The required skillset of a Project Manager is changing…fast. Digitisation, automation & artificial intelligence are replacing some of the traditional tasks that Project Managers have been doing for years. What cannot be replaced by technology though is the ability to work with people, create high performing, innovative teams & enhance a team’s chances of success. To remain up-to-date & relevant, Project Managers need to understand how they can optimise a team – and the individuals within it - to gain the most out of that team.
Enter the ‘neuroscience of success’ a term increasingly thrown around by leadership experts and thought leaders in productivity. The neuroscience of success refers to a recent areas of research studying how brain function can help us achieve goals, make decisions and perform at our optimum. By tapping into neural processes like motivation, emotional intelligence and stress management, leaders can improve team performance and create more innovative, collaborative teams that ultimately drive greater team and project success.
Why should Project Managers care about neuroscience? Well, as Project Managers, we are not only managers, but also leaders of our projects. And in today’s context, our role is increasingly focusing on managing the human element of projects as digital tools take over processes that can be automated. By using the neuroscience of success, Project Managers can help their teams perform better and succeed faster.
Here are some practical ways that you can use some of the science behind this area of research to help your team excel.
- Problem solving & decision makingNeuroscience shows that during rest, the brain activates creative problem solving & results in better decision making. This is a principle Jeff Bezos is known for. As he says, you need to be making a few high quality decisions in a day, not lots of low quality decisions. So before an important decision needs to be made, make sure that your team are rested and leveraging brain storming / creative thinking so you can be sure the best decisions are being made.
- MotivationLong gone are the days when the carrot & stick approach to motivation was successful. Nowadays, people need more than the incentive of a pay rise, or the fear of a demotion to be truly motivated. Neuroscience shows that people are motivated more if they have a sense of purpose, are working to clear goals and celebrating the small wins as well as the big ones. Instead of applying one type of motivation to the whole team, spent time with individuals and start to learn what motivates them so you can tap into intrinsic motivations related to their personal values & passions.
- Emotional IntelligenceResearch shows that when people feel heard and valued, more oxytocin (the happy hormone) is released into their brain which has a direct link to an increased sense of contentment and fulfilment. Help your team actively listen to each other so that they can empathise and understand the different perspectives around the table and you will be helping them to develop their emotional intelligence, foster greater connection and reduce the likelihood of negative team dynamics and conflict.
- Stress ManagementThe latest developments in neuroscience show that managing stress can prevent burnout, overwhelm and exhaustion. For stress management to be most effective, it should be tackled on an individual and collective basis. As the project lead, you can instantly help your team perform better over the course of the project if you are able to equip them with stress management techniques and create a culture where work-life balance is respected to achieve long term success.
- Continuous improvementNeuroplasticity refers to the brains ability to develop, change and form new connections. Providing your team with high quality training opportunities and regular feedback can help promote a growth mindset in a team which encourages them to be continually upskilling, growing and improving. As Project Managers, we can encourage this within our project teams and within our companies to not only improve our projects, but also the wider industry as a by-product.
The future of project management is changing. Those that excel will be able to leverage the digital assets available to them that can help teams become more efficient whilst being able to work with and leverage the in person expertise available within the project team. Understanding the neuroscience of how people work and how this can help a team and project succeed better has the potential to become a superpower. What are you doing to leverage this superpower in yourself & stay ahead of the curve?