Five Brain Leadership: How Neuroscience Can Help You Master Your Instincts and Build Better Teams

by Carlos Davidovich, Jennifer Elizabeth Brunton

High pressure. High conflict. High stress. Today, too many leaders believe that these states are not just natural, but inevitable. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Using his skills as a medical doctor and his knowledge from many years in executive positions in the biotech pharmaceutical industry, in Five Brain Leadership, executive coach Carlos Davidovich walks you through the latest breakthroughs in the burgeoning fields of neuroscience, epigenetics, and cognitive behavior to help you better understand your multilayered, magical mind, and how to work with it instead of against it in leading your team and building relationships.

Neuromanagement is at the intersection of neuroscience and daily life in the business world. It is leadership that is based on a full understanding of all five of our interlocking brains—our reptilian, emotional, rational, and, yes, even our heart and gut “brains.” Through practical tools and exercises, you’ll learn how to build your capacity in each of these control centers, and to recognize all the ways they are at play in how humans operate, interrelate, and react to change.

Five-Brain Leadership is your pathway toward turning good leadership into great leadership, and reaching new levels of success in all of life’s domains.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Self Help, Business

277 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2023

Reviews

[Al McMullan, PhD · Rating 5 out of 5]

The equivalent of a private fireside chat with a gifted neuroleadership mentor and storyteller- warm, engaging and inspirational. The reader of Five Brain Leadership will gain incredible insights into “master(ing) your instincts” – by virtue of the clear and lucid explanations of the neuroscience that drives those instinctual responses. And the “build(ing of) better teams” will follow as the outcome for anyone genuinely engaging with these principles in their teams. Carlos Davidovich brings to this work the wisdom of a career as medical doctor, neuroscientist, and venerated management and leadership thinker. His paradigms are insightful, sometimes revelatory, and always narrated in the colloquial and picturesque style that reflect his strengths as master storyteller. If there is one phrase which captures both the tone and content of this magisterial work, it is “promise and possibility.” Dr. Davidovich and his co-writer, Jennifer Elizabeth Brunton, have produced that rarity: powerful ideas delivered with clarity, metaphoric power and gentle humanity. Highest of recommendations for Five Brain Leadership - and required reading for those teams genuinely seeking the inclusivity of the story circle. Davidovich and Brunton deliver just that.

[Jake Jakub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super good at the beginning. I brought forth a lot of new concepts and greatly developed the idea of “five brains” - ingenious in my mind. 1 and 2 being our “fast” and “slow” brains from the book thinking fast and slow (and, obviously, these are well documented phenomena in our brains), the reptilian, instinctual brain that we all have, and then he adds brain 4 and 5 - our Heart and our Gut. People always say go with your gut or whatever your heart says, and he says there’s something to that considering how many neurons are in there. And it’s just a good book. But then the back half of the book is super repetitive and can be boring. It’s eye opening if you don’t know much about mindset or bias, but even still will be boring. Good book overall though; and not too long so you can get though it quickly.

[Matt Timm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers an interesting insight into the human mind and behavior based on studies of neuroscience, presented in a way that will be accessible to a layperson like myself. With this information, we can take better control of our own actions, and, if applicable, be more effective leaders, due to the fact that we can assess the importance of our emotions when it comes to making decisions. An excellent read I would highly recommend! Personally, it's been very helpful to my own journey.

[Indra Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, Carlos Davidovich is my mentor and I am proud to have his ear whenever I need advice.
This book helped me to understand how my brain works, what I can do to utilise this knowledge as a source of strength in times of crisis, stress, and turmoil - not only in my business life, but in my private life.
I highly recommend that book to anyone who wants to learn and grow, understand more about yourself.

[Frank Gotthardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy that Carlos published this and shares it with everyone. I remember how I thought the five brains theory is an interesting hypothesis. After applying Carlos's findings to my work and life decisions and communications since a while I see there is nothing hypothetical about it. I can highly recommend it. Even better if you can have the privilege to have Carlos guide you through it.

[Rocio Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides an interesting perspective to leadership. I personally think this book helps you explore the kind of leader you want to be keeping on mind how the brain works and why we are more likely to be inspired by certain leaders.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book after seeing the author's TEDx Talk. His ability to explain neuroscience in such an accessible way made me want to learn more from him and dive deeper into his work. Start with the talk and then buy the book. He will make you smarter, and a better leader.

[Glennie Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource - particularly the chapters about bias - that's what made me give it the 5 star

[Elizah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and yet powerful. They have provided a way to increase your confidence as well.

[Tina C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One insightful page after the other !
Filled with so many pearls of wisdom that are so easy to apply. A must have - to effectively navigate our constantly evolving world. My absolute favourite is the 6sec Rule to stop the amygdala from a hostile takeover of my thoughts. A game changer!!! I felt as though Carlos was sitting next to me, in a casual conversation over a coffee. Absolutely delightful. I loved every page, each filled with one amazing technique after the other.