In today’s hyperactive, over-informationed, global, 24/7 world…it’s hard for managers to relax and let their minds run free. And yet, there is much neuroimaging research showing that this is exactly what leads to the best decisions and becoming a more motivating manager. It turns out that when it comes to becoming an exceptional manager, less is more.
Dr Pillay, Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School, has found that when you let your mind wander you activate the creative part of your brain. In contrast, when you get stressed by deadlines approaching the parts of the brain used for problem solving, not creative thought, get activated.
It also turns out that the best leaders use their emotions to guide decisions much more than logic. It seems that neuroscience is proving that in general your gut really is a better way to decide that basing decisions on facts alone.
Better strategic thinkers activate the social and emotional centers of the brain, not the centers for planning and logical reasoning according to research by Dr Gilkey, Professor of Management and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University.
Then there are many studies showing that doing less without interruption leads to more productive managers. Ongoing interruptions also lead to poorer quality work. Interruptions lead to stress which leads to loss of focus and constantly shifting your attention…hardly the way to perform at your best.
But what to do to keep your brain functioning in ways that lead to more creative and successful results? How can you ensure you spend as much time as possible with a wandering mind, focused uninterrupted effort, the calmness and ability to hear your gut when it speaks?
It’s actually simple. Decide to change how you operate. Take an early morning walk or spend some time by yourself in a Starbucks with nothing in particular to do. Refuse to check your email every few seconds and stay focused on whatever you’re working on until it’s completed, get to know your body better and the signals it’s sending you…and listen.
Simple things to do, difficult to force yourself to do. Take control of your life and improve your results. Those who operate this way all notice an amazing thing. They actually get more done with less effort and better results in less time. Join them.