“I want to be an ineffective leader,” said no one, ever.

Yet, good leadership doesn’t come easy (even if you’re of the mind that great leaders are born). Numerous skills include emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and effective communication that add up to exceptional leadership.

And although it often takes years to hone them, there are ways to enhance these abilities by understanding and leveraging how our brains work. Recent advancements in brain science offer intriguing insights to help leaders sharpen how they manage their energy, give feedback, and put others at ease. Here’s a guide on how to apply brain science techniques to elevate your leadership.

Sharpen your memory

Recall of events, people’s names, and even talking points is a crucial skill that can inform many facets of leadership from communication to decision-making. Thankfully, there are ways to enhance your memory.

Technique: Shift your mindset around memory

• Action: “Computational models suggest that the brain is wired to learn from mistakes and challenges, a phenomenon called error-driven learning,” says UC Davis neuroscience professor Charan Ranganath. “This simple principle can explain the conditions under which we learn best and retain what we have learned over the long haul.”
• Benefit: Ranganath notes, “Error-driven learning explains the benefits that come when we actively learn by doing rather than passively learn by memorizing.” 

Leverage neuroplasticity 

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This means that leadership skills are not static; they can be developed and refined with practice.

Technique: Embrace social learning

• Action: Engage in activities that push your cognitive boundaries, such as learning a new language, mastering a musical instrument, or tackling complex problems in your field. Brain science suggests that social learning (in groups with others) makes learning happen more readily. 
• Benefit: According to David Rock at the Neuroleadership Institute, “When done right, social learning activates crucial networks of the brain that deepen understanding and ease of recall, and enable the development of new behaviors.”

Optimize decision-making

Cognitive biases can cloud judgment and impact decision-making. Being aware of these biases allows you to make more informed and rational decisions.

Technique: Recognize what’s at play around you

• Action: “Three traps that represent common circumstances when our brains are most susceptible to bias in the workplace: Information Overload, Feelings Over Facts, and the Need for Speed,” says Pamela Fuller. “When we are in these circumstances, the brain pushes more information to the side in order to focus on the 40 bits of information it can actively process.”
• Benefit: This reduces the impact of biases such as confirmation bias or overconfidence, leading to more balanced and effective decisions.

Enhance emotional intelligence 

Active listening is crucial for effective leadership, and it’s deeply rooted in the brain’s ability to recognize and respond to others’ emotions with emotional intelligence.

Technique: Practice active listening

• Action: “Practicing responding to people’s questions and comments with two-sentence responses is a good opportunity to make a meaningful impact with your words and provide more space for others,” says Dipti Bramhandkar, executive strategy director, North America, at Iris.
• Benefit: Improved listening fosters better relationships, enhances team cohesion, and supports a more inclusive and supportive work environment.

Harness the power of neurotransmitters 

Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin play significant roles in motivation and mood regulation. Understanding how to influence these chemicals can boost your leadership effectiveness.

Technique: Set clear goals and celebrate achievements

• Action: Break down large goals into smaller, manageable tasks and celebrate each milestone. This helps release dopamine, which is associated with reward and motivation.
• Benefit: Enhanced motivation and sustained enthusiasm for achieving leadership objectives

Improve stress management 

Chronic stress negatively impacts cognitive function and decision-making. Techniques that address stress at a neurobiological level can improve overall leadership effectiveness.

Technique: Incorporate a simple breathing exercise

• Action: Regularly practice stress-reduction techniques such as deep breathing exercises. “Breathing out for twice as long as you breathe in for, say five minutes, you’ll notice that you start to calm down,” says Yale School of Management’s Emma Seppälä. “You’re triggering the parasympathetic nervous system, the calming response within.”
• Benefit: Reduces stress-induced cortisol levels, leading to better focus, clarity of thought, and resilience under pressure

Foster creativity through a mindset shift

Creativity is essential for innovative leadership, and transforming your mindset from scarcity and reactivity to abundance can influence creative thinking.

Technique: Engage in activities to calm and stimulate different brainwave states

• Action: “The first thing is labeling emotions. Labeling—just being aware—helps you to diffuse,” explains executive coach Katia Verresen.
• Benefit: “We’ve found that when people label their emotion, it calms the amygdala down [the part of our brain that does fear and survival],” she says. This provides an enhanced ability to think outside the box and generate innovative solutions.

Develop adaptability

Adaptability is supported by brain science and can significantly impact leadership resilience.

Technique: Cultivate resilience 

• Action: Focus on the process of learning and improvement rather than fixed outcomes. “Once you have set a goal, remember to always look toward that north star when you’re dealing with a challenge and ask yourself: How can I reframe this situation as an opportunity to get closer to my goal?” posits Alexa von Tobel.
• Benefit: While resilience helps you weather the storm, it is adaptability that empowers you to harness its energy and steer toward unprecedented growth, she says.

Hone intuition

Our fight-or-flight survival instinct helps us make snap decisions to protect us from harm, but the more refined instinct is essential for problem-solving and decision-making. 

Technique: Learn to step away from the data and trust your gut

• Action: “When a problem arises where you need to figure out a solution or get back to a client quickly, practice potential responses with a trusted line manager or mentor,” says CEO Joanne Chan. “Articulate what the problem is, come up with three possible ideas, and share which one instinctively feels best.”
• Benefit: Chan says instinct is “a skill carefully honed over years of hard work, practice, and experience that allows every decision to be a bespoke solution.”  

Integrating brain-science techniques into your leadership approach can offer significant advantages, from enhanced decision-making and emotional intelligence to improved creativity and stress management. By understanding and applying these insights, you can not only boost your leadership effectiveness, but also foster a more innovative, resilient, and motivated team.