Brains are renowned for playing tricks on us so it’s no wonder it undermines our ability to become good leaders – here’s how to combat this way of thinking
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Harvard Business Review
Robin, a consistent overachiever, has recently been promoted to her inaugural leadership role. Yet, her initial months in this capacity have proven more arduous than anticipated: Her peers no longer engage in light-hearted banter, she’s being pulled in multiple directions, and she’s perpetually extinguishing fires. When one of her top performers unexpectedly departs for another opportunity, Robin realises her team is operating with inadequate resources.
The mounting pressure takes its toll, causing Robin to develop a sense of dread for Monday mornings. She begins to question if leadership is truly her forte.
Robin’s narrative is a familiar one. Research reveals that 60% of new managers falter within their first two years. This predicament isn’t exclusive to new managers alone—between 50 to 70% of newly appointed executives face a similar fate within their initial 18 months.
To attain success, a study conducted by HBR in collaboration with the Neuroleadership Institute underscores the importance of excelling in three fundamental domains of effective leadership: the ability to anticipate future trends, adeptness in interpersonal interactions, and the capacity to drive concrete outcomes.
Paradoxically, as our leadership skills mature, our brains undergo transformations that challenge our proficiency in these areas. A comprehensive analysis of numerous leadership development programs utilised by major organisations unveiled a common shortfall: these programs frequently neglect to equip leaders with skills across all three domains.
The positive news is that these predispositions can be countered through instruction once we comprehend the neurological underpinnings of our brain’s resistance.
Prioritise Future Focus
Rather than focusing solely on present tasks, leaders must continually scan the horizon for what lies ahead and ensure their teams are adequately prepared. This contrasts with our brain’s evolutionary propensity to prioritise the immediate and near-term future.
Remarkably, one study revealed that approximately 27% of individuals rarely or never contemplate events that might unfold five years down the line. This raises concern since anticipating factors like industry shifts, upcoming skill requirements, and evolving customer preferences is pivotal for effective leadership.
According to management consultant Elliott Jaques, the depth of your contemplation should increase with your ascent within an organisation. While a frontline manager might need to devise strategies for a quarter, a CEO must envision the business landscape a decade ahead. This notion, as posited by Jaques, is referred to as “time span.”
Predicting the future poses challenges, particularly during times of uncertainty. As the array of considerations intensifies, the subtle cues offering insights into potential futures become harder to detect. Additionally, our brains grapple with distance bias, a tendency that inclines us to prioritise ideas and decisions with closer temporal implications over those farther into the future.
However, encouraging research suggests that cultivating the habit of future-focused thinking and prediction is a skill that can be acquired. This skill forms part of leadership training. One approach involves allocating time each month to map out a ‘future state’ for your team within the subsequent three to six months. Utilising this vision, subsequently work backward to devise the actions needed to steer your team toward that envisioned destination.
Value Your People
Leaders are adept jugglers, often managing conflicting demands. This predicament is epitomised by the inherent contradiction within their primary responsibilities: executing a business strategy that yields favourable outcomes while concurrently nurturing connections and motivating their teams.
These dual responsibilities frequently collide since individuals are often elevated to leadership roles based on their technical competence, not their interpersonal skills. Social neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman highlights the rarity of leaders possessing both technical prowess and strong interpersonal abilities. One study indicated that a leader who prioritises results—melding analytical acumen with a fervent drive to advance and solve problems—merely had a 14% probability of being perceived as an exemplary leader.
Conversely, a leader adept in social skills, encompassing attributes like communication and empathy, fared even worse, boasting a meagre 12% chance of being regarded as outstanding. Yet, for leaders adept in both producing results and fostering social bonds, the likelihood of being regarded as a stellar leader soared to 72%.
Regrettably, a neurological explanation underscores this phenomenon. Neuroimaging studies divulge a seesaw effect existing between separate brain regions responsible for focusing on goals and those emphasising interpersonal bonds. As one intensifies, the other diminishes. Furthermore, research demonstrates that as an individual’s power increases, the brain’s goal-oriented network gains dominance. This adaptation is crucial for making effective leadership decisions, often necessitating detachment from individual needs to perceive them as chess pieces rather than humans.
Achieving a harmonious equilibrium between goal-focused and people-centric orientations holds the key. However, HBR’s analysis shows that only 58% of executive leadership programs emphasise outcomes centred on people, with respective figures of 64% and 51% for mid-level and emerging leaders. Recognising this, leaders can strive for balance by intentionally signalling to employees that their well-being matters.
Attain Tangible Outcomes
One of leadership’s greatest puzzles revolves around how our brains interpret power. As individuals perceive an increase in their influence, they tend to adopt a more optimistic outlook. This often engenders unrealistic targets and lofty expectations, leading to a disconnect between leaders and their team members who execute the lion’s share of the work.
This phenomenon often prompts leaders to become more ‘vision-focused’ and less concerned with minutiae. A sense of power triggers a positive response in our brains akin to winning a reward. Once activated, our brain seeks to elicit more of these rewards by guiding behaviour toward power-rewarding endeavours, such as formulating broad visions or pursuing lofty objectives, rather than focusing on intricate details.
The positive aspect is that by comprehending our brain’s inclination to veer away from meticulous details in favour of visionary thinking, we can counteract these urges by seeking alternative perspectives to maintain realism about the present and establishing goals that align with the welfare of all involved.
Fortunately, for Robin, her company invested in a meticulously designed leadership program that balances these three demanding competencies. Over the subsequent six months, she garnered insights enabling her to better comprehend her team’s dynamics while learning to forecast ahead and manage diverse facets of leadership alongside the day-to-day tactical demands. While the brain might not be innately programmed for leadership, the right science-driven training and habit cultivation empower leaders across all levels to overcome the challenges of Mondays and transcend them.
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