In today’s episode, we present a free audio version of Gerrit Pelzer's chapter Soft Skills Through the Lens of Hard Science: Insights into Why Leaders Need to Know About the Brain from the book Brains Inspiring Businesses.*

In this chapter, Gerrit highlights three essential insights every leader should know about the brain:

Each brain is unique—this influences motivation and the conditions under which people can be their best.
Emotions drive all our actions, including at work—yet they’re often overlooked in the corporate world.
Human relationships are fundamental—a critical yet undervalued factor in workplace success.

Each section includes reflection questions designed to help leaders deepen their self-awareness and enhance their leadership skills.

Time Stamps

0:11 Introduction
5:50 Excerpt from Goethe’s Faust (German original followed by English translation)
9:36 Background and the common mistake of trying to operate organisations like machines
24:55 Uniqueness: Why every brain and every person is different
35:05 Reflection Questions for Leaders: Values and Motivation
36:02 Emotions at Work: The underestimated role of emotional processes at work
44:31 Reflection Questions for Leaders: Emotions
46:02 The Power of Relationships: The foundation of health, well-being, and performance at work
1:00:35 Reflection Questions for Leaders: Relationships
1:01:40 Conclusion

A visualization of Paul Brown’s model of The Eight Basic Emotions is available here.

Want more?
If you’d like a PDF copy of Gerrit’s chapter, Soft Skills Through the Lens of Hard Science: Insights into Why Leaders Need to Know About the Brain, simply email him at mail@gerritpelzer.com

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Martin Aldergård
Gerrit Pelzer

* Citation: Pelzer, G. (2024). Soft Skills through the Lens of Hard Science: Insights into Why Leaders Need to Know about the Brain. In: P. Brown and N. Das Goshal, eds., Brains Inspiring Businesses for Leaders. Edinburgh: Ideas for Leaders Publishing.