Building Leaders for the Imagination Age: The Case for the i4 Neuroleader Model

© ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE • WWW.ABOUTMYBRAIN.COM
ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE
WWW.ABOUTMYBRAIN.COM
BUILDING LEADERS
THE CASE FOR THE i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL
IMAGINATION AGEFOR THE

THE INFORMATION AGE IS OVER. 
THE WORLD HAS MOVED TO THE AGE OF IMAGINATION
WHERE IDEAS RATHER THAN KNOWLEDGE
EQUAL POWER.
SILVIA DAMIANO
FOUNDER & CEO  

DEFINING THE
IMAGINATION AGE

THE IMAGINATION AGE IS THE THEORETICAL PERIOD BEYOND  
THE INFORMATION AGE WHERE CREATIVITY & IMAGINATION  
WILL BECOME THE PRIMARY CREATORS OF ECONOMIC VALUE.  
THIS CONTRASTS WITH THE INFORMATION AGE WHERE  
ANALYSIS & THINKING WERE THE MAIN ACTIVITIES.
DR. RITA KING
NASA SCIENTIST

TO THRIVE IN THIS NEW AGE,  
WE NEED A NEW TYPE OF
LEADERSHIP

NEW DISCOVERIES AND TECHNOLOGIES ARE SHIFTING HOW WE
THINK , BEHAVE & INTERACT
WITH THE WORLD

TO THE IMAGINATION AGE
FROM THE INDUSTRIAL
TO THE INFORMATION
LEADERSHIP HAS EVOLVED

MANAGER
INDUSTRIAL AGE
Control = Power
Systematic
Task focused
Measured
I know
No feedback
Knowledge = Power
Visionary
People focused
Courageous
We know
One-way feedback
 
 
LEADER
INFORMATION AGE
Ideas = Power
Creator
Brain focused
Vulnerable
Who knows?
Every direction feedback
 
 
NEUROLEADER
IMAGINATION AGE
© SILVIA DAMIANO • ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE

THE ‘ASSET’ OF CREATIVITY
WHILST CONTROL OF PHYSICAL ASSETS AND ACCESS TO  
INFORMATION ARE HELPFUL TO A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY,  
THEY ARE NO LONGER SUFFICIENT TO CREATE VALUE SUSTAINABLY.
A THIRD ELEMENT IS REQUIRED

THIS ASSET REQUIRES ORGANISATIONS TO BE  
NIMBLE, COURAGEOUS & FORGIVING.

THESE ORGANISATIONS ARE PLACES WHERE  
ANYONE CAN BE A LEADER AND IN FACT,
MUST BE A LEADER

AS WITH THE PIONEERS OF ANCIENT TIMES,
THE ABILITY TO ADAPT
TO MEET THE UNEXPECTED, WILL BE CRITICAL.

THE LEADER WHO IS IN
THE HIGHEST HEALTH  
OF MENTAL FITNESS  
AND PERFORMANCE,  
WILL SUCCEED.

WE NEED A
NEW MODEL  
TO GUIDE US
THE i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL 
CREATED BY LEADERSHIP EXPERT SILVIA DAMIANO,  
HAS BEEN DESIGNED AROUND THE 21ST CENTURY LEADER.

THE i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL

THIS IS A PERSONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL BASED ON
NEUROBIOLOGY
IT IS MADE UP OF FOUR KEY META-COMPETENCIES
AND SIXTEEN UNDERPINNING PILLARS.

THE MODEL TAKES INTO ACCOUNT
PROCESSES THAT HAVE BEEN RELEGATED 
AND IN MANY CASES FORGOTTEN,
BRAIN & BODY
WHEN IT COMES TO LEADERSHIP  
AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.

THE i4 MODEL SHOWS  
HOW LEADERS CAN DEVELOP THEIR  
MENTAL FITNESS TO PERFORM

CREATE THE COLLABORATION
FRAMEWORK TO GET THE BEST FROM
CONSTANTLY CHANGING GROUPS.

SPARK THE INNOVATION  
REQUIRED TO DETERMINE  
WHERE GROWTH CAN OCCUR.

ENCOURAGE THE AGILITY  
NEEDED TO WEAVE STRATEGY AND
IMPLEMENTATION TOGETHER.

