Mar 15, 2011
In reports from this month’s earthquake in Christchurch, residents said things like, “We’ve seen things in our community that you’re never meant to see. In a war zone, yes. But not our own community.” There has clearly been trauma, overwhelm and confusion.
An earthquake is an extreme case, but these emotions can occur in business and on an everyday basis – a car accident, redundancy, restructuring.
If leadership is about refocusing, stepping up and taking the initiative, how might it be applied in such stressful situations?
To answer this, we must go on a journey to understand how the brain works.
In previous articles the three general sectors of the brain have been introduced. They continue to be the principle players in this drama.
The first actor, the primitive brain - made up of the amygdala (the source of powerful emotions such as fear, anxiety and anger) plus the hypothalamus (the manager of instinctive drives such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire).
These two work in unison to alert us to threat by releasing adrenalin into the system. This gives us the ‘adrenalin high’ of fight, flight or freeze, followed by ‘adrenalin low’ of exhaustion.
The second actor, the basal ganglia, or the “habit center,” manages such semi-automatic activities as driving and walking; we tend to revert to this type of processing whenever possible.
Information processed in either the basal ganglia or the primitive brain occurs more at the sub- conscious level. Both are rapid processors requiring little energy to activate.
The third actor, the prefrontal cortex, is associated with deliberate executive functions such as planning, new learning and focusing attention.
New patterns (e.g. learning) start in the pre-frontal cortex. They often feel unfamiliar and painful, because it means consciously overriding deeply comfortable neuronal circuitry (our habitual ways of thinking). If we want to create new permanent patterns of behaviour, we must embed these in the basal ganglia.
Being forced to try something new can trigger fear and anger; this is sometimes called the “amygdale hijack” – the urge to flee or exhaustion disproportionate to the actual provocation. ‘Hijack’ refers to energy being used up before it gets to the frontal cortex – you literally can’t think. It’s called being in a state of shock.
For a leader to effectively help others navigate trauma requires insights that reduce the impact of an inflamed amygdale, this then settles the person, helping them re-engage their higher thinking processes.
Calming an Inflamed Amygdale
“Our good leaders are those who focus on others, give undivided attention, and build trust. Leaders can either give energy to people or drain energy from people.” - Dave Larson, retired executive vice president of Cargill (American agricultural and food products company)
Even in such trying times a skilled leader can continue to give people energy, give them hope. It starts with understanding and empathy without judgment.
A leader could start by talking openly about how they feel, ask others to talk about how they feel, and then assist them take a broader perspective: They are still OK; there are many resources there to help, friends and family are here to stand by them.
The key is to engender an emotional state that is calmer, and one that draws people back to more effective frames of mind and more deliberate thinking.
“It is going to be OK. Let’s not forget the big picture. Don’t forget that we have prepared for situations like this. Let’s stay focused on what’s most important, what really matters.”
At some stage, you could ask, “What needs to happen for you to move on?”
Empathising sends a message of respect and understanding which can calm an inflamed amygdale. Only when the amygdale has disengaged, is it possible to talk with the part of the brain capable of rational and objective thought, the pro-frontal lobe.
Developing Mindfulness – your Impartial Spectator
By understanding that despite the seeming inflexibility of the brain, neural connections are actually highly plastic; even the most entrenched thought patterns can be changed by guidance from your impartial spectator.
Reflection
Two self-directed reflection processes develop your impartial spectator: ‘thinking about what you are thinking’ and ‘moment-by-moment awareness of where your attention is focused’.
Moment-by-moment self-observation activates executive planning areas in the prefrontal cortex and deactivates areas involved in attention-distracting rumination.
Our usual activity draws mostly upon our habitual/default thinking, so little changes. Reflection puts the deliberate ‘you’ back in charge, not your habits.
Some use reflective journaling at the end of the day as their method to regather themselves, to then course-correct.
Relabeling Your Role
When experiencing the horror of an earthquake, there was an immediate rush of anxiety and fear — a classic amygdala hijack.
An alternative approach is to pause and to think differently about what you see. There were many in Christchurch who dashed into buildings save others. They had a different internal message, maybe: “I believe in this community and these people. I have a duty to be of assistance” or a person could deliberately tell themselves “I am an emergency medical technician coming on the scene. I have to be calm and clear in my thinking about this.”
You choose the phrase that fits you best.
The mental act of relabeling makes it easier to maintain a clear, calm perspective. It enhances your ability to override the content of dysfunctional thoughts, decreasing your personal attachment to what you are thinking. Activity shifts rapidly back to the prefrontal cortex.
Speaking Aloud
A simple technique that produces immediate refocus is speaking aloud. Literally describe out loud what is actually going on to you and around you.
In an emergency, we’re in react mode, there is pressing urgency (or it feels that way). We speed up, become tunnel-visioned and miss things. For example some students, at Christchurch’s university, ran down too many stairs and missed the exit.
By describing what is occurring, we have to slow down; we process and take stock of what we see. We become more measured, more likely to make balanced decisions.
Concluding Thoughts
In the life of a leader dealing with earthquake experiences (or 9/11) is the exception. Rallying staff in any situation however is an essential everyday skill.
Amygdala hijacks are part of living. Each of the techniques outlined above are equally as applicable in the “more mundane” settings of parenting, business management or executive leadership.
But like any skill, they will require practice to be ready when needed.
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