This is a great book for anyone who wants to get a basic and clear understanding of how our brains work and what that means for us.
Written by Dr Helena Boschi, a psychologist specialising in applied neuroscience in a business context, it’s a very accessible way of exploring the different aspects of the brain, from emotion to bias to change.
Every chapter references science which is explained in a very straightforward way and supported by useful diagrams and graphics to make explanations even clearer. Boschi includes Top Tips at the end of each chapter, along with a list of references. This may seem like a small thing but end-of-chapter references for me make them much more accessible than a huge list at the end of the book! And, on a small but important practical point, the font size is large which makes it really easy to read and add your own notes.
To help embed the messages, she also includes references to a host of different case studies, research findings and exercises throughout, which makes the science relevant and easy to absorb.
Over the last five years, we’ve seen a rapid growth in research and writing about neuroscience and psychology, particularly in business. I’m confident the interest in this field will continue to rise so having a basic knowledge of what’s involved (which this book provides) is key for anyone involved in change, wellbeing and leadership.
Although there is a chapter dedicated to the subject of change, almost every page of this book can be applied to any situation of change, from emotion and language, to storytelling and bias and stress and leadership. As Boschi very clearly explains, change equals pain for our brains and the anxiety it creates is highly contagious, which highlights why good communication and empathy are so vital for anyone leading organisation change.
She also includes topics such as sleep, exercise and diet – fundamentals for good wellbeing practice.
The chapter on change is insightful in guiding us through the challenges it can present for leaders; she looks at the importance of leadership, language, push-back, information, culture and social connection and why these are all important for our brains if change is to succeed.
I’ve immersed myself in the world of neuroscience and psychology as part of my work in the area of change and wellbeing and I’ve read several books on this topic as part of that. This book has been by far the easiest to read and most useful in getting ideas to ‘stick’. It’s also a book I now recommend to others and use as a reference for my own training and coaching.
I firmly believe that an understanding of the brain and the role it plays, particularly in a work context, should be a fundamental part of any leadership or communication training. This book would be an ideal place to start for anyone who wants to really understand why we do what we do, without being scared by the idea of lots of science.