Can we re-wire?
For most of human history, our survival has depended on our ability to understand our environment, predict threats and reduce uncertainty. The human brain has evolved to constantly ask, “Am I safe?” or “What happens next?”.
Whenever change happens in modern environments – whether that’s systems, processes, people, or strategy – control drops and uncertainty rises. And just like ancient history, the brain quickly steps in to ‘help’ and selects protection mode….
Fight, flight, or freeze?
In the workplace, this looks like:
- Overplanning
- Micromanaging
- Decision avoidance
- Defending existing methods
What we often label as resistance to change is actually something else: the brain trying to restore safety, just like it always has.
Are Leaders Helping or Hindering?
Most of us enjoy familiar ways of working, to streamline effort and reduce stress, these are referred to as certainty habits.
But, under pressure, these habits can quietly become blockers:
- Delaying decisions
- Challenging new ideas
- Passing ownership (“this isn’t working”, “someone should fix it”)
What’s more, leaders can accidentally reinforce these blockers by:
- Solving every problem
- Making every decision
- Rewarding compliance over initiative
Much of our work with leaders places emphasis on creating the conditions required to loosen the grip and pass the reins to the (usually very capable) team. By fostering initiative and allowing low-risk mistakes to be made, change and progress usually follow.
Our reality is that we’re working in environments that are fast-moving, complex and unpredictable, yet our brains are wired for survival, not constant change. Our teams require reassurance and support to navigate through these inevitable changes.
How do we move from survival to adaptability?
It is possible to shake our centuries-old brains out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode, and one of the most effective methods is neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to re-wire itself for the situation at hand, meaning that how we think, behave and lead can be consciously reshaped over time. If we are open to adapting, then the brain will follow.
Let’s take a couple of examples from everyday life:
- Telephones – landlines used to be our only means of communication, it worked perfectly well, why would we need anything else? Now almost everyone has a smart phone, often reducing us to a cold sweat if it’s not within sight, or if the battery hovers below 20%. Landline infrastructure is soon to be cast into the history books
- Music – gone are the days of buying our favourite albums on vinyl, cassette or CD and listening to them on repeat until we can afford the next album. Now we willingly pay a monthly subscription to stream a wide variety of music, hopping from one song to the next within seconds of the first bar.
Romantic as those old days sound, our brains have re-wired via neuroplasticity, demonstrating the ability to be agile, skill up and work with change, and accommodate new scenarios. The same is possible in our working environments.
What examples of neuroplasticity do you have? Let us know! You’re In Cool Company…
