We all want to be the best we can be most of the time and all HR executives and trainers need to be at the forefront of change and aware of new trends whilst having the mindset of being a continual learner in order to stay on top of the game. Trainers need to back up their training with the most up to date information, tools and techniques and show that they lead the way. Article by Sue France, FCIPD INLPTA, Trainer, Coach and Conference Chairman.
The current hot topic in HR and learning is neuroscience and understanding how our brain works with the help of new technology like fMRI scans and the advancing research of neuroscientists. Although neuroscientists still only know approximately 10% of how the brain works, considerable progress is being made and we should all be aware of how this new information may affect us and the way we could change our practices whilst keeping an eye on new information as it comes to light.
As an HR Executive or trainer, it is important to understand how the brain works so that we know how best to influence employees and management in managing performance. Understanding the science behind how we think and therefore why we behave, is crucial for best practice in leading and learning. This is particularly important in change management and in particular in how to change habits as well as understanding better how to embed learning so that learning is taken into the workplace and implemented effectively.
The first most important fact to know is that we have neuroplasticity of the brain, meaning that our brain continues to change throughout life – you can even go to bed with one brain and wake up with a different brain!
Sleep is extremely important to our brains – in fact the brain works 20% more when we are asleep than when we are awake! This is an amazing fact and makes you realise just how important sleep is. Whilst we sleep, our brains are making sense of the day and putting short-term memories into long-term memory. It also gets rid of harmful toxins and repairs cells.
Our brains use 20% of the energy we put into our bodies and the Pre Frontal Cortex (PFC) (the thinking, rational part of our brain) uses a lot of energy quickly and once that energy runs out our brains fall back on to working automatically and through habit and without much rational thought. When employees are not getting enough sleep and energy levels are low then they may make the wrong decisions and cannot work to the best of their ability. Knowing that our brains work best in the morning after a good night’s sleep and knowing that we cannot think as well once our energy is used up, this should mean a lot to firms such as solicitors who sometimes ‘work through the night until the deal is done’ – how sensible is this practice knowing what we know about the brain today?
It is also important for management to realise that employees will work best when encouraged to take a lunch hour away from their desk plus 5 x 5 minute breaks throughout the day. The break from work allows the brain to re-energize so we can be more effective and productive. If you are working on a problem and are ‘stuck’ then the best thing to do is to ‘park’ it with your subconscious brain and let your subconscious brain go to work for you. You can write the problem down or on a white board and leave it to incubate and think about it whilst you take a break or go out and get some fresh air. Incubating thoughts your brain to come up with solutions and ideas. Similarly, when you are tired at night and cannot think even about what to wear the next morning – allow your subconscious brain to think about it whilst you are asleep and in the morning you wake up knowing exactly what to wear!
It is useful to understand that first and foremost our minds are lazy and therefore work automatically and through habit most of the time in order to conserve energy for the flight, fright, freeze or flock mode when we feel when under threat. The threat response occurs in our amygdala in the limbic part of our brain and we can feel under threat simply by someone rejecting you and your ideas, by not being included for a lunch with peers, by feeling you need to defend yourself simply because someone misunderstood what you said etc.
Neuroscientist, Matthew Lieberman challenges Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy of Needs suggesting that human beings first and foremost need social connectivity first, which Maslow put as third in the hierarchy. Knowing this means you will understand how employees can feel the threat response in circumstances like being left out of working on a certain project that they particularly felt was important to them and therefore how they may react and what it will mean to their productivity levels.
It is important to realise the brain is naturally negative and is constantly looking for threats and as soon as we perceive a threat our PFC, our thinking and reasoning part of the brain, stops working and we therefore often make wrong decisions and behave inappropriately as our PFC regulates our behaviour. Understanding this when working with people will enable you to approach and handle people differently and with more forethought.
To use our brains for excellence, we should all practice mindfulness and being ‘fully present,’ which means in neuroscience terms as being aware and intentional. We should all be aware of what it is going on around us as well as what is going on inside our brains as we respond to what is happening around us and being intentional about what your next ‘thought-through and informed’ steps should be without being a victim of the ‘amygdala hijack.’
