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It starts in the Brain

Written by: Douglas Long

Article Overview: Books such as the iconic “How to Win Friends and Influence People” (1936, Dale Carnegie) or “Think and Grow Rich” (1937, Napoleon Hill) are based on the premise that we need to get our minds right before anything else can happen the way we want it to. Look at the book shelves in any bookstore or library and today you will find a plethora of material providing the same basic message.There is no shortage of material explaining the “what”: there is, however, a shortage of material explaining “how” to enable one to shift the area of control in the brain so that everything else can follow.

It starts in the Brain

For a very long time humankind has known that the brain is the critical component of any sort of achievement. Most of the martial arts teach that controlling the mind lies behind combat success and, from my experience in the army I know that being psychologically prepared for combat is essential. We have also known for ages that most of the things we fear are more psychological than physical. The teachings of philosophies such as Zen have always encouraged use of the mind to such an extent that the requisite actions flow automatically when needed.

Of course, in the entrepreneurial and business arenas, this has also been known for ages. Books such as the iconic "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (1936, Dale Carnegie) or "Think and Grow Rich" (1937, Napoleon Hill) are based on the premise that we need to get our minds right before anything else can happen the way we want it to. Look at the book shelves in any bookstore or library and today you will find a plethora of material providing the same basic message.

There is no shortage of material explaining the "what": there is, however, a shortage of material explaining "how" to enable one to shift the area of control in the brain so that everything else can follow.

Those who are regular readers of my articles will be aware that I talk of two distinct areas in which brain control can lie. These are the brain stem and limbic areas (what I call the Red Zone) or the limbic and cortical areas (what I call the Blue Zone). [See, for example The Brain of a Leader, Brains Complexity Leaders, Leadership: a No Brainer, Neuroscience and Leadership]

It is important to note that this is not a "good-bad", "right-wrong" scenario. The fact is that we all have both zones available and we all need and use both zones. The issue is one of the dominant areas of control.

The Red Zone is totally geared to survival and instinctive responses or habits. A healthy red zone is essential when we face imminent danger and our very existence is under immediate threat. This zone is the dominant one for animals of all types as well as for babies. Without it the probability is low of avoiding serious threats leading to death or serious injury. The danger, of course, is that this emphasis on "me" may get corrupted so that I see anything that doesn't give me what I want NOW as a threat with the result that antisocial behaviour comes into play.

The dominant societal model up to about the 1950's was based on red zone dominance. In this worldview we avoided threat and danger by doing what we were told. Ultimate disciplinary action such as excommunication by some religious groups as well as traditional military, school, and societal approaches to law enforcement all have their origins in this worldview. "Obey: do as you are told without question" is the message here. "If you don't obey you will be punished." It is a worldview in which there are "authority figures", "superiors" and "subordinates" and in which the "superiors" are expected to "look after" the "subordinates".

Similarly the worldview which evolved from "obedience" was also primarily red zone driven. This was the worldview of behavioural modification. In this worldview the emphasis is on conformance.

Under this worldview, I do as I am asked or instructed because complying with such requests or instructions will bring me some form of positive reinforcement or reward. The reward may be as simple as a "thankyou" or it may be as tangible as a greater access to information, a remuneration increase or a promotion. Of course, there is always the implication that failing to comply will result in some expected benefit or "entitlement" being withheld - although such negative reinforcement is more often implied rather than being explicitly stated. Under this worldview the emphasis is on those in charge - managers and leaders - being held responsible for the actions and welfare of others.

Both of these worldviews have been very successful - they have driven the growth and success of economies and societies for a great many years. However, since the advent of the information age (c.1980) they have become inadequate.

Now although both of these are red zone dominated, it must be stressed that they are not exclusively red zone. As I have said above, everyone has, needs, and uses blue zone. All complex learning is a blue zone activity and clearly every human being has experienced some degree of complex learning.

One of the reasons the worldviews of obedience and conformance could be so effective and successful was the difficulty in obtaining information. In a world in which information could be selectively released depending on the people with whom one spoke or the extent to which written material was available for perusal, knowledge became power and the ultimate reward was to be admitted to the circle of "those in the know": the ultimate sanction was being omitted from the information flow.

The widespread use of computers and the internet changed all that.

The exponential growth in the availability of and access to information that has occurred over the past 30 years has demanded a new worldview.

If I seek to enforce obedience yet, somewhere in the huge volume of information out there is some aspect of my past that can be used against me, then I can be sure that someone at some time will do just that. Accordingly I have to be careful of putting myself in a position where my authority could be questioned or undermined.

If I seek to obtain compliance by the selective dissemination of knowledge yet, somewhere in the huge volume of information out there, that information can be accessed even more completely than the extent to which I have had access, then I can be sure that someone at some time will do just that. Accordingly I have to be careful of undermining my authority by putting myself in a situation in which the limits to my knowledge are exposed.

Accordingly I need to embrace a new worldview.

The worldview that has emerged since the 1980's is one of engagement. In this worldview there is a sense of equality rather than hierarchy and knowledge as a power base has lost its strength. Now people work with others rather than for managers while parents and teachers rapidly find that they are involved with facilitating learning rather than providing instruction. Teams, semi autonomous work groups, virtual organisations, etc have developed to replace the old model of huge edifices occupied by a single entity where people "clock on" and "clock off" and output is measured by what you do in an 8-hour day.

We have moving to a worldview that is blue zone dominated yet many of us haven't yet shifted. The problem is that today's managers, leaders, teachers, parents, etc grew up under either or both of the previous world views. Accordingly it is difficult for some to make this new transition. Unfortunately for these people, most of the current generation are way ahead of us and they demand to be treated differently from the way things used to be.

There is a very real need today for all of us to learn how to shift our brain dominance from 'red zone" to "blue zone". Fortunately this involves our behaviours and, like any behaviour, we can learn how to make the shift. One of the first books on this "how" is The Success Zone (2009, Mowat, Corrigan and Long, Global Publishing Group, Melbourne, Australia). The message is that the 5-step shift starts with learning and practicing observational listening and optimistic listening coupled with powerful questioning - questioning that is based on facilitating growth and knowledge rather than on enabling "the manager" to provide the answers.

In all areas of life we still have a long way to go in order to understand and apply blue zone dominance. The good news is that those entrepreneurs and others who take the trouble to do this will be those who experience the greatest success in the 21^st century.

And all of us can do it.

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Article Tags: blue zone, dale carnegie, effective leadership, entreprenuerial success, napoleon hill, neuroleadership limbic leadership, red zone



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