To view a quick video “Learning Byte” from Ann Herrmann-Nehdi on Building Leaders in the 21st Century, click on the image below to visit the Herrmann International Channel on YouTube.
Leaders for the 21st Century: Brains 3.0
By Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, CEO of Herrmann International
While the fundamental meaning of leadership has not altered significantly in all of recorded history, the world around us continues to change, and the significant changes that had begun several years ago have now been accelerated by the current global economic crisis.
What does it mean for today’s – and tomorrow’s – leaders at all levels? This is a topic I discussed in a recent article, “Building Leaders in the 21st Century: Brains 3.0,” and will be exploring further in a forthcoming book on leadership.
The article, which is excerpted below, is intended to provoke your thinking: What do you believe the evolving world around us will demand of our leaders? How do you define the “new normal,” and what will the impact be on leadership requirements? What about the implications of younger generations, social learning and networks, and radical new organizational models?
I invite you to contribute your voice to this discussion. One way to add your thoughts is via our social media sites. And if you will be attending the ASTD Conference or Training Leadership Summit in May, let’s make a point to continue the discussion in person!
An excerpt from the article follows. Download a PDF copy of the full article here.
The number of books on the topic of leadership found on a recent search at Amazon.com is now at 365,539. An impressive number. When further explored it becomes apparent that the extensive theory and literature on leadership has evolved slowly over the last century, often with a lagging view backward rather than a much-needed, forward, leading view articulating the skills our leaders will need in the future and how we will get there.
Mitch McCrimmon puts it this way in his article 21st Century Leadership – The Changing Meaning of Leadership:
The fundamental meaning of leadership has not changed in all of recorded history. It has always been about the person in charge of the group. Being a leader has always meant having power over people and the authority to make decisions for the group. We have tweaked the meaning of leadership a little bit, thus moving from dictatorial to more participative styles, but the essence has remained basically unchanged for centuries.
The world around us has not slowed, however, and the significant changes that had begun several years ago have now been accelerated by the current global economic crisis. These changes include:
- New technologies accelerating information transfer around the globe anytime, anywhere, without boundaries, breaking down barriers and democratizing the power of information.
- Continued shift in “Western countries” toward knowledge work and service industries and away from more traditional manufacturing
- Rapid growth in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), redefining “second world” as a strong contender in the global economic marketplace.
- Accelerated rate of change across industries and countries, creating an unprecedented need for strategic thinking and tolerance for ambiguity at all levels of management and leadership.
- Increasingly complex and changing demographics around the globe requiring new levels of global dexterity and sophistication in leaders.
The Evolution Of Power
In addition, there has been a shift in power from administration to management to leadership to network (see model).
In the last decade, we have seen the definition of leader evolve somewhat from “One who is in charge or in command of others” to a much broader framework extending far beyond previous limits to only the most senior of leaders.
Thus this new environment places a burden on all of us, especially leaders, to be more adaptive, responsive, and innovative than ever before. These new, rapidly changing and unpredictable situations require new kinds of thinking.
When leaders approach a new situation with their habitual thinking, they severely limit their ability to generate new ideas or solutions. If our thought patterns continue to be processed by our brains using the same neural pathways as in the past, our ability to lead in different ways will not evolve to meet the new demands of the situation. Leading in new ways requires new connections and processes in the brain, breaking our existing patterns.
A Whole Brain® Approach
An important filter for our mindsets is our thinking style preferences across the Whole Brain® Thinking Model and measured by the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®).
If you think of each of these quadrants as four different leaders, imagine how each might approach the leadership process. Or better yet, imagine one leader embracing all four of these approaches.
In fact, the role of CEO, a classic leadership position, actually requires Whole Brain® Thinking by design because it necessitates working with and leading a wide range of functions, from finance to strategy to people issues to execution.
But the demand for Whole Brain® Thinking is no longer limited to the CEO ranks of leadership. Our world now requires the adaptive and integrative thinking that spans all four quadrants. We no longer have the luxury to relegate ourselves to “limited brain bandwidth.”
The effective leader of the future with be a “thought leader,” a highly skilled thinker that is able to situationally access the different thinking styles across the Whole Brain® Model required for any given challenge, as needed, irrespective of their natural preferences.
Is Your Brain Full? It’s Time for Spring Cleaning!
If you’re beginning to feel like your brain is full, now is the perfect time to start refreshing and renewing your learning space.
Research has shown that we have to clear some space in our brains to allow for new learning to occur. According to Chiara Cirelli of the Center for Sleep and Consciousness, we take in so much during the day, that the brain can become filled – often with information we don’t really need to remember. And if the space is already taken, there is no room for new learning.
Head over to the Whole Brain® Blog for some tips on taking a Whole Brain® approach to your “mental spring cleaning.”
Webinar: Learn How Whole Brain® Thinking Can Help Build Cultures of Integrity
In the next THINC™ Webinar, explore how diverse thinking preferences inform our values and define our personal and corporate ethics. You will learn how you can apply the Whole Brain® Model as a framework for building a culture of integrity.
Herrmann International senior consultant and master trainer Chuck McVinney will discuss how values-driven ethics can be seen through the lens of each brain quadrant, showing you how to create from that an integrated values model.
Examples from the boardroom to daily customer interactions will demonstrate how Whole Brain® Thinking can keep us off the “slippery slopes” that lead to ethical failures (such as the kind we read about in the papers daily) and guide us in building “cultures of integrity,” whatever the context.
THINC™ Webinar Details:
The Ethical Brain: How Whole Brain® Thinking Helps Us Create Cultures of Integrity
Speaker: Chuck McVinney, President, McVinney & Company, Inc.
Date: April 28, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM EST
Space is Limited!
