Brain, Thinking, Personality and Living

The model that I have used to deliver my program on Personal Mastery flows along the following lines : The way our brain is structured (created for some) influences our ability to think which then influences our mind which in turn affects our decision making. Add to this two other closely linked elements of the Self : personality and value systems, we have indeed an extremely complicated organism called the Human Being. I believe the trail to Personal Mastery begins in the brain.

The brain is the tool that most of us have to view the world and give meaning to it. I say most of us because there is a group of people who don't rely too much on the brain but rather on their 'heart'. Of course heart here is used figuratively. But more on that later.

Fundamentally, the brain's weakness are related to 3 factors : 1. The brain is at the end of the day, a biological-mechanical thing. All mechanical things have limitations. 2. The brain can't differentiate between fact and fantasy. 3. The brain's basic function is to keep the body alive and stress free.

With all our scientific advancement, we have only yet scratched the surface as far as deciphering the human brain is concerned. One of the key sentences that I often repeat in the program is : "Our brain is the most powerful tool that we have AND it is also our weakest". The human brain can think of the cosmos, produce great works of art and command nature to serve its needs but it can't eliminate prejudice, it can't stop ego-centric thinking nor can it easily accept ideas and opinions contrary to its pre-set belief system.

Allow me to illustrate this further. There was a recent article in a Malaysian daily which talked about how the Ford motor company uses the knowledge of reward-circuit in the human brain to plan and execute its A&P campaign for its latest models. In short, the reward circuit is the part of our brain that lights-up ( literally not figuratively!) when we anticipate something pleasant be it a desirable car, the possibility of chatting up a member of the opposite sex or waiting to be served a refreshing iced lemon tea on a hot afternoon. In other words, Ford is not asking us what we like in its cars. Its asking our brain directly. Why go through the hassle of asking us when our answers are bound to be coloured by so many 'irrelevant' factors that have got nothing to do to with selling cars?!

Ever noticed how our mouth waters when you think of a pleasant food. In my program I illustrate this by describing a fresh green lime and lime juice. There are research reports from NASA which describes how astronauts in its training facilities are able to produce bodily readings that are only possible if they are actually on the moon. They do this by intense imagination. In other words, they imagine it so vividly that the brain actually believes that its on the moon and accordingly instructs bodily functions to adapt to conditions on the moon.

I can give many other scientific evidences on the limitations of the human brain but what does it have to do with leadership and managing people? The answer is EVERYTHING! It should make all leaders and managers sit up and think about their thinking. The so called logical and rational decision making that they do may not be that logical and rational after all. Its all mechanical.

The greatest of leaders and the best among the Human race have always known that they had a brain. For the rest, the brain had them. Now, is it a wonder why we have always searched for somehing higher than the brain. We give it fancy names like EQ and EI but the truth is, humans have known all along that the brain is not a tool to be entirely trusted. There are others. More on that the next time.

The Essence of Management

The great irony of today's world of management is that while managers and business leaders say that people are the true and real asset of their organizations, they also seem to forget that they too are the people of the organization. As managers decide on the next mind-shift their people need to ensure the success of the next wave of change, competition, product innovation, etc, they tend to forget that they too need to refresh, revitalize , rediscover and reinvent themselves. Look, lets not pretend for a second that management is an exact science. Its not and it will never be. It is a human endeavour so full of human successes and failures. As such, I believe we can increase the odds of successful management by paying a little bit more attention to the Self. The managers' battered Self.

Managers send their people for corporate coaching and training programs that imparts every conceivable knowledge and skills known; from effective communication skills to EQ at the work place. This is not to mention technical job-content skills and knowledge. How about the managers themselves? What should they go for? The same maybe or something more? I was told of an organization that requires its employees to read one magazine a month that has absolutely nothing to do with their IT related work. The reason : Creative juices flow when we give the mind a rest. The best way to give the mind a rest is by forcing it to think about something other than what it struggles to think about at any given moment. By dwelling into non-related areas the mind has a wondrous ability to make previously unconnected factors coherent, see the interrelationship of multiple ideas and make meanings where there were none before. Just ask the guys at Google who came up with the Google Map idea!

The point is this: I would suggest that managers and business leaders eagerly seek out opportunities to attend talks, seminars and programs that will help them give their minds a rest. Don't go for endless management development or leadership programs. Go for programs that talk about the Self for a change. Understand how the mind works and how it influences our world-view. Understand how conscious and unconscious thinking patterns affect us every moment of our waking life. Understand a little bit of human psychology. Gain an insight into religious psychology. Share, exchange views, let go of managerial pretensions. Let the mind rest. Allow the soul, the self to bloom. Trust me, you will feel rejuvenated.

I am glad to say that the managers of Maybank Fortis-MNI-Takaful Nasional who through the wisdom of their leaders are attending my workshop on Personal Mastery. 5 groups of wonderful men and women have come and shared their vision, mission and aspirations while at the same time leave the workshop with a little bit more understanding on how their minds will be a useful tool to take them towards their Personal Mastery. 7 more groups to go and I can't wait to meet each group as it is so refreshing to take them on a journey of Self mastery as more than anything else, that's what they will need to achieve their peak performance.

The essence of management is the people. The essence of people is the Self.