The Brain's Boardroom

and meet the NEDs...

Some time ago I attended an online event organised by the Aurora Network (global senior leaders in digital and tech) which introduced the concept of the brain’s boardroom, which I rather loved.

Meet the Executive Team

Simple premise - there are four “directorates” in your brain, each responsible for useful and helpful functions that when working well together are nicely balanced and will make you effective. In case you can’t read my writing on the photo, they are…

• The CEO, who looks after the big picture, the destination, goals and end results.

• The Strategy Director takes care of all the conscious planning to get there - the what, then when, the how. They’ve probably got a Gannt chart or a scrum board.

• The Risk Directorate is eyes up for issues, is all of the details looking for what might go wrong, and guards against threats.

• And the Automations Director keeps all the habitual BAU (routine and unconscious behaviours) ticking along nicely in the background so the other three don’t have to worry about them.

So far so good, and as long as all four are working in harmony, things should be fantastic. But occasionally the boardroom malfunctions and reset action is required. You’ll recognise the malfunctions even if you can’t name them.

Meet the Malfunctions

The first malfunction is one where the brain has lots of goals and ideas and intentions but can’t get started. It’s the Failure to Launch malfunction. Typically in this scenario, the Risk Directorate is massively overplaying and fretting about all the risks.

So what to do? Face into the risks and the fear and bring in the fact checkers! Ask what’s holding me back? What am I afraid of? What’s the worst possible scenario? (yes, go there!) and fact check – what’s a more likely or realistic scenario? Use the “If…Then” technique to overcome fears…if thing X happens then I will do Y, or Z.

Malfunction two is when you feel addicted to achievement and close to burnout. When there is no moment to celebrate or step back, just more goals and things to do! This is the destination obsession malfunction. The one in which the CEO and the Strategist have gone bonkers with all their goals and plans and need to be reined in a bit.

So how to tackle this one? The first step is devastatingly simple. Down tools. Go outside for a walk, no coaching questions required. Once you’ve had a bit of a reset, then use near/far shore thinking to re-engage your sense of perspective about the goals that will really matter in your life. In the speeches at your 80th birthday party, what of this will even feature?

The final malfunction is the one where your head is spinning. You are mad busy, you have rapidly shifting goals and priorities, lots of unfinished things, you’re doing a lot but not getting anywhere. Welcome to the treading water malfunction. When it feels like this it’s because you’re brain’s CEO has gone on holiday to drink pina colada’s in the Bahamas, leaving the strategist to go rogue, the automations to run overtime and the risk analyst to unhelpfully panic. Chaos reigns!

Getting out of this funk requires a focus on progress, not perfection. Focus on next/first step not on everything else. Good coaching questions here are…How do I make this problem smaller? What’s the first thing I could do? What’s the priority right now? What’s the smallest thing that would help make the most progress?

Of course, the other thing you can always do for your malfunctioning Executive boardroom brain is employ some good Non-Exec Directors (NEDs). These are your wise advisors, carefully selected to balance out your idiosyncrasies and to bring you the things that you need when you need them.

I have many personal NEDs that I have carefully curated over the years. They are unremunerated (aside from the occasional lunch or wine), there is no contract of employment and some of them don’t even know that they hold this position. But they each provide one, or more, of my four essential NED roles…

Meet my Personal NEDs

Yoda. The resolutely calm and wise one who is utterly unflappable even in the biggest crisis. The far-shore thinker who can always step back and give perspective.

Be More Basil. The funny one who gives me safe space to rant and makes me laugh when it all feels shit.

Tigger. The cheerleading one who reminds me what I am brilliant at when I forget it, and tells me to keep going. #OneFootInFrontOfTheOther

The Mirror. The one knows and loves me well enough to kindly hold a mirror and point out when I am being a d*ck and getting in my own way.

So there are my ponderings for today. I’ve written this on Friday and scheduled it to publish on Sunday as I shall be “running” the London Marathon - look out for me at the back being overtaken by giant rhinos and people carrying white goods.

So let me know your thoughts…do you recognise the four Executives, and do you have any others? (I sometimes think my chimp Bunty appears, who’s not even on the Executive Board but just turns up anyway to create mayhem!). Thoughts on the malfunctions and the coping strategies? And who are your NEDs?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and if you like my writing please share.