Changing leadership habits in the age of 'bite-sized' learning

Neuroscience boffins know more and more about how our brains work and how human beings and therefore leaders, most of whom are human beings, change their habits. See The Neuroscience of Leadership. Any Organisation Development Director or CPO who hopes to influence leaders habits better start out with this understanding. To start with, a leader will need a new insight. This insight must be generated by a critical experience or a self-generated “ah hah!” moment, so don’t even try to get one through compliance. Then the insight needs lots of support and attention over a period of months to establish it into a habit – a new set of brain wiring that will endure and affect follower experience of a leader’s daily practice. Insight + sustained and supported attention = habit change. In the days of long and languid leadership retreats at beautiful country piles, perspective shifting programmes in Africa working with the Maasai or inspiring large group interventions with tons of experiential learning, opportunities for insight and support abounded. What hope for “ah hah!” moments in today’s climate of bite-size learning, on-line workbooks and 1 day in-house programmes? We think there is some, but only if we start with a clear understanding of what really works. Ideas Unlimited Partner Lucy Ball and Eve Poole (friend of Ideas Unlimited and Ashridge Business School Egg-head) will be answering this question in an upcoming article. Please e-mail lucy@ideasunlimited.com with your thoughts or comments or to register your interest in hearing more