GUEST POST BY Wendy Jenkins OAM, READY RESILIENCE
Ready Resilience helps organisations thrive during times of change and challenge, using practical neuroscience-based resilience tools that have been proven to offer in-the-moment solutions and long-lasting results.
February 2023 Resilient Leadership Tips
One of the key aspects of leadership is the ability to communicate effectively.
Winston Churchill once stated, “The difference between mere management and
leadership is communication.”
It permeates many aspects of leadership from sharing a vision, providing feedback, or
having a difficult conversation with a team member or colleague.
Your brain’s mirror neurons, which are responsible for imitating the actions and
emotions of others, play a crucial role in effective communication and leadership.
Research has shown that leaders who can activate their mirror neurons are more
likely to be effective communicators and be seen as credible by their team members.
Your emotions and actions can prompt team members to mirror those feelings and
actions. The effects of activating neural circuitry in team members’ brains can be
very powerful.
It is important to be mindful not only what you are verbally communicating, but what
emotional signals you portray.
As an example, there is a subset of mirror neurones whose sole function is to detect
and respond to other people’s smiles and laughter.
These neurons are rarely activated by a self-controlled and humourless leader, but
one who laughs and sets a more easy-going tone puts these neurons to work, in turn
helping to bring a team closer together.
Research has shown that a bonded, cohesive team is usually one that performs better.
On average, top-performing leaders elicit laughter from their employees three times
as often as mid-performing leaders.
This doesn’t require you to have a steady stream of work appropriate jokes, instead
encouraging a more light-hearted environment where the team can have fun working
together. It isn’t shirking duties or making light of serious issues at inappropriate
times, instead creating a more relaxed atmosphere where work is still getting done.
If the workplace is positive and enjoyable, then usually this yields better performance
and results.
When employees are in a good mood, they are also better able to absorb new
information, and think quickly and imaginatively about how to respond.
Consider how you could activate these mirror neurons in your team.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy Jenkins is the founder of Ready Resilience, Co-Founder of the Lungitude Foundation, Speaker and Lung Transplant Survivor. Ready Resilience helps organisations thrive during times of change and challenge, using practical neuroscience-based resilience tools that have been proven to offer in-the-moment solutions and long-lasting results. Having been told she had two years to live over fifteen years ago, Wendy is driven to help people transform their perspective on challenges in life. To find out more visit www.readyresilience.com.
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