Have you ever felt like an invisible barrier is holding you back at work, especially as a woman?
Join me, Maureen Chiana, and unravel the unseen yet powerful biases that shape our professional lives. I discuss the implicit and explicit challenges women, particularly black women, encounter in their careers. Through a lens of emotional intelligence, I go through personal experiences, the significance of self-awareness, and how managing our emotions with techniques like deep breathing and positive affirmations can lead to more inclusive work environments.
This podcast reveals the power of empathy, motivation, and assertive communication in building meaningful relationships and navigating the complexities of workplace biases.
In this compelling episode, I also bridge the gap between emotional intelligence and leadership, considering the fascinating insights brain mapping diagnostics offer. As I unpack the potential for such diagnostics to inform tailored action plans for growth, I share invaluable strategies for addressing biases within organisational culture.
You'll learn about leading by example, the importance of advocating for diversity and inclusion, and how brain-rewiring techniques can enhance decision-making.
The episode wraps up by empowering you to set practical, achievable goals, harnessing the untapped potential of your brain to transform your personal and professional life. If you're aiming to excel and lead with purpose, this is the conversation you need to hear. Visit themindsightacademy.com for more resources and join us next time for another enriching dialogue.
Stay Connected with Maureen:
Mindsight Women's Network: https://bit.ly/3qvAzg1
Mindsight Store: https://www.mindsightstore.com
The Mindsight Academy: https://www.themindsightacademy.com/
Christian Women’s Leaders Guide on Decision-Making: https://www.maureenchiana.uk/christianfemaleguide
Articles on Brainz: https://bit.ly/brainz-dig
Book A Consultation: https://calendly.com/maureen-77/30min
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Stay curious and empowered!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Lead to Excel podcast, where we explore
the connection betweenleadership, emotional
intelligence and neuroscience toempower you to excel in your
personal and professional life.
I'm your host, maureen Chiana,and today we are tackling a
critical issue, a critical topicworkplace biases against women
(00:27):
and how these can be dealt withthrough emotional intelligence
and the power of the brain.
In the last few weeks, I've hadso many people that I coach or
that I have started coaching dueto this problem biases in the
workplace against women.
(00:48):
Sometimes these biases or inmost cases, these biases are
from their managers.
In a lot of cases are women aswell, and that's a topic I'm
going to talk about soon,because a lot of times, females
(01:10):
that have risen through theranks and have felt that they
needed to be really aggressiveor really needed to be focused
not even necessarily aggressive,but focused on where they're
going to get to the top becomeleaders with no emotional
(01:30):
intelligence, no idea of how tolead human beings, which is
really unfortunate.
So today I'm going to shedlight on this, on the critical
barrier to professional growthwhich we're talking about
workplace biases.
They are often invisiblehuddles that disproportionately
(01:54):
affect women, especially blackwomen, in their careers.
Our journey today will navigatethese biases and explore
actionable ways to overcome them, ensuring that every woman can
achieve or maximize herpotential.
(02:15):
In our workplaces, biasesmanifest in two main forms
implicit and explicit.
Implicit bias is like an unseencurrent subtly influencing
decisions without you evenrealizing it.
It's in the assumptions that awoman might not be as
(02:38):
technically skilled or as acertively competent in
leadership roles.
For black women, this currentruns even deeper, as racial
stereotypes compound genderstereotypes, creating a
formidable barrier toadvancement.
Then there's explicit bias.
(03:00):
These are the direct,undeniable instances of
discrimination.
They're the policies orattitudes that overtly favor one
group over another, oftensidelining women, and
particularly black women, fromopportunities for growth and
leadership.
These biases don't just limitindividual careers.
(03:24):
They stifle the diversity ofthoughts and experience
essential for organizationalsuccess.
And this is why I tend to saythat a lot of times you find
that organizations or a leaderor team employ people because of
the potential that they see,that they see that they have in
(03:44):
their brain.
But when they start working foryou, the way you treat them
makes them leave their brain athome, and then they come to work
and they're just using yours,and that's real shame because
it's a complete loss ofdiversity and creativity.
So let's start by understandingwhat we're up against.
(04:06):
Workplace biases, whether theyare obvious or subtle, can
significantly impact women'scareer advancement, job
satisfaction and emotionalwell-being.
These biases manifest, like Isaid, in different forms.
I want us now to reflect, or Iwant you to reflect, on your
(04:28):
experiences.
Have you ever felt overlooked,underestimated or pigeonholed
because of your gender?
Recognizing these moments ispainful but necessary.
Emotional intelligence is ourammo and our tool in navigating
workplace biases.
(04:48):
It comprises several key skillsself-awareness, self-regulation
, empathy, motivation and socialskills.
Starting with self-awareness,this is about knowing your
feelings, your strengths, yourweaknesses and triggers.
