Read Online Your Brain and Business: The Neuroscience of Great Leaders by Srinivasan S. Pillay - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Srinivasan S. Pillay
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studies have shown that with mindfulness, the amygdala is quieted down and the leader will have better access to thinking circuits in the brain.
The importance of self-transcending can be emphasized as gaining access to not-yet-embodied knowledge. That is, coaches, leaders, and managers can know that self-transcending is a distinct brainwave state different from focused attention or stillness. The advantage of this is that the leader may be able to make predictions of future events morequickly or intuitively. 53 The theory behind this thinking is to take the brain to the highest level of synchrony and connection among its various parts. 54
The Psychology of Compassion
The concept: Leaders are often faced with a decision about whether or not to be compassionate, and coaches who prescribe compassion in certain situations are left with very “soft” ideas that cannot be adequately communicated. Although compassion always seems like a noteworthy virtue, its actual effect on the leader’s brain can help him or her understand the need for it. A recent brain-imaging study looked at experienced and novice meditators to see if their brains registered emotional sounds differently during compassion meditation (i.e., while cultivating compassion). 55 This study found that emotional sounds of distress activated the insula and cingulate cortex during meditation but not rest. Activation to negative sounds during meditation was greater in the insula of expert meditators compared to novice meditators, but this was not true for positive or neutral sounds. Thus, high degrees of compassion result in a much higher degree of emotion sharing. In addition, other brain regions (amygdala and “mirror neuron” regions; see Chapter 3 ) also activated more in experienced meditators. This suggests that mindfulness through compassion meditation results in higher emotional and social intelligence in leaders and that this depth of information provides more input for decision making.
Compassion does not just apply to feelings toward others. Its also applies to feelings toward one’s self. Leaders are often very self-critical and this can lead to a decrement in performance. A recent study that looked at self-criticism versus self-assurance found that self-criticism was associated with activity in lateral prefrontal cortex regions and dorsal ACC, thus linking self-critical thinking to error processing and resolution, and also behavioral inhibition. Self-reassurance was associated with left temporal pole and insula activation, suggesting that efforts to be self-reassuring engage similar regions to expressing compassion and empathy toward others. 56 Studies have also shown that people who are less sensitive to their own feelings are also less sensitive to the feelings of others. 57
The application: Leaders who develop compassion as a principle will be able to register distress in the company more easily and sense this more easily, and perhaps earlier as well. This will allow them to act earlier in the course of events. Hence, compassion is not just a nice idea—it affects the brain’s sensitivity to emotional information. Also, it is important to be reminded of compassion toward ourselves. Without this, we will not be able to have compassion toward others and our brains will constantly be in error-monitoring mode using up vital energy that can be used for problem solving. Compassion is therefore not just a positive state of mind toward people; it is a state of mind that allows leaders to read what is going on around them more effectively so that they can preempt situations that arise more effectively and efficiently. Very often leaders are left to their own devices in their offices, designating “compassion workers” to make sure that the company is running well. However, for the leader to make effective decisions, factual and emotional information needs to be taken in. A state of compassion can facilitate this registration and integration.
The importance of self-transcending can be emphasized as gaining access to not-yet-embodied knowledge. That is, coaches, leaders, and managers can know that self-transcending is a distinct brainwave state different from focused attention or stillness. The advantage of this is that the leader may be able to make predictions of future events morequickly or intuitively. 53 The theory behind this thinking is to take the brain to the highest level of synchrony and connection among its various parts. 54
The Psychology of Compassion
The concept: Leaders are often faced with a decision about whether or not to be compassionate, and coaches who prescribe compassion in certain situations are left with very “soft” ideas that cannot be adequately communicated. Although compassion always seems like a noteworthy virtue, its actual effect on the leader’s brain can help him or her understand the need for it. A recent brain-imaging study looked at experienced and novice meditators to see if their brains registered emotional sounds differently during compassion meditation (i.e., while cultivating compassion). 55 This study found that emotional sounds of distress activated the insula and cingulate cortex during meditation but not rest. Activation to negative sounds during meditation was greater in the insula of expert meditators compared to novice meditators, but this was not true for positive or neutral sounds. Thus, high degrees of compassion result in a much higher degree of emotion sharing. In addition, other brain regions (amygdala and “mirror neuron” regions; see Chapter 3 ) also activated more in experienced meditators. This suggests that mindfulness through compassion meditation results in higher emotional and social intelligence in leaders and that this depth of information provides more input for decision making.
Compassion does not just apply to feelings toward others. Its also applies to feelings toward one’s self. Leaders are often very self-critical and this can lead to a decrement in performance. A recent study that looked at self-criticism versus self-assurance found that self-criticism was associated with activity in lateral prefrontal cortex regions and dorsal ACC, thus linking self-critical thinking to error processing and resolution, and also behavioral inhibition. Self-reassurance was associated with left temporal pole and insula activation, suggesting that efforts to be self-reassuring engage similar regions to expressing compassion and empathy toward others. 56 Studies have also shown that people who are less sensitive to their own feelings are also less sensitive to the feelings of others. 57
The application: Leaders who develop compassion as a principle will be able to register distress in the company more easily and sense this more easily, and perhaps earlier as well. This will allow them to act earlier in the course of events. Hence, compassion is not just a nice idea—it affects the brain’s sensitivity to emotional information. Also, it is important to be reminded of compassion toward ourselves. Without this, we will not be able to have compassion toward others and our brains will constantly be in error-monitoring mode using up vital energy that can be used for problem solving. Compassion is therefore not just a positive state of mind toward people; it is a state of mind that allows leaders to read what is going on around them more effectively so that they can preempt situations that arise more effectively and efficiently. Very often leaders are left to their own devices in their offices, designating “compassion workers” to make sure that the company is running well. However, for the leader to make effective decisions, factual and emotional information needs to be taken in. A state of compassion can facilitate this registration and integration.
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