TO REGISTER: Visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/259268744
Missed a THINC™ Webinar? Recordings from previous THINC™ Webinars can be found in the Webinars section of our website.
back to topBanish Anti-Creativity Thinking
In a recent tongue-in-cheek video, the Harvard Business Review blog identified 14 ways to stifle creative and innovative thinking.
How do you turn these around? Creative thinking is a Whole Brain® process, and given the right tools and techniques, everyone has the ability to contribute to the organization’s creative output. Read how global liquor giant, Brown-Forman, applied a Whole Brain® approach to get creative and think outside the box to implement “killer” marketing ideas.
Where will your next breakthrough, game-changing idea come from? In our Business of Thinking™ module, ThinkAbout Creative Thinking™, participants learn the four distinct stages in the creative process and how each requires thinking from a particular quadrant of the brain. They then learn how to generate new and different ideas using a Whole Brain® tool.
Contact us if you would like more information about this and other Herrmann International products that help put Whole Brain® Thinking to work for improved creativity, innovation and results.
Brush Up on Whole Brain® Thinking at ASTD
Get the latest insights, techniques and trends in Whole Brain® Thinking at the ASTD International Conference and Exposition in Chicago this May.
In “Four Secrets of the Learning Brain” (May 19th at 1:15 pm), Herrmann International’s CEO, Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, will show you how to align training design, elearning, activities, tasks and responsibilities with multiple thinking models, thereby improving the impact of your learning design.
As a special bonus, all participants in “Four Secrets of the Learning Brain” will receive access to the award-winning Thinking Accelerator™ featuring HBDIinteractive™, an online learning simulation originally designed for IBM that is a case example of a successful Whole Brain® approach.
Also at ASTD, Ann will participate on a panel of experts in the session “Building a Practice: Pondering the Past, Predicting the Future” (May 17th at 4:00 pm). Panelists will explore what it takes to be successful with clients, celebrate the chance to be a business owner and ponder what matters most professionally and personally.
And finally, be on the lookout for the May issue of T&D Magazine, which will receive bonus distribution at the ASTD Conference and will focus on Whole Brain® Thinking.
In her feature article, Whole Brain® Thinking: Ignore it at Your Peril, Ann discusses what we’ve learned since Herrmann International’s founder, Ned Herrmann, introduced the subject in a series of articles originally published in T&D in the early 1980s. Ann also addresses how Whole Brain® Thinking will impact learning and the training profession today and in the future.
Get full details on ASTD sessions.
Just Released: The New HBDI® Profile Package
The new HBDI® Profile Package offers easy assembly, efficient facilitation and updated styling to enhance your client presentations. Redesigned with our clients’ feedback in mind, the changes include:
- One booklet with four tabbed sections instead of four separate booklets
- Updated four-color style and graphics
- Minor content edits and additions
- For self processors: Now available in packages of 10 instead of 25
The new packages will begin shipping in April; however, the previous package format will still be available for orders shipped by April 30. When placing orders during this transition period, you will be asked to specify which version you would like to receive. After April 30, only the new format will be available.
If you are currently an active Certified Practitioner, be sure to check your mail in the coming weeks for your sample package and a comparison document outlining the revisions in greater detail.
Certified Practitioners will also receive an invitation to participate in a webinar with Herrmann International’s CEO, Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, who will be discussing the new package, other exciting new product and program offerings, and cost-effective ways to put Whole Brain® Thinking to work.
In the meantime, Certified Practitioners can log in to the Practitioners Area of the Herrmann International website to access updated resources, including updated HBDI® slides.
If you have any questions about the new package or would like information about language availability, please contact your Client Relationship Manager or Client Service Representative.
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
The Training Leadership Summit
Wild Horse Pass Resort, Phoenix, AZ
Get Strategic and Get More Done: 4 Secrets of the C-Level Brain
Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, presenter
Date: May 11, 2010
Time: 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
More information on the Training Leadership Summit.
ASTD 2010 International Conference & Exposition
McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
Building a Practice: Pondering the Past, Predicting the Future
Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, panelist
Date: May 17, 2010
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Four Secrets of the Learning Brain
Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, presenter
Date: May 19, 2010
Time: 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM
More information on the ASTD Conference.
Recent News on Thinking and the Brain
- Whole Brain® teams help MBA students get better results in school and in business. Queen's University MBA students are learning how different perspectives and thinking preferences, uncovered using the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument®, can help them reach better results both in school and in their work endeavors.
- Why do we lose learning ability? A new study by researchers at the State University of New York examines brain changes during puberty to attempt to explain loss of learning ability.
Upcoming Certification Workshops
Join the ranks of the Herrmann HBDI® Certified Practitioners!
April 20 — 23: Herrmann Whole Brain® Certification
Location – Knoxville, TN
April 22 — 23: HBDI® Level II Certification
Location – Knoxville, TN
For detailed location and registration information, please e-mail service@hbdi.com or call 1-800-432-4234 and select option 6 for client services.
Internal Certification Workshops: When you host an internal certification workshop, your participants will explore the concepts, tools and skills necessary to deliver the HBDI® with individuals, pairs and teams in a learning environment that is tailored especially to their needs and the organization’s objectives.
If you are interested learning more about the benefits of hosting an internal certification workshop, contact your Herrmann International representative.
back to topGet Social with Herrmann International
Join in on the conversation at the new Whole Brain® Blog.
Follow Herrmann International on Twitter @herrmannintl
Follow Ann Herrmann-Nehdi on Twitter @annherrmann
Become a fan of Whole Brain® Thinking on Facebook
Join our LinkedIn Group
Visit our YouTube Channel
Access Previous Issues of BrainBytes™
You can find all of the previous issues of the monthly BrainBytes™ Newsletter in the BrainBytes™ Archives on the Herrmann International website.
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