Horrible bosses make their employees lives miserable. They’re out of touch with themselves and others; their behaviour is negative, self-centred, focused only on the numbers, and sometimes just plain nasty.
DMN suppression happens to bosses or managers who are stressed or overly defensive, and have lost the ability to be courteous, pleasant, and creative. This type of purely task-oriented leadership can result in low levels of innovation, employee commitment and performance.
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The TPN-DMN conflict
How do leaders become so dissonant? Research by Richard Boyatzis, a professor in the Departments of Organisational Behaviour, Psychology, and Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University, shows that most management programmes focus on analytics. Leaders are taught to become task-oriented and home in on metrics, numbers, and analysing problems – in other words, getting things done.
That results in over-emphasis of a neural circuit called the ‘task positive network’ (TPN), which is useful for focusing, solving problems and making decisions. However, frequent activation of the TPN subdues the ‘default mode network’ (DMN), which is key to being open to new ideas and people.
A suppressed DMN thus makes it difficult to relate to others.
Activating the DMN
DMN suppression happens to bosses or managers who are stressed or overly defensive, and have lost the ability to be courteous, pleasant, and creative.
This type of purely task-oriented leadership can result in low levels of innovation, employee commitment and performance.
Reigniting empathy & creativity
If you find yourself in this position, it’s advisable to start thinking about your desired future, your goals for the organisation, and the core values which are close to your heart.
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These questions will arouse the ‘parasympathetic nervous system’ (PNS) by activating the DMN, creating a state in which your body can rebuild itself and recover from stress. It’s not an overnight process, but it’s a step in the right direction to once again becoming an effective and more socio-emotional leader.
