Rewire your brain for agility and resilience

This Hot Topic will explore how the brain operates and how you can use these insights to build and cultivate resilience for yourself as well as your organisation. 

Think of your trip to work in the morning. You get in your car, or on the train, and the next thing you know, you’re at work. Do you have a recollection of the journey? Or do you go in the same direction doing the same things over and over again? Our brains work in patterns, like getting on the tube in the morning, and most of these patterns are not initially recognisable because they are controlled by the subconscious.

The trouble is, we fall victim to patterns at work too, which can unconsciously hold us back from getting where we want to go. For example, you might be taking the same “autopilot” decisions at work without realising it or your employees might avoid bringing an idea forward because they think it’s “not good enough”. If we continue operating on autopilot, we will never be able to deviate from these paths. How do you become aware of your unconscious patterns and prevent the wrong patterns from secretly sabotaging your career? How can you switch off the autopilot?

Synchronise your tune for great leadership

Because our brains work with patterns, we can train them to become light on their feet and react effectively to these changing environments. Research tells us that the first step is to recognise those patterns by building self-awareness, which is also the foundation of Emotional Intelligence (EI).

After recognition, the second step is to build new patterns that support our winning aspirations and are aligned with the direction we want to go in. Resilience plays a key role in helping us reverse the negative effects of stress and break the patterns that hold us back.

There is no doubt it is hard work to develop key competencies of EI – self-awareness, self-management, empathy or social awareness, and relationship management or social skill. However, if you want to create patterns that will support you in what you want to achieve, it is essential to build EI and act with mental clarity to stay in tune with those around you. The path to inspiring and creating resonance with others lies in mindfulness, hope and compassion. These traits can spark changes that help build resilience for yourself and your organisation.