1. Lead Traditions with Our Basal Ganglia in Mind. As a leader, we know the value of reliability and routine, but are we aware of how our own brains may be holding us back from growth?
The basal ganglia, a powerful brain region, helps us master habits and perform complex tasks without conscious effort. Climbing stairs without thinking? That’s our basal ganglia in action. But here’s the catch: the same brain system that makes routine seamless can also trap us in outdated patterns and tired ruts.
This part of the brain favors the familiar. It resists change, stifles innovation, and clings to past mistakes just as tightly as it holds our greatest achievements. It can lock us into comfort while shutting down the very curiosity and adaptability that leadership demands.
To lead others well, we first lead our own brain. That means recognizing when our basal ganglia is serving us, and when it’s subtly standing in our way. Awareness opens the door to growth, reinvention, and more ethical, inclusive leadership.
We don’t need to abandon the basal ganglia’s strengths, but we do need to challenge its blind spots. Step back. Reflect. Reset. The future belongs to those who lead their brains before their brains lead them.
2. Lead Contentment with Serotonin‘s Power of Inner Delight. What if, before leading others, we learned to lead ourselves by guiding our own brain chemistry toward balance and strength? Serotonin, often called the “happiness chemical,” is our brain’s natural ally in emotional well-being, energy, focus, and resilience. For leaders, serotonin isn’t just about feeling good, it’s about functioning at our best, with clarity and calm in challenging moments.
Too often, leadership gets hijacked by stress, burnout, or self-doubt, symptoms of depleted serotonin. But we can lead our own brain forward with small, strategic actions. Get outside in the morning sun. Move our body daily. Nourish our mind and gut with serotonin-boosting foods. Connect meaningfully with others. Prioritize rest. Listen to music. Play, laugh, breathe deeply.
This is not indulgence. It’s brain leadership. When we elevate our serotonin, we don’t just feel better, we lead better. Our decisions sharpen. Our patience grows. Our presence uplifts. By building habits that support serotonin, we model sustainable leadership and create a culture of mental well-being around us.
True leadership starts within. Choose to lead our own brain first, with practices that invite serotonin to do what it does best: help us thrive, connect, and grow. The most powerful leadership move we make today might be a walk in the sun.
3. Lead Change and Growth with Plasticity in Mind. What if the most powerful move a leader can make is to step aside and lead our own brain first?
For too long, we were told the brain is fixed, that aging locks in our limits, and that change is rare or impossible. But neuroscience now proves otherwise: our brain is plastic, wired to rewire. Every action, thought, and decision we make literally reshapes our brain. That’s the gift of neuroplasticity.
Leaders like Norman Doidge remind us: what we do today builds the brain we lead with tomorrow. Each routine we break, each new idea we try, each calm moment in the face of chaos? It reshapes the neural pathways that guide our thinking, decision-making, and relationships.
Plasticity means that innovation is not just about strategy, it’s about brain chemistry. Our neurons fire, connect, and rewire based on our choices. Change our habits, and we change our leadership.
So pause. Step back. Before we lead a meeting, lead our mindset. Before we push change in others, activate it in ourselves. Embrace risk. Break routine. Sleep well. And expect our brain to rise to the challenge. Today, plasticity gives us the power to lead better, by thinking and acting differently to rewire old habits into transformed practices. What will we rewire next?
4. Lead Brain Boosts as Working Memory Sparks Innovation. What if our next big breakthrough depends not on working harder, but on leading our brain brighter? Ready to raise our IQ?
Working memory is our brain’s “mental notepad,” holding key bits of new information long enough to problem-solve, innovate, and learn. It’s what allows us to master new skills, lead change, and navigate complex challenges. Unlike habits stored in our brain’s comfort zones, working memory pulls us out of routines and into growth as a mindset.
Leaders who rely too heavily on autopilot may unknowingly shut down our most powerful asset for learning. But when we step back and lead our own working memory we open the door to new solutions, fresh ideas, and untapped potential.
Think of working memory as the spark behind every agile decision. It’s what allowed J-Mac, a teen with autism, to come off the bench and score 20 points in 4 minutes, because he was ready, alert, and engaged. He’d trained his brain to believe in “what if” possibilities. We can too.
Ready to ditch ruts and embrace real learning? Let’s lead our brain forward by exercising focus, questioning the familiar, and taking bold steps toward new knowledge. Lead our working memory, and we’ll not only grow our own potential, we’ll inspire growth in everyone we lead.
5. Lead Calm Beyond Chaos and Avoid Cortisol’s Trap. Great leaders know when to step forward, and when to step aside and lead our own brains first. That means recognizing and avoiding cortisol, the stress hormone that quietly sabotages emotional balance, mental clarity, and team trust.
Every time we stew in frustration, lash out in meetings, or carry stress home, cortisol courses through our brains. It may feel productive in the short term, giving us a jolt to meet a deadline or push through a crisis, but sustained cortisol exposure literally shrinks our brain, weakens the immune system, fogs thinking, and shuts down creativity.
Here’s the good news: the brain is wired to heal. When we choose calm over chaos, compassion over competition, and movement over mental stagnation, we lower cortisol and boost serotonin, our natural fuel for emotional intelligence, resilience, and joy.
Step aside from the myth that stress equals success. Instead, model healthy practices: take a walk, laugh more often, build margin into your schedule, and avoid toxic conversations. One simple choice can interrupt a cortisol surge and reset our brain for clarity and connection.
Want to lead others well? First, lead ourselves away from stress, and into the kind of wellbeing that rewires our brains for lasting impact.
6. Lead Our Emotions to Higher Intrapersonal IQ. Want to grow as a leader? Start by stepping aside, and leading our own brain. The key to calm responses in stressful situations? Our amygdala, the brain’s emotional command center. It stores every reaction we’ve ever had and decides, in a split second, whether we respond with calm or chaos.
When leaders let stress or judgment run the show, the amygdala reacts like a dragon, flaring up without warning and damaging trust, creativity, and connection. But when we train our amygdala to choose empathy over ego, we rewire it to boost emotional intelligence, even in tense moments.
Great leaders don’t just manage tasks, they manage moods. They model how to pause, re-frame, and respond with emotional maturity, not react impulsively. The reward? A brain that turns setbacks into solutions and a culture built on kindness, curiosity, and courage.
Every smile, every act of forgiveness, every calm response becomes stored fuel for future success. The amygdala is small, but its impact is massive, triggering either toxic spirals or transformative leadership.
Our brain is always listening. What if our next reaction helped someone feel seen, supported, and inspired? Step aside from stress, and lead with a wiser, more emotionally intelligent brain, one response at a time.