WITH THE EMERGENCE OF
BRAIN SCIENCE
THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT THE BRAIN
HAS A LOT MORE TO DO WITH RESHAPING BEHAVIOURS
THAN WE MAY HAVE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.

BY UNDERSTANDING
OUR BRAINS BETTER, 
WE CAN BUILD
HEALTHIER CULTURES.

AT THE ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE
WE LIKE TO CALL THIS A
BRAIN FRIENDLY CULTURE

THE BRAIN FRIENDLY CULTURE CONCEPT CAN BE  
APPLIED TO AN ORGANISATION WHICH CAN BE DEFINED  
AS AN ENTITY THAT AIMS TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE  
OF ALL THE BRAINS WORKING WITHIN IT, TO INCREASE
BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY, EMPLOYEES’ WELL-BEING  
AND ENGAGEMENT.

LEADERS OF THE IMAGINATION AGE  
DEPEND ON THE WELLNESS OF THEIR
BRAINS
WHICH NECESSARILY DEMANDS  
THE WELLNESS OF THEIR
BODIES

AS WE DEVELOP THE  
PERFORMANCE, COLLABORATION, INNOVATION AND AGILITY
META-COMPETENCIES
REQUIRED BY THE IMAGINATION AGE…

WE MUST GO FAR BEYOND CHANGING  
THE THOUGHTS WE HAVE  
ABOUT OURSELVES.

IN THE i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL  
SILVIA DAMIANO PROPOSES THE NOTION THAT  
A HIGH PERFORMING MIND AND BODY COMES ABOUT  
THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOUR KEY PILLARS:
BALANCE ETHICS MENTAL READINESSINTEGRATION

HOW DO WE THEN DEVELOP  
THE LEADERS OF THE IMAGINATION AGE?
BY ENCOURAGING LEADERS TO BE
‘ CREATORS ’

WE CANNOT CONTINUE TAKING OUR LEADERS AWAY FOR A SEMINAR,  
FEED THEM WITH A TONNE OF NEW FRAMEWORKS ON STRATEGY,  
EXECUTION, MANAGEMENT AND THEN EXPECT THEM TO TRANSFORM
THEMSELVES INTO CREATORS WHO CAN THEMSELVES
LEAD OTHER CREATORS.

LEADERS WILL NEED TO BE TAUGHT AS
SCIENTISTS ARE TAUGHT.

THEY NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SET UP
TO TEST CERTAIN HYPOTHESES IN STRATEGY, OPERATIONS,  
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & SELF EXPANSION.
EXPERIMENTS

THEY NEED TO KNOW HOW TO RUN
THESE EXPERIMENTS AND HOW TO
THE RESULTS.
MEASURE

THEY NEED TO KNOW HOW TO REFLECT ON THE
SO THAT THE NEXT EXPERIMENT  
CAN BE ESTABLISHED.
INSIGHTS

THESE LEADERS WILL ALSO NEED TO KNOW HOW TO
THEIR PEOPLE AS THEY SET UP  
THESE EXPERIMENTS THEMSELVES.
COACH

THE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS OF THE 21ST CENTURY  
MUST BE MORE THAN THE
‘MINDFULNESS’ MOVEMENTS  
THAT ARE CURRENTLY TAKING
OUR FANCY.

TO BUILD
ON A BODY THAT IS RIDDLED WITH  
ADDICTIONS, ALWAYS ON TECHNOLOGY,  
LESS THAN 8 HOURS OF SLEEP A NIGHT,  
BAD DIET & NO EXERCISE IS LARGELY FUTILE.
MINDFULNESS

SHOULD BE FOCUSING MORE ON THE  
INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOURS OF ITS PEOPLE
OUR BOARDS & CEOs
BY ADDRESSING THE INTERACTION OF PEOPLE’S BRAINS & BODIES  
WITH THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE ORGANISATION.

UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE  
i4 META-COMPETENCIES IMPACT ON  
BUSINESS CULTURE IS THE FIRST STEP.

IMPROVING THESE COMPETENCIES  
AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL  
CAN THEN ACCELERATE THE  
COLLECTIVE BUSINESS CULTURE, 
WHICH TURNS INTO RESULTS.

