Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

The human brains wires itself for sarcasm, racism, sexism, and cynicism  each time we grow further neuron pathways through tolerance for negative outcomes. That’s why firing Imus for promoting harmful communication, is merely a start in the right direction.

Pop culture, racism or sexist music or cranky talk show hosts may have perpetuated a spiral downward for communication, but it will take actions in the opposite direction to reverse that harmful trend. How so?

The brain rebuilds new neuron pathways beyond blame, for positive approaches within a community – through acting out opposite approaches to the toxic messages that bombard us.

Five striking examples come to mind…

1. We end war and  build peace plans when we speak in metaphors for action that negotiates, communicates, and prospers others – rather than in a language that fights for our own interests.

2. We end lethargy and generate talent when we exchange talking at meetings for two footed questions that draw out others’ unique offerings that improve the workplace.

3. We repair relationships only when we exchange meta messages for genuine communication, in good tone, that says exactly what we mean – in ways that benefit others.

4. We turn around broken bureaucracies when we replace hebbian hobo leaders with gifted men and women at the helm, who take risks for improvement.

5. We decrease greed and increase giving when we act ethically and grow new dendrite brain cells for doing what is right, and when we model generosity and inclusion openly at work.

If it sounds easy or straightforward, that’s only partially true. The first time we act on any of the above problem areas  against we swim upstream while the brain’s basal ganglia fights back to retain the status quo. Voices such as Imus, may have created that status quo as a cultural communication approach, but it’s now firmly entrenched in our collective intelligence.

Change involves using more of the brain’s working memory for offering solutions where problems pulled us down. That’s why firing a voice for discrimination is only a start.  It takes courage to depart from the comfortable or basal ganglia habits we created, in favor of operating more from the working memory – which holds less data, and feels uncomfortable at first.

Seems like we took the first step – and a window of opportunity opened that could prevent the cultural plunges and return hope we once felt this great nation. It’s all in your head and in mine, and it starts when we follow Google’s example to create rather than criticize!  

For today though, I hope you dance!