Try Whole-Brain Leadership
Containing more than 100 billion neurons, 100 trillion connections, and weighing in at roughly three pounds, your brain is command central for all you feel, think, and do.
Because the brain is divided into two halves, they have long been thought to operate independently of each other. Hence, the Right versus Left Brain Theory of thinking and doing. Brain dominance was thought to predict much about who we are and how we orient to the world. Analytical thinking was said to be associated with the left brain hemisphere, and creative and artistic expression to the right brain.
As it turns out, this is pure nonsense. Magnetic resonance imaging in the past few years has proven the human brain doesn’t favor one side over the other. The networks on one side are not stronger or more specialized than the other. The two hemispheres are tied together by bundles of nerve fibers that work to complement each other, creating a fluid information highway throughout the brain. Whether you’re performing a logical function or a creative act, both sides of your brain provide input.
It’s a fact that the two sides of your brain are different, but you do not have a right brain or left brain. It’s true that specific parts of the brain control necessary functions, but the idea of two hemispheres that determine how creative or analytical you are is a theory now totally debunked. How many books and articles inculcated this idea into our heads? How many times have you been told you are more right-brained or left? Not long ago, psychologists recommended leaders benefited most from right-brain thinking. As far as I can tell, we have always needed a whole brain to lead. Still do.
PS: One additional note - Next Tuesday, October 12, we are holding our Admired Leadership Community Conference. The morning sessions are free and open to anyone interested in becoming a better leader. Find out more here. We’d love to have you join us!