CIMBA October 2009 Newsletter

From the very beginning of this column, you and I have taken a fragmented trip through the literary world that has to this moment defined NeuroLeadership. I have suggested books that individually cover an aspect of one of the four principal domains that make up the field: (1) decision making and problem solving; (2) collaborating with and influencing others; (3)

emotional regulation; and, (4) driving change. When someone has come to me and expressed an interest in becoming better informed on the neuroscience and social psychology applications to leadership and leadership development, the list of books I have recommended exceeds 50 titles--and, not surprisingly, most find that overwhelming. What was clearly needed was a book that pulled in and explained all four domains, listed references to the research upon which the applications to leadership were based, and provided a narrative that would hold our attention, keep us engaged, and assist us in learning. I am pleased to inform you that such book now exists: David Rock's Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long.

As most of the readers of this column know, David has been actively involved with CIMBA for several years. You will recall that David was instrumental in working with us to create the first NeuroLeadership Summit here in Asolo in 2007. He and I co-founded the NeuroLeadership Institute and we are the co-editors of the NeuroLeadership Journal. Both our undergraduate and MBA students have the pleasure of getting to know David personally as he frequents the CIMBA campus on a regular basis, lending credibility to our "brain-based" leadership development process.

One of the principals of CIMBA educational and instructional philosophy is putting content in context. In his book, David builds the neuroscience of leadership information around and through the lives of family members--Emily, Paul, and their two young children--as they go about their busy, stressful days. Emily is a newly-promoted executive in a large corporation, while Paul is a private business consultant. David takes us inside their brains as they think--gathering, sorting, organizing, analyzing and confirming the vast quantities of information with which they are presented. David navigates us through their thinking, carefully and thoroughly explaining how the brain works--and, more specifically, how it works in a work setting.

MBA students who have had an opportunity to review draft copies of the book have likened it to Goldratt and Cox's The Goal, a book that has successfully placed content in context in the area of production management and process improvement. Those students were very quick to add that it greatly assisted them in better linking together the four domains making up the NeuroLeadership field--something that had been more difficult when it needed to be extracted from multiple books on multiple topics written by multiple authors. It is clear that Your Brain at Work is going to become a staple of CIMBA's leadership development program reading list. Not surprisingly, the book has been favorably reviewed by two of our most noted leadership theorists and practitioners: Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business and University Professor at the University of Southern California and the author of On Becoming a Leader.

The next big challenge? Developing an in-depth leadership textbook that incorporates much of the new research on neuroscience and social psychology applications to leadership. Until then, CIMBA is very content to finally have in its possession a book that brings together all four domains, explains the research upon which it is based, and guides our learning in this important field.

Those of you interested in exploring some of the topics from Your Brain at Work in more detail will find the book's reference site helpful and informative. It will also give you an opportunity to "meet" some of the scientists referenced in the book. To access this website, go to: www.your-brain-at-work.com.