Engagement and the Brain

“Five times a second, your brain is scanning the environment and asking itself: Is it safe here? Or is it dangerous?” ~ Michael Bungay Stanier, The Coaching Habit

When we feel safe  - when our brain feels safe - we can live and lead at our very best. We see positive intent, we play well with others (collaborate). In this space we can manage ambiguity and we are engaged. Without painting too dark of a picture, it is also clear that when we don’t feel safe; we see things in more black and white terms - and as with all ‘danger’ we will eschew forward momentum and start backing away.

As leaders we want our people to feel safe - “to be engaging rather than retreating” as Stanier says. At the same time, we as leaders also want to feel safe. The author goes on the suggest there are four primary drivers at play that influence how the brain responds and he uses the acronym TERA.

T is for tribe: are you on my side or are you ‘against’ me?

E is for expectation: is what’s happening next (the future) clear?

R is for rank: this is about status and the power being played out - not necessarily title: is my status being diminished?

A is for autonomy: do I get a say or not - and to what degree?

In previous blog posts we’ve talked about the importance and the power of engagement. In The Coaching Habit, Stanier suggests that by increasing what he calls our ‘TERA Quotient’ we create a culture of safety that leads to greater engagement. One way to support this is to incorporate more questions into your leadership interactions. Such as the authors seven: What’s on your mind? And what else? What’s the real challenge here for you? What do you want? How can I help? If you’re saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?  What was most useful to you?  Never forget that if you’re going to lead and coach others using powerful, intentional questions, you will need to create space and sometimes awkward silence to allow people to truly look inside for answers.