I was on a group mentoring call a few days ago and a friend asked if I had done any woodworking lately. I proudly walked across the room and showed the group my newly finished sycamore bowl.
One person on the call was surprised about my creative side. “Chris, we always here you talk about leadership and mentoring, not artsy stuff!” The group was used to hearing from my left-brain and were unaware of my right-brain talents. This got me thinking about how well-rounded leaders need to mix in both sides of our brain to be the most successful.
Speaking to a lot of engineers and technical people, I get a lot of left-brain discussions. Discussions about logic, linear thinking and facts. These are very important to leaders, they are tangible and give us direction, purpose and help us create goals.
What we often miss are the right-brain discussions that are just as important, but can feel trivial. The dirty little secret is that right-brain actions and thinking can actually help us. Discussions that start with right-brain topics like imagination, frivolity and feelings, act as a primer for our brain to focus on our most complicated problems. My woodworking time helps me focus away from work, but it is always the time I find the most inspiration. How can this be?
I believe the best leaders engage both sides of their brain for common good. The next time someone just wants to chat, engage and let your right-brain do some work.
So, what can we as leaders do to engage our right brain?
– Take up or act on an existing hobby (something that has nothing to do with work)
– Volunteer (I’ve said it before, volunteering benefits so many, including the volunteer)
– Dedicate some time with your people on non-work-related events (so how was everyone’s weekend?)
The bottom line; leaders that can focus on their right-brain are more balanced and inclusive.