We're faced with bias.
(05:10):
How do you react?
Or respond emotionally?
Can you identify these emotionsin real time?
Or do they happen and then yougo away and then start
ruminating and really gettingyourself into an emotional
entanglement.
(05:30):
Practicing mindfulness, whereyour paying attention to
yourself and to what's happeningaround you, will help you
enhance your self-awareness.
Spend a few minutes each day inquiet reflection, focusing on
your breath and observing yourthoughts and feelings without
(05:51):
judgment.
Then self-regulation Once youbecome aware of your emotions,
the next step is to manage them.
This doesn't mean suppressingyour feelings, but understanding
and expressing themconstructively.
It's being curious.
(06:12):
It's asking the question why amI feeling the way that I do?
Techniques such as deepbreathing, counting to 10, or
positive affirmations can helpmanage emotional responses in
the moment.
It might be that you're aboutto give a presentation and then
you find yourself so nervous youmight start speaking really
(06:33):
quickly or you might completelyfreeze.
This is the time to stop, takedeep breaths, count to 10, and
refocus yourself.
Or it might even be thatsomebody challenges you in the
meeting.
You say something.
They disagree with you in avery not very nice way.
Instead of getting defensiveand jumping in, stop breathe,
(06:57):
count one to 10, and thendetermine how you're going to
respond.
Empathy, understanding andsharing the feelings of others
can help you bridge gaps andbuild alliances.
It involves active listeningand putting yourself in other
(07:18):
people's shoes, even those whomay unknowingly exhibit biases.
Empathy can transformperspectives and foster a more
inclusive environment.
Then we look at motivation.
Channel your emotional energytowards your goals, despite any
(07:42):
biases you might encounter.
Set small, achievable targetsthat lead to bigger objectives.
Celebrate these milestones tokeep you motivated.
This would also help preventyou from getting too focused on
the biases you're experiencing,where you then end up losing
(08:05):
opportunities for getting tostay focused on what you really
want, because your focus is onwhat's being done to you.
But when you focus on what youwant, when you focus on the goal
that you want to achieve, thatis powerful, because that will
help you stay focused, reassesssituations and know how to deal
(08:30):
with the biases that are comingagainst you, where you're being
really intentional about whatyou want, and so this way,
you're being very responsive asopposed to being reactive.
Then, finally, social skillsEffective communication and
(08:51):
relationship building skills arevital.
They will help you navigate andnegotiate the complexities of
workplace dynamics, practiceassertive communication that
respects your value and thevalue of others.
I do talk a lot aboutcommunication, and I'll mention
(09:13):
it a bit later in this podcast,but it's one that is so
important because what we do ashuman beings is communicate the
way we are, or get defensive,like the example I gave
previously about being in apresentation or in a meeting.
Somebody challenges you withoutstopping to think.
(09:35):
You get defensive and then youstart responding to the
communication without actuallylistening intently to what the
person is saying.
Your brain goes into this fastmode where you then prepare your
answer and you then might findthat you're both talking about
(09:59):
different things.
So because you've not reallypaid attention to what that
person said.
But also paying attention givesyou more time to answer very
smartly, so that you're notbeing reactive but being very
responsive.
(10:20):
Neuroplasticity the brain'sability to reorganize itself by
forming new neural connectionsis what offers us so much hope,
because you can rewire yourbrain to respond more positively
to challenges, including biases.
(10:41):
Pay attention to your thoughts,observe them in a
non-judgmental way.
When you notice your minddrifting towards biases or
challenges, gently guide it backto simply noticing your
thoughts.
This technique will help youincrease awareness and reduce
(11:07):
stress.
We are then able to beintentional about the decisions
that you're making, the wordsthat you speak, but also
managing your emotionseffectively so that you're
consciously doing what you wantto do, and it also helps you to
focus on what you want, seeopportunities and get to where
(11:32):
you need to get to quickly,instead of spending time in that
fighting zone of survival, butinstead you'll be able to thrive
.
Cognitive behaviour techniquesare so important, and this is
your ability to spot and addressnegative thinking habits that
biases can initiate, for example, thinking traps like
(11:56):
catastrophising that thoughtprocess.
You know where you tellyourself this will always go
wrong because I'm involved, orwhere you indulge in mind
reading, they probably think I'mnot competent enough.
All these can be countered.
Challenge these thoughts byquestioning their accuracy and
(12:18):
substituting them with positiveaffirmations.
If you catch yourself thinkingI'm going to fail this project
because I'm not good enough,counteracted by reminding
yourself of past successes andyour skillsets, such as I have
successfully completed similarprojects before and I have the
(12:42):
skills needed to succeed in thisone.
Then visualisation, where we useour frontal part of our brain,
visualise achieving your goalsdespite biases.
