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[MUSIC].
In this module, we're going to look at the neuroscience of resonant versus
dissonant leadership. In the earlier modules, we talked about
how effective leaders, who bring out the best in us, engage in this in tune
relationship. They're creating the experience of hope,
mindfulness, and compassion. Well, two years ago, and just published
this year, with colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic.
With Dr.'s Mike Phillips, Jamie Stoller, Mark Lowe.
Katherine Koenig and Blessy Mathew and Angela Passarelli in our Doctoral
Program. We did a study of executives that came
out in Leadership Quarterly of the neural activation of others followers in
response to resonant versus dissonant leaders in their lives.
So, we interviewed these average age 49 year old executives about moments in
their lives with resonant leaders and dissonant leaders.
We extracted from the interviews six specific episodes, six moments that each
of them had with a resonant leader and six moments with a dissonant leader.
A number of weeks later they came back and went through a FMRI, a Functional
Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, in which we repeated back to them.
Actually it was Angela Passarelli who did the interviews, repeated back these
specific moments and asked them to react to how they remembered the leader, his or
her style. His or her effectiveness.
The impact they had on them. When we put all of that data together,
we've found a number of dramatic differences that help us to understand,
not just the feelings that resonant leaders versus dissonant leaders create.
But also what goes on in their brains. One of the things that was dramatic is
the activation of the mirror neuron networks.
Now a number of years ago, several neuroscientists, in particular one Dr.
Iacoboni and one Dr. Rizzolatti, had talked about, in the 90s,
mirror neurons and mirror neuron networks.
By now a number of years later, people have reassured and supported, their
original findings, that these networks in the brain, these parts of the neural
network, allow us to mimic the actions of others.
Now there are some mirror neurons in the brain, but mostly it's the mirror neuron
networks, that help us do this. And since then others have found like
John Desetti and Don Bateson. have found what they call hemodynamic
sympathetic networks, that allow us to activate directly in our brains something
that tunes us into another's emotions. Between these two networks, we can tune
in to others. At a neural level.
At a direct brain level. Do do do do do do do.
Little bit of science fiction. It seems that way.
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But the thing that's worth remembering is that these activations occur in
milliseconds. And they last for a very long time.
So they occur predominately below consciousness.
Well, one of the things we found is that in response to these memories of resonant
leaders in their lives, the executives activated the mirror neural networks.
And when they were exposed to these moments that they had with dissonant
leaders, they deactivated these same networks.
Which is to say, they were suppressed. Second finding, I have to go back and,
and explain something that Professor Tony Jack here at Case Western Reserve
University has just published an article in NeuroImage showing that when we are
given an analytic task, we're given something that requires analysis,
numbers, finance, physics, these kinds of analytic tasks, we activate a network in
our brain called the task positive network.
It is a part of the executive function. This is the part of our brain that
enables us to focus and solve a problem. But the task positive network in our
focusing also blocks out other possibilities.
And in fact, ignores certain things. What Tony Jack showed in this masterful
study, was the when we were given social situations to deal with; somebody arguing
with someone, someone asking someone for a favor, someone trying to appeal to
someone else. We activate a different network and
circuits in our brain, and he called it the social network which is a component
of the default mode network. Now people have kind of known for awhile
these two networks were going on. What Tony showed is that these two
networks are almost completely independent, they have very little
overlap and they suppress each other. Yes that's right.
So when you go into analytic mode, when you're focusing on problem solving you're
suppressing the social mode. And when you go into the social mode,
you're suppressing the analytic mode. Now, the fact is that we need both.
You need to be able to focus and make decisions and solve problems.
And we nee, need to social network, not just to deal with people.
But also to deal with emotions, moral configurations around social issues.
And to be open. Because it's in the default mode network,
and the social network, that we're open to new ideas.
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Well, in our study it was very clear that the moments, recalling moments with
resonant leaders activated the parts of the social network in the default mode
network. And that when people reacted to moments
with dissonant leaders, they were about a third of the time activating these social
default mode networks, but two thirds of the time, they were suppressing them.
We also showed that reactions remembering, recalling these moments with
the resonant leaders, led to more activation of parts of the brain
identified with more approach activities versus avoidance activities with the
response to dissonant leaders. And more positive emotional regions of
the brain, or regions of the brain were activated that are associated with more
positive emotions, were shown in response to the resonant leaders.
More negative emotional regions in the brain in response to the dissonant
leaders. So we have not just a body of
psychological, and behavioral evidence now.
We also are beginning to understand what goes on in the brain, at very fast
speeds, predominantly unconsciously. Now just to give you an illustration I'm
about to show you a slide. Of the activation of the inferior frontal
gyrus. This is a part of the default mode
network. Part of the social network that we were
talking about. And as you can see in this slide, the
orangeish yellow area shows statistically significant activation in the, in
recalling resonant leader, moments with resonant leaders, versus moments with
dissonant leaders. So all of this again, brings us back to
the issue. That resonant leadership is common sense
but not common practice. And that's where the rub is.
In coming modules, we'll be talking about why does that happen.
Why do people lose their resonance? Why do people lose being in touch with
other people around them and their environment.
But before we do that I would like to identify the personal learning assignment
coming out of this week's modules. What I'd like you to do over the next
week at least is to every situation in we're, in which you're at a meeting, at
school or at work, in which there is someone in a leadership position.
You're at work, and there's a project leader, there's a manager holding a staff
meeting, or some executive. If you're in school, a teacher, or
somebody in a sports team or club the chairperson or the head of a team holding
the meeting. I want you to make observations, keep
some notes, and please write them in your personal journal, about what were they
doing or saying that you think made you and the other people in the room feel or
experience more hope, more compassion, or more mindfulness.
Did you feel lifted and inspired as a result of this interaction, or did you
feel deflated, and emptied by it. In other words, was it relatively more
resonance or dissonance that you were experiencing.
And it's very helpful to keep track of this for at least a week, through a
variety of people in different situations.
And, like I said, if you write it in your personal journal.
And then, if you will share some of your observations and thoughts about what was
going on. Why it happened.
How frequently the resonance or dissonance was appearing.
On the electronic discussions, you'll find that others are beginning to have
interesting related, if not very similar experiences.
In the process, I think this will help you reflect more on the day to day
experiences that you're having, with resonant and, unfortunately all too often
dissonant leaders. And again in the next module, we'll go
into the details of exactly how does this occur, how do we engage our resonance, or
unfortunately, how do we lose it, and slide into dissonance.
Thank you.