Two-track mind: how a neuroscience discovery can make you a better leader
"How can I take the time to show care for others when there is simply too much to do?" We are good people, and -- of course! -- we care about others, but the to-do lists get longer and time seems to fly by, as meeting after meeting makes it almost impossible to take care of ourselves, let alone the others on our team. It may be baffling to figure out how we can do the relating necessary to develop and sustain good working relationships while also getting all of our tasks done. I am here to tell you -- it feels impossible because it is impossible.
Neuroscience research has shown that we have two networks in our brain* implicated here: our Default Mode Network (DMN) and our Task Positive Network (TPN). The DMN is our relational network - we tap into it when we have connecting conversations with others with no agenda; when we daydream or imagine; when we use our creativity; when we empathize; and when we make moral reasoning decisions, to name a few. Our TPN is focused on getting things done. We tap into it when we focus on checking off items on our to-do list; when we are planning and strategizing; when we need to think critically and use our logic, to name a few. And, research has shown, one network will almost always suppress the other!**
When you are in your DMN, you will put your tasks on the back burner. Think of the colleague at work who seems to always be at the water cooler chatting, or your spouse who gets caught up with a friend, with no sense of urgency of the appointment you need to get to.
When you are in your TPN, you only focus on tasks. You can tend to ignore or even be downright hostile towards others who seem to be getting in your way. Here you are working on budget reports and an employee comes in and asks about the snack machine. What do you do? Or, in your TPN, you hastily remind your spouse you've got places to be, and can we get out the door already?
The implications of these networks are huge for leaders -- and really all humans! Knowing that we cannot do both relating and tasks at the same time, we must learn to switch back and forth between these networks, eventually smoothly and rapidly, multiple times an hour or day. This takes time, intention, and practice. It requires making a little room for the transitions between networks, and giving ourselves some grace. Begin noticing when you are in one mode and be intentional about bringing yourself into the other.
When Craig comes in to ask you about the snack machine, look up from your computer. Look at Craig and take a breath. You may even thank him (silently or aloud) for giving you a moment to switch into your DMN. Even 30 seconds will help you -- and him -- remember the importance of doing this human thing.
Practice this in your meetings. Take a moment at the beginning of the meeting to have a relational conversation before diving into the agenda. You could ask the team to share moments when something went well for them, and to talk to the person next to them. You could even use the topic of the meeting as a catalyst. For example, in a new software implementation, you could ask "Tell me about a time when doing something new made a significant, positive change in your life." Not only will this bring folks in the meeting into their DMN, it will also bring folks into the Positive Emotional Attractor (PEA), but that is a story for next time.
Footnotes:
*My understanding is that there are more than two networks in the brain, but these are the two in discussion here.
**If this sounds familiar, it may be because it is! We used to discuss these mechanisms as 'Left Brain/Right Brain' divisions. This language has fallen to the wayside as fMRIs have shown that this neural processing does not divide so neatly down the middle of our brain -- these circuits go throughout our whole brain.
Source: Boyatzis RE, Rochford K and Jack AI (2014) Antagonistic neural networks underlying differentiated leadership roles. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8:114. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00114