Goal of the conversation for Heartifacts 2020: People would have entry-level knowledge about the brain and basic cognitive processes which directly impact the work they do (and how they process information) on a routine basis so they might be able to “hack” their own brain. Why does it matter? Before the tech, is always the human. We bring ourselves to whatever it is we do. 1. Managing ourselves results in better output. We manage so many aspects of our lives, but many people don’t consider the role of their brains as it relates to what it is they do.If I know better, I can do better. Focus on skill acquisition as it pertains to your body and your brain. Awareness is where it begins. 1. Cognitive Control - frontal lobe in attention, concentration, problem solving and decision making. Insight and awareness too. 2. Emotional Control - limbic system/mammalian brain 3. Relational Control - Empathy, respect and compassion and boundaries. What’s the science behind it? 1. The frontal lobe — Role of executive function in decision making, prospective planning. All of these things require energy and consideration around the allocation of resources. Bottom up/top down processing. 2. Limbic system and the mammalian brain - The emotional center of the brain. My emotions impact my decision making, attention, memory and resiliency. “Name it, to tame it.” The better we are at naming what we feel, the better we are at navigating ourselves and our relationships. Left/right hemispheric integration, the amygdala and the hippocampus. 3. Relationships - How can I manage myself and others better? 1. Mirror neurons and empathy…and respect too. 2. Compassion and boundaries - leading with understanding while setting parameters/clear expectations for performance and feedback. What’s the practical application? So what, now what? Where do I begin? Ask yourself, where am I having trouble or what area of my work do I want to improve? Ask for feedback from your top 3. We all benefit from having a “board of advisors.” Who in your life do you permit to tell you about who you are and what you can do and where you struggle? 1. How are you performing in your job? Are you able to focus/concentrate/attend to the things you want to or are there distractions that continue to interfere with your performance? When do you tire and have trouble “keeping up” in the way you desire? 1. Then do this—examine your self-expectations and how you allocate energy. What things in your life (work, home, relationships, etc.) demand the most of you? Are there feelings or stressors in life that may be contributing to or interfering with your performance? 2. The value of emotions and the WHY behind what we do. Ask yourself if it’s worth it? Is whatever job your doing/task you’re assigned to, workplace you’re in, is it valuable enough for to you to embrace the obstacles that you encounter on a regular basis? This gets at emotional seat of what you’re doing. Emotions always count—they’re just data. Data that needs to be considered and not omitted. How we respond to this data is important. Strategies for improved emotional control: Mindfulness, gratitude, exercise (movement as a bartering of emotional energy), and more. 3. We never lose when we start with curiosity. Can you practice being curious about others when you don’t understand them and why they do or say what they do? If I’m not willing to look beneath the surface, I’ll end up being distracted by the behavior I find ……….fill the blank (aversive, upsetting, irritating, annoying, etc.). Perspective taking and empathy. → Not “my perspective” of someone’s experience or challenges, but THEIR perspective. I have to be willing to move to the other side of the table when I “look” at what they’re doing. Per Kristin Neff at the University of Texas, leading researcher on compassion, how might I practice being compassionate when I want to be demanding or hold others to the expectation of output? The interplay between my response to myself and flipping the lens to that of the other? How can involve them in the process of choice and decision-making, so that they feel and believe that their actions impact their situation and that of the team. **When I level up, and manage myself effectively, I increase the likelihood of others following suit and leveling up themselves. We lead by example.