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Through the Looking Glass – Using Neuroscience for Performance and Leadership Competence

What happens when we look at others? From the brain’s perspective, we don’t only see them; we become them. Through the discovery of mirror neurons, scientists have discovered an evolutionary and biological capacity for responding to, understanding and extrapolating from the behaviour of others. This occurs through the firing of pre-motor and parietal neural cells known as mirror neurons. Not only are we able to develop social skills through the mirror, but we are able to learn almost anything, writes Colleen Bloem.

by Colleen Bloem

Why is this important for Performance and Leadership?

Improving your Performance
We learn by observing others – imitation is used, almost from birth, as a way of side-stepping trial-and-error learning. You don’t have to put your hand on the hot plate – your sister can do it for you and you’ll get the message…

We often forget to use opportunities for learning just by observing others do things well. Whatever area you want to perform well in – be it sport, leadership, health or relationships – learn from the masters – imitate them. Tony Buzan talks about how Leonardo da Vinci approached his work: first observe, then study, then analyse, and lastly, copy. Yes, the genius knew even back then that to imitate is to begin to be great. Many followers of martial arts techniques understand the same concept – first imitate the master, then innovate, and finally transcend.

This all implies that in order to succeed; we need to create focused awareness and attention to those who do the things we want to do well. In sports coaching, a powerful technique is to study the style of a great athlete carefully. Take cycling: after a process of careful analysis, observation and visualisation, the cyclist is encouraged to imitate and think of him- or herself as the master-rider, and immediately his or her style, pedal stroke and power are transformed. This could be applied to any performance skill – including leadership. Find a role model who demonstrates great leadership competency – watch, analyse, copy and transcend.

You can engage this vicarious cerebral learning position even from your armchair. Say, for example, that you want to deliver a great speech. Sit and watch videos of great speakers and presenters – your brain will be passively learning the very skills they are demonstrating – the more you watch, the better you get. According to Hebb’s Law, cells that fire together, wire together – you are creating the hardware in your neural synapses to facilitate great imitation. (By the way, this is also the very reason you want to steer your teenager clear of violent, inappropriate movies – there are some cells we don’t want to wire together!)

The great thing about learning – apart from the fact that it sets us apart from other mammals –is that it is also what makes us unique, makes us individuals. Even identical twins born with the same number of neurons begin to differentiate right from birth through the synaptic connections they create. This brain plasticity (from the Greek word “plastikos”, referring to the brain’s ability to be moulded or formed) means that we are continually updating every moment – we are constantly learning.

We are often engaged in a neurological battle between our First Lieutenant General Pre-Frontal Cortex (commander of the army of intelligence and strategy) (PFC) and the Warrior Basal Ganglion (soldier of habits, routine and entrenched knowledge) (BG). The PFC loves to learn new things, loves transformation and rejuvenation. The Warrior grooves in its stubborn ruts. The BG is the Goliath and the PFC is the David. If it could, the BG would win every time – we default to what we already know. We choose the path of least resistance, that seductive comfort zone. It takes courage, discipline, practice and training to get David to slay the giant – to ingrain new ways of functioning. Mirror neurons provide one way – through focused attention on others’ actions, we re-groove our habits. It still takes rehearsal to throw the new patterns over the canyon to BG habit! »

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