New Book Review: "Your Brain and Business"
New book review for Your Brain and Business: The Neuroscience of Great Leaders, by Srinivasan S. Pillay, FT Press, 2011, reposted here:
It is apparent that one has a controversial text on their hands when some reviewers assign the label "too scientific", and some reviewers assign the label "pseudoscientific". Reading through the other reviews here, if I had not recently read this book myself I might be hard-pressed to find any answers to what the author provides in his discussion, and rather than make a decision to read this book based on facts, give up trying due to lack of information.
According to Pillay, "at the end of this book, the coach or executive will have a good idea of several concepts in brain science that can be applied to his or her own coaching relationships and interventions so as to add to the available tools for coaching." The author later elaborates by noting that "these interventions are a reframing of conventional coaching methodologies but they also add new insights. At a time when leaders are tiring of old concepts and are therefore not receptive to them, this reframing can be very helpful in informing the appropriate coaching, management, or leadership plan."
The author explains his view that there are 6 basic ways in which brain science can enhance understanding within the executive environment: repackaging advice with biological explanations rather than psychological jargon, decreasing threats by depersonalizing explanations of behavior, debunking myths when brain science provides a different explanation than personal or organizational psychology, providing further insights and evidence beyond what has been traditionally provided in the past, providing a system for targeted interventions, and developing coaching protocols and tools.
On several occasions throughout the text, the author mentions that since research is an ongoing effort, although the explanations he provides are based on current research, some of the brain science addressed here is bound to change. Many of the insights Pillay provides are based on functional brain imaging, which examines how the brain works when it is presented with a task or challenge as a given individual lies inside an MRI scanner. As the author explains, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures brain blood flow as a correlate of brain cell (neuronal) activity, is the technological focus.
In my opinion, "Your Brain and Business" is one of the most creative business texts I have read in quite some time, and there are a number of passages that I plan to revisit. However, the number and location of dog ears created while reading this text reminds me that some of my interest waned for the last two chapters. Some of the material presented in this latter section would have best been presented earlier in the text, since some of it would have been helpful as the author provided the groundwork of his presentation, and some of it unfortunately is a bit repetitive.
That said, several takeaways especially resonated with me as a consultant and an individual outside the workplace. The amygdala, which is found deep inside the brain and lights up when presented with something fearful, picks up fear signals unconsciously without the conscious brain knowing anything about it. The conscious brain requires at least 30 milliseconds to register images, for example, but the unconscious emotional processor can be actively engaged even if negative office chatter or radio talk shows are in the background and not being paid attention.
The second such aspect that especially resonated with me is the discussion on optimism that the author provides. As the author explains, "when people hear the word 'optimism', they roll their eyes. In this economy, with the difficulties of balancing home and work life and making ends meet, just the idea of optimism seems tiring to most. Many business leaders are practical, and they believe that optimism is for the birds." Current research, however, demonstrates that "optimism builds the brain's connections differently than realism and provides relief from a burning, red-hot amygdala."
The third, in chapter 5 ("The Challenge Prior to Change: How Brain Science Can Bring Managers and Leaders from Idea to Action Orientation"), is that regardless of the emphasis many business people place on removing feeling or emotion from decision making, the brain's accountant (the ventromedial prefrontal cortex) is missing vital information if these are left out. The accountant determines the level of action required for a situation by examining risk and reward value, but these are in turn assessed by short-term memory, long-term memory, as well as by emotion.
In my experience as a consultant, it is clear that if one is to use the material provided in this book in some manner within the workplace as discussed by the author, it will need to be tailored to the individual just like any other mechanism. While some may prefer biological explanations over the psychological, there are others who prefer the psychological, and some of course will not respond to either or prefer other alternate explanations when it comes to coaching.
However, if the reader does not get too distracted by the abundance of brain terminology, and they are looking for material on these topics, my expecation is that many will find something to add to their daily toolboxes, counterparts to tools such as those discussed in books like "More Secrets of Consulting: The Consultant's Tool Kit" by Gerald M. Weinberg (see my review). Well recommended to anyone looking for explanatory balance on these topics to aid them both in their careers and in their lives outside the workplace.