=
WHEN A HIGH LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE EXISTS
IT MEANS THAT A PERSON
Takes care of his/her body, mind and spirit
Is conﬁdent without being arrogant
Can remain calm in stressful situations
Has good judgment and common sense
Is focused, disciplined and knows how to prioritise
AND THIS IS THE IMPACT ON BUSINESS CULTURE
Higher levels of productivity
Resourceful & solution driven teams
Harmonious environments
Better decisions
Efficiency

=
WHEN A LOW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE EXISTS
Lacks self awareness
Loses control of his/her emotions easily
Does not know how to plan ahead
Is inconsistent between his/her words and actions
Does not know how to balance life activities
Low level of consciousness
Increased conﬂict
Poor strategy & planning
Unethical choices
Increased high levels of stress, absenteeism & accidents
IT MEANS THAT A PERSON AND THIS IS THE IMPACT ON BUSINESS CULTURE

=
WHEN A HIGH LEVEL OF COLLABORATION EXISTS
Aims to achieve rather than compete
Speaks with conviction and passion
Is both caring and courageous
Knows when and how to praise others
Listens, asks meaningful questions  
& articulates his/her thoughts & feelings with clarity
Achievement culture
Inspiring atmosphere
Improved relations
Nurturing people's growth
Improved communication ﬂow

=
WHEN A LOW LEVEL OF COLLABORATION EXISTS
Is usually thinking what he/she can gain from a situation
Likes to work in isolation
May have a sense of superiority
Has trouble delegating tasks
Can be rude, harsh or disrespectful towards others
Lack of abundance mentality prevails
Silos
Elitism
Micromanagement & self-induced stress
Bullying & toxic cultures

=
WHEN A HIGH LEVEL OF INNOVATION EXISTS
Is able to take a leap of faith even in uncertain situations
Sees patterns and makes connections easily
Is always willing to offer alternative solutions
Takes responsibility
Is persistent
Progressive environment
Faster solutions to problems
Outside the box thinking
Proactivity
‘Make it happen’ culture

=
WHEN A LOW LEVEL OF INNOVATION EXISTS
Is not willing to risk anything
Is satisﬁed with what he/she knows and the way things are
Lacks resilience and energy
Is cautious and skeptical
Is more inclined to think ‘it won’t work’
Risk-aversion
Conservatism
Stagnation and ﬁxed mindsets
Bureaucracy
Negative Environment

=
WHEN A HIGH LEVEL OF AGILITY EXISTS
Can inﬂuence others easily
Trusts his/her instincts
Notices what needs to be done and acts on it
Can easily change course and implement new measures
Has personal power
Increased buy-in
Integrated decision making
Entrepreneurial spirit
‘Fail quickly and try again’ mindset
People like and trust more

=
WHEN A LOW LEVEL OF AGILITY EXISTS
Cannot cope with ambiguity and complexity
Relies on rules and authority
Has to go through facts & information in order to feel certain
Is unwilling to compromise
Does not know how to guide others
Inaction and/or slowness to act
Red tape mentality
Analysis paralysis
Rigid mindset
Lack of direction

A BALANCED & FUNCTIONAL BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM  
IS THE FOUNDATION FOR GOOD PERFORMANCE AND  
ALSO THE BASIS OF THE ATTRIBUTES THAT CHARACTERISE THE  
TYPE OF LEADER WHO COULD THRIVE IN THE IMAGINATION AGE.
SILVIA DAMIANO
FOUNDER & CEO  

THIS PRESENTATION IS BASED ON THE
WHITE PAPER: BUILDING LEADERS FOR THE
IMAGINATION AGE - THE CASE FOR THE  
i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL.
TO DOWNLOAD THIS WHITE PAPER VISIT:
WWW.ABOUTMYBRAIN.COM


T

I
I
www.aboutmybrain.com
twitter.com/aboutmybrain
facebook.com/aboutmybrain
instagram.com/aboutmybrain
linkedin.com/company/about-my-brain
CREATING
BRAIN
FRIENDLY
CULTURES

Building Leaders for the Imagination Age: The Case for the i4 Neuroleader Model

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

En vedette

En vedette (16)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Building Leaders for the Imagination Age: The Case for the i4 Neuroleader Model