Neuroscience for Leadership: Harnessing the Brain Gain Advantage

by Tara Swart, Kitty Chisholm, Paul Brown

Leadership can be new evidence from neuroscience clearly points to ways that leaders can significantly improve how they engage with and motivate others. This book provides leaders and managers with an accessible guide to practical, effective actions, based on neuroscience.

Genres: Leadership, Neuroscience, Psychology, Business, Audiobook, Personal Development

278 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2014

About the author

Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist and former psychiatric doctor. She is a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan and visiting senior lecturer at Kings College London, and an executive advisor to some of the world's most respected leaders in media and business. 'The Source' is Tara's third book - she is also lead author of the award-winning 'Neuroscience for Leadership', and co-author of 'An Attitude for Acting'. In 2016 she was named the world's first Neuroscientist-in-Residence at Corinthia Hotel, London, and she is currently in residence at Annabel's private members club, running a series of wellbeing events. She is passionate about teaching others how to apply lessons from cognitive science to enhance everyday lives. Find out more at www.taraswart.com

"The Source by Tara Swart, MD, PhD marries universal truths with scientific rigor for a persuasive, important exploration of The Law of Attraction." - Deepak Chopra MD

"Tara Swart is an extremely calming presence, all the more so for being palpably intelligent. Her brain appears to require no boosting. I'd sign up in an eye blink... I like her - a lot" - Hannah Betts, The Times

"Dr Tara Swart is friendly, charming, and knows what she's talking about. Having qualified as a doctor, then trained as a neuroscientist, she worked as a psychiatrist before going into private practice as a highly sought-after expert to the rich and famous" - Janet Street-Porter, Daily Mail

"Neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart works with some of the City's highest-earning and most respected leaders in finance, law and media." - Evening Standard

"Dr Swart has become one of the most prominent voices in the field of neuroscience and currently runs her own leadership programme at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as well as being a visiting professor at the University of Oxford's Said Business School. She counts among her clients some of the biggest names in business: banks, hedge funds, FTSE 100 companies, Magic Circle law firms and one major media company, coaching those in leadership positions to better manage any psychopathic tendencies and foster a more benevolent workplace culture. In person she is a diminutive yet formidable figure, immaculately dressed and with a keen eye on the behaviour of all those around her." - Joe Shute, The Telegraph

Reviews

[Svitlana Paveletskaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promising from the first pages, but disappointing after first few chapters. I took 3 interesting minor facts from it. The rest is usual ordinary staff - brain reacts no matter you want it or not, sleep more, drink less coffee, eat healthy and exercise. Be open, communicate and inspire. No tools how to change behavior or how to influence the processes described. Quite a waste of time

[Barry Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The research on neuroscience cited throughout this book is substantial. In the preface to the book,the authors ask the following questions: “How do 86 billion brain cells, triggered by electrical discharges that create chemical messengers traveling at a little short of 300 miles an hour within the spongy tissues that fill the small space of the skull, and that we call ‘the brain’ make us consciously and (arguably) rational human beings - able, indeed, to let us think we can inspect our own thinking? How do they create ‘a person?’” (pp. xiv-xv).

In this manner, they introduce the burgeoning field of neuroscience. Starting with a practical primer on hormones and neurotransmitters, a systems approach to the topic integrates brains, body, and business. Each chapter (introduced by quotes from such diverse sources as Robert E. Lee, Shakespeare, and John Donne) includes numerous research citations, inserts with examples of the chapter content, a concise summary, and actions and reflections to focus the key points of the chapters, with the following titles:
1. There is Chemistry and Then There is Chemistry
2. Brains, Bodies, and Business: A Systems Approach
3. The New Model Leader
4. Testosterone, Risk, and Entrepreneurship
5. What is the Soft Stuff So Hard?
6. The Challenge of Decisions
7. Challenging Yourself - Challenging Others
8. Elite Performance, Brain Agility and Engagement
9. Stress, Resilience and Confidence
10. Creating the Spark, Lighting the Fire
11. Difference, Diversity and Gender
12. Whole Person, Vibrant Organization

A rich glossary of terms is included at the end of the book. Although I may have some disagreements with a few of the authors’ perspectives, the practical insights offered provide a wealth of information on the application of neuroscience to the individual and the organization.

[Robert Steers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on brain chemistry and leadership

This isn't another book on leadership and how to feel good. Think of it as a "flow" meets "new scientist". It won't give you the biggest science fix but it is a pretty good overview of how your brain changes when at work

[Daniel Carvalho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how this book links scientific brain research with solid advice on decision-making, and how to better engage and motivate the people around you.
By better understanding how human brain operates, the better we can grasp behaviors, reactions and attitudes, both from ourselves and others.

[Emma Beckerle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read and super informative, not just for folks interested in leadership as the neuroscience applies across all aspects of life. Digestible and valuable.

[Göran Törnquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was full of interesting facts and conclusions. The low rating is due to the narrator's performance. With a more engaging narrator, this book would be a 4 or a 5.