge (recently past), and Imagination (current and future) eras, which are discussed in detail in Silvia's book ''.

Cubeiro writes:

• Managers and leaders have relied on control and knowledge. The Neuroleader relies on ideas.
• The Neuroleader is not only a visionary but also a creator.
• The manager/leader focuses on tasks and leading people. The Neuroleader is focused on developing talent and the brain.
• The leader is measured by ability and for having courage. The Neuroleader is measured by and because of their vulnerability.
• The manager/leader thinks and says, "I know" or "We know." The Neuroleader professes, 'Who knows?'

Summarizing, Cubeiro says, "The Neuroleader must be inspiring, integrative, imaginative, and intuitive--a model that fits with a world model (VUCA) that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. By his or her inspiring work, the Neuroleader pursues challenges and shares a vision through empathy and attentive listening, uses intuition and relies on what is both known and what is 'unconscious'. He or she challenges the status quo and continually proposes improvements."

Juan Carlos Cubeiro (who resides in Madrid) is the Head of Talent at Manpower in Europe and CEO of Right Management. He is also an internationally known leadership lecturer and author (of 42 books) and an important global voice in the growing Neuroleadership movement.

To read Cubeiro's post (in Spanish) click here!