Imagine navigating achallenging meeting successfully
or speaking up and being heard.
(13:03):
Visualisation primes your brainto acting ways that align with
your visualised outcome.
This is so powerful becauseonce you visualise, for example,
yourself in a meeting whereyou're speaking up and being
heard, even when you then getinto a meeting and you're
(13:24):
actually not being listened to,because your focus and you've
already visualised it and yourfocus is that you know what I'm
being heard.
It enables you to stay focusedon what you want to say, on the
message you're delivering, thathonestly, because you're in that
(13:45):
calm state, you will find thatyou will be heard.
Because when you focus on notbeing heard oh, I've spoken
before and I wasn't listened to,I wasn't heard.
Once you're going with thatkind of mindset because that is
where your focus is going youwill activate your stress
(14:07):
response and you'll find thatyou either start speaking really
quickly or you miss the pointor you cramp too much in.
Things basically don't go wrong,but then you come across to the
people who you're presenting toas incompetent or unprepared
(14:29):
Some things to do.
I call them action tips are setboundaries for yourself.
Learn to say no to tasks thatdetract from your career goals
or personal well-being.
But also, when I talk aboutsetting boundaries, it's also
setting boundaries for yourselfso that, no matter what's
(14:51):
happening, no matter the biasesyou're experiencing or what is
happening around you, you'resetting boundaries for yourself
in the sense that you're stayingfocused on what you want to
achieve.
You're staying focused on thegoal that you have, and it could
(15:12):
be a goal of going into asenior leadership role.
It could be a goal of goinghigher in your career.
It could be a goal of scalingyour business.
Whatever the situation is, butjust staying focused on where
you're going.
Another important thing is sickmental shift, sick mental shift
(15:34):
or sponsorship.
Find mentors who can offerguidance, support and advocate
for you.
Build a support network,surround yourself with allies
who would uplift and support youand, finally, invest in a coach
.
It's so important because acoach will help you navigate
through a lot of biases, andthis is whether you're an
(15:56):
interpreter or whether you'rerunning your own business.
Leaders and organizations play acrucial role in dismantling
workplace biases.
So organizations implement biastraining.
Educate employees to recognizeand combat biases.
Promote diversity and inclusionand show that diverse
(16:20):
representation is present or isoccurring in all levels of the
organization.
Create safe feedback channelswhere you encourage open
dialogue open dialogue aboutbiases and discrimination.
These are so important.
As a leader, give people thesafe space to give you feedback
(16:45):
on how you're managing.
What do they perceive?
Because you find that, as aleader, you might be drawn
unconsciously to a certain typeof people in your team, where
you're giving them the greatprojects, or giving them
projects, and then you'reignoring other people that
probably don't agree with you.
Then, subconsciously, you moveaway from them so you don't give
(17:11):
them opportunities to grow.
But they might actually be theones you need, because they are
the ones that are not, yes,people, but you don't like the
people that don't conform towhat you say, what you want
because you're the boss, but agreat boss is the one that
actually listens, because youlearn a lot from people that
(17:35):
don't agree with you, and youfind that you're also able to
grow because of it.
After exploring emotionalintelligence and these brain
rewiring tips, I want us to divenow into a practical.
After exploring emotionalintelligence and brain rewiring
(17:59):
techniques, I want us to nowdive into a practical tool that
are found invaluable insupporting new clients.
It's called the Prison BrainMapping Diagnostic.
This is a unique diagnostictool that offers deep insights
into an individual's behavioralpreferences and work aptitudes,
(18:23):
based on neuroscience.
Understanding your own brain'swiring can empower you to
address and overcome biases moreeffectively.
Prison Brain Mapping helps youachieve this by identifying your
behavioral strengths.
Knowing your strengths allowsyou to leverage them more
(18:45):
effectively in challengingsituations.
So, for example, if thediagnostic shows that you excel
in strategic thinking, beingfocused, being very evaluative,
you can use this strength tonavigate and mitigate biases in
workplace planning anddecision-making processes.
(19:06):
It might then show you thatyou've actually wired this part
of your brain very high over the75th percentile.
Now the question is does thisserve you in your role?
It might serve you if you'reworking as an embryologist,
where you need to be veryprecise.
But it might not serve you ifyou're a leader, because you
(19:27):
will find that you struggle todelegate and then you're
actually getting burnt outbecause you're doing your job
and your team members' jobs.
This also helps you understandemotional reactions, so it can
reveal why certain biasestrigger strong emotional
responses in you.
Reading the diagnostic with acoach is so powerful because
(19:50):
your coach will enable you gobeneath the surface and
understand your reports in avery deeper way and then enable
you create an action plan, whichis what I do with my own
clients.
