Lifting the Lid

Volume 1: Edition 1

5th February

Hi we are Simon and Amanda, co-founders of Northern Value Creators

Welcome to the first ever edition of our weekly newsletter, Lifting the Lid.?

The aim of the newsletter is to share key things, from our week working with clients from across the tech sector, that have got us thinking and might add value to you and your leadership practice.

1: Why do you talk about the brain so much?

We were sitting with the founders of UniHomes earlier this week, talking about our approach. We were asked ‘Why do you talk about the brain so much?’?

My answer surprised me.

My usual response describes how understanding your brain is empowering and supports personal change, enriches relationships and boosts happiness.

We were sitting in a glass office and I said

“Look at your people, you have employed all of them because of their expertise and ability to think. If you create a culture or lead and manage in a way that elevates cortisol, you can shut down your people’s ability to access their Prefrontal Cortex. This is the part of their brain where they do all of their executive thinking like creativity, problem solving and planning. By understanding how the brain works, you will be able to help your people focus, stay motivated, collaborate, problem solve and achieve better results.

Over a frothy coffee later that day Simon Cookson and I wondered if understanding the brain and how to help people make the most of their 'noggin' would become the #1 skill for future leaders. In a knowledge economy: brain health,? brain friendly work practices and brain aware leadership is fundamental to business success.

Here’s a bit more of what I have been geeking out on this week:

Our PFC is the bit of our brain just behind our forehead. It is the newest part of our brain and put simply it is where we do all our conceptual, super clever, big thinking stuff. An optimally functioning PFC needs the right level of neurochemicals [Dopamine & Norepinephrine]. Too little and we are distracted, disorganised, bored. Too much and the whole of our PFC shuts off. My mind was blown when I discovered that removing these 2 neurochemicals has the same effect as removing the PFC.

So, the alert, interested, focused and motivated version of me is thanks to my PFC having just the right amount of:

• dopamine, which decreases the noise and shuts of signals for what we don't want
• norepinephrine, which increased brain signals for what we want

Mild stress and the feeling that we are 'not in control' can impair PFC function. So, be kind to your PFC!

2: Using what you feel as a data point

As a coach, supervision forms a key part of my professional development. My coaching supervisor [and Northern Value Creator's Lead Coach] Jules Roberts is brilliant at observing and sharing micro non-verbal communications into her coaching conversations. Over the years she has encouraged and supported me to see everything a client does and says as a data point.?

This week a client shared?

‘I feel a bit lost in my role’

Rather than jumping into exploring their discomfort about not being more sorted or into action steps and fixes; I invited them to take a step back, reflect on their thinking and use the feeling of being lost as a data point.

This shift unlocked a rich stream of thinking that might otherwise have been missed.?

The way we feel and think can be influenced by lots of different factors. When I am coaching, I help my clients reflect on where their thinking is coming from.

Here are 3 key influences on thinking that I see when I am coaching leaders:

1: Me in relation to me

My internal world and thinking. How I feel about myself, my past experiences, my beliefs and values.

2: Me in relation to you

How my thinking, feeling and experiences are impacted by the people I am with and the specific relationship dynamics.

3: Me in relation to the systems I am in

How my external environment influences what I believe I can and can't do.

Getting clear on what specifically is influencing your thoughts and feelings is essential to finding your way forward.

3: Thinking spaces

One of my favourite moments in coaching is when you witness that point of transformation and the person in front of you steps into confidence and true leadership. This week I was reflecting on what steps clients take to go from feeling like they ‘can’t’, to knowing that they can and are in fact more capable than they had previously considered.

This got me thinking about what space the thinking is coming from or focused on.

Health: am I OK?

I have found when clients are not feeling well or are in burn out, the space for thinking is narrowed. To help people step into leadership they first need to focus in on themselves and their wellbeing.

Home life: is home OK?

The next space for thinking is home. If too much time and head space is in juggling chores, navigating messy home environments etc. it is difficult for leaders to step beyond the cognitive overload they manage every day. Freeing space here, helps free the time for thinking about career and leadership; and the sense that there is mental capacity to do more.

Personal Role: am I clear what I do?

I find clients struggle to think bigger picture if they have confusion around their personal role and contribution.

Team role: are my people clear? Do I have people I can trust & delegate work to?

The next blocker for leaders is around the flow of work; without people they can trust and delegate to it is very difficult for leaders to work strategically and move from doer to leader. Focussing energy on getting the team where it needs to be frees thinking space for the next step up.

Wider challenge: seeing organisation wide opportunities

This is one of my favourite spaces to work with leaders. In this thinking space the flow of work is being managed effectively and there is space to start asking bigger picture questions that will make a lasting positive impact to the organisation as a whole.

Community - thinking bigger

In this thinking space the leader has moved beyond 'just' their organisation to influencing, supporting and encouraging the community around them.

If you would like to talk further please connect with and message us on Linkedin

Simon Cookson

Amanda Cookson

Northern Value Creators