I have just returned from the 2011 Neuroleadership summit in San Francisco. The summit brings together neuroscientists and business leaders to examine the latest research into how the brain works, and the implications of that for leadership and change. This year there was a star studded line-up with HR or leadership people from Google, Dun and Bradstreet, Twitter, Sony, HP and many others, together with some of the leading names in neuroscience.
But it was one of the sessions on change that interested me most. Delivered by Robert Burton, a neuroscientist and Bob Johansen, a futurologist, it talked about ‘knowing’, and what it means for our ability to think ahead with any hope of accuracy.
Johansen discussed the need to have an ‘opposable mind’: a key characteristic that helps leaders view the future more effectively, which he described as the ability to hold opposites in mind and still function. He used the acronym VUCA (which stems from military jargon) and stands for seeing the future through a ‘threat’ lens of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity while still being able to focus on an more positive lens of Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility.
Johansen focused on the need for leaders to give clarity of direction on the end game, or outcome, even if they did not fully know the path that would reach that point. For HR leaders this means an effective forecast is one that takes us from foresight, to insight, to action, according to Johansen. This creates a set of skills related to envisioning, storytelling, and the need for flexibility, real-time data and adaptability of programmes and policies. For HR, this also means having a ‘growth’ mindset, Johansen said, linking to an earlier talk by Carol Dweck: one that seeks challenge and learning.
Robert Burton linked the brain’s need for clarity with its tendency to look for patterns and to work from habit. The brain wants to be able to predict what will happen (habit) because it saves energy. This also creates a sense of certainty which can be dangerous in a changing world, because it is based on past brain patterns and experience. Burton urges us to check our certainty and our intuition with as much data as we can find in the present. In our research on HR leaders, there was a heavy reliance on intuition and we know it can be powerful in strategy and directing effort. But Burton’s warning suggests HR leaders need also to check intuition with data and the perceptions of others, especially where they hold different views. “Some of the best are those that annoy us, because they make us really think about the present,” Johansen said.
How many HR leaders surround themselves with people who will challenge their thinking?
Jan Hills is a Partner with Orion Partners leaders in Talent and HR transformation. She leads their Talent, HR capability and Change Leadership practices.![]()
But it was one of the sessions on change that interested me most. Delivered by Robert Burton, a neuroscientist and Bob Johansen, a futurologist, it talked about ‘knowing’, and what it means for our ability to think ahead with any hope of accuracy.
Johansen discussed the need to have an ‘opposable mind’: a key characteristic that helps leaders view the future more effectively, which he described as the ability to hold opposites in mind and still function. He used the acronym VUCA (which stems from military jargon) and stands for seeing the future through a ‘threat’ lens of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity while still being able to focus on an more positive lens of Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility.
Johansen focused on the need for leaders to give clarity of direction on the end game, or outcome, even if they did not fully know the path that would reach that point. For HR leaders this means an effective forecast is one that takes us from foresight, to insight, to action, according to Johansen. This creates a set of skills related to envisioning, storytelling, and the need for flexibility, real-time data and adaptability of programmes and policies. For HR, this also means having a ‘growth’ mindset, Johansen said, linking to an earlier talk by Carol Dweck: one that seeks challenge and learning.
Robert Burton linked the brain’s need for clarity with its tendency to look for patterns and to work from habit. The brain wants to be able to predict what will happen (habit) because it saves energy. This also creates a sense of certainty which can be dangerous in a changing world, because it is based on past brain patterns and experience. Burton urges us to check our certainty and our intuition with as much data as we can find in the present. In our research on HR leaders, there was a heavy reliance on intuition and we know it can be powerful in strategy and directing effort. But Burton’s warning suggests HR leaders need also to check intuition with data and the perceptions of others, especially where they hold different views. “Some of the best are those that annoy us, because they make us really think about the present,” Johansen said.
How many HR leaders surround themselves with people who will challenge their thinking?
Jan Hills is a Partner with Orion Partners leaders in Talent and HR transformation. She leads their Talent, HR capability and Change Leadership practices.