Wired to Lead, Part 1: Wired to Connect
DR. SKYLA HEROD, PH.D.
Let’s be real: what makes a team unstoppable isn’t just what they know - it’s how they click. And no, we’re not talking about forced fun or motivational posters in Comic Sans.
In today’s workplaces, where change is nonstop and everyone is collaborating across apps, org charts, and time zones, the ability to build trust and shared understanding isn’t optional. It’s what powers momentum, creativity, and actual human collaboration. But here’s the twist: The skills that help us connect - empathy, self-awareness, active listening - often get labeled as “soft,” even though they’re some of the hardest-wired, most biologically baked-in features of your brain. So the next time someone calls them “soft,” tell them your neurons would like a word.
We’re Wired to Connect: The Neuroscience Let’s take it back to your evolutionary roots. Your brain didn’t just evolve to solve math problems or win arguments on the internet. It evolved to survive through connection - to decode facial expressions, manage status, and keep the tribe tight-knit. From an evolutionary standpoint, social cognition wasn’t a bonus skill. It was survival. In fact, our default brain state, when we're not actively solving a problem, is what's called the "social brain network”. It turns on when we daydream, imagine others' perspectives, or reflect on our own actions.
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