So the awareness of this is thefirst step in applying
emotional intelligencetechniques more effectively,
(20:11):
allowing you to manage yourreactions and respond in ways
that serve your best interests.
It will also help you enhancecommunication skills by
understanding the diversecommunication styles and
preferences of your colleagues,which you find a lot of times.
(20:36):
You can then tailor your owninteractions to minimize
misunderstanding and biases.
It's so powerful.
This is particularly useful inbuilding a more inclusive, more
productive workplace as well orteam.
So looking at some practicaltips on using this diagnostic
(20:58):
when you take the diagnostic,which takes about 45 minutes,
you're able to then review itwith your coach and go through
the results, like I mentionedpreviously, then develop an
action plan personalized actionplan and this might include
specific emotional intelligencepractices, brain rewiring
(21:20):
exercises or communicationstrategies aimed at addressing
the biases that you face.
Then the regular check-ins areimportant.
Using this brain mappingdiagnostic as a baseline, we can
regularly check in to yourprogress or check in to see how
much progress you're making,then adjust your strategies as
(21:43):
needed to enable you to continueto grow and overcome biases in
the workplace.
It's so powerful.
I want to know more about usingthe prison brain mapping
diagnostic.
Drop me a message and I'll useit with you.
I will go through it with you.
It's powerful.
It's powerful.
So now I want us to, or rather Iwant to, answer some questions
(22:07):
that I've had over time and I'mjust going to go through maybe
three or four.
The first question I want toanswer here is how can I
overcome biases in the workplacewhen they seem so ingrained in
the company culture?
So overcoming ingrained biasesrequires a multifaceted approach
(22:31):
.
Definitely, to handle hiddenbiases at work, you need to
start by watching closely howpeople are treated.
If you notice some fairness,it's best to speak up or talk to
someone who can help, like amanager or HR professional.
So learn more about differentkinds of biases and share what
(22:54):
you know with your team.
If you want to know more onbiases, I definitely would
recommend two things.
One is you can have a look atthe emotional intelligence for
leadership training in ouracademy, the Mindsight Academy.
Or, if you're a Christian woman, you can join our Mindsight
(23:15):
Women's Network, where I reallywill support you through all
this.
There's so much in the networkthat really helps you navigate
through these biases, and youfind that you're not just
helping yourself, you're evenable to help other people.
So it's crucial to lead byexample, display the behavior
(23:36):
that you wish to see by treatingeveryone with respect and
advocating for diversity andinclusion in all your
interactions.
Modern intelligence plays a keyrole here.
So use your empathy tounderstand the perspective of
other people and your socialskills to then influence change,
(23:56):
and this really includes peoplewho might be dishing out the
biases Really powerful, becausethe only person you can change
is yourself, but the good thingis that most times when you do
change, people around you changeas well.
So, additionally, sica lieswithin your organization who
(24:19):
share your vision for a moreinclusive workplace.
Together, you can work oninitiatives that raise awareness
about biases and their impact.
Remember, change often startssmall, but can grow with
persistence and the rightapproach.
Another question that I'vereceived is can you provide
(24:41):
practical tips for applyingemotional intelligence to
improve my leadership style?
Absolutely.
Enhancing your leadershipthrough emotional intelligence
starts with self-awareness.
Take time to reflect on youremotions and how they influence
(25:01):
your decisions and interactions.
Practicing mindfulness can helpyou become more attuned to your
emotional state.
Then work on yourself-regulation skills by
developing coping strategies forstress and emotional triggers,
and this is where Coach canreally help you do this.
(25:23):
This could involve deepbreathing exercises, taking
regular breaks or engaging inphysical activity to manage
stress.
Also and I think this is whereit becomes important your coach
can actually help you preventyou, to help prevent you from
getting stressed in the firstplace, so that a situation that
(25:46):
might have caused you a lot ofstress now their help would
actually make it to be water offa dog's back, so you find that
you're not stressing over whatyou used to stress about before.
Empathy is another crucialcomponent.
Work to understand andappreciate the feelings and
(26:07):
perspectives of your colleaguesor team members.
Finally, improve your socialskills by actively listening,
communicating clearly andresolving conflicts
constructively.
Don't be the leader thatlistens to one person's
complaints.
Because you've got an affinitywith the person.
(26:29):
You take what they say and thendish out, maybe screaming or
telling somebody off becausesomebody has come to tell you
something.
Be very careful.
By focusing on these emotionaland intelligent competencies,
you will be able to foster amore positive, more productive
(26:51):
and supportive team environment.
Question three what are someeffective brain rewiring
techniques I can use to enhancemy decision making and problem
solving skills?
Rewiring your brain orneuroplasticity, offers exciting
opportunities for personaldevelopment, definitely To
(27:15):
enhance your decision making andproblem solving skills.
Start with cognitive