Here’s the wiring at work: The medial prefrontal cortex: the brain’s “me + we” center for self and social reflection. The temporoparietal junction: Your empathy GPS helping you to imagine someone else’s point of view. The anterior cingulate and insula: Emotion radar and conflict detectors. Aka, your brain’s social smoke alarms. And mirror neurons: Your internal resonance system, letting you feel with others, not just observe them. So when talk about building “soft skills,” what we’re really saying is: Start using your most human hardware to power your team. 3 Critical Capabilities of Wired-to-Connect Leaders To plug into that social circuitry (and actually use it to lead, adapt, and collaborate), focus on 3 essential and trainable skills: 1. Self-Awareness: Know Your Inner Signal You can’t steer what you don’t sense. Self-awareness means noticing your moods, triggers, and micro- reactions before they hijack your meetings. It’s your internal feedback system for leading with intention instead of autopilot. Learning how those social smoke alarms work in the insula and anterior cingulate - and how to rewire for speed, strength, and connection - helps us spot when bias might be influencing a decision, or when our stress is spilling into how we give feedback. 2. Empathy: Feel With, Not For Empathy isn’t a personality trait. It’s an active process of tuning in, reading cues, and adjusting accordingly. Empathy (and its more rewarding neighbour,
Compassion) builds connection, alignment, and trust - but only if it comes with boundaries. Too much empathic overdrive? Say hello to burnout. Practicing real-world scenarios in an environment of trust and vulnerability finds the neuroplastic balance between the empathetic mirror neuron system and the compassionate prefrontal cortex that strategises action within realistic boundaries. 3. Active Listening: Signal Safety, Build Trust This isn’t just smiling and nodding. It’s strategic, skilful attention. The best listeners create space for real talk, clarify assumptions, and make people feel seen. That kind of listening activates a complex dance between the auditory cortex, language centres, and social brain circuits, especially when we focus on both what is said and how it’s said. It’s a form of interpersonal precision - mirroring tone, checking emotions, asking questions, and leaving space for others to think. Done well, it signals psychological safety and opens the door to honest feedback and innovation. From Evolution to Execution When leaders build these brain-based skills, teams don’t just get along - they align faster, adapt more fluidly, and challenge one another more constructively. Working from brain-behaviour insights helps us move from generic advice to targeted, high-impact practice. The science gives us more than buzzwords. It gives us tools. Because when teams are wired to connect, they’re wired to power up.
Want to Lead from the Brain Up? Wired to Connect is the first pillar in the new Wired to Lead series by Hatch. A neuroscience-backed, human-based approach to building the soft skills, attitudes, and behaviours that today's leaders need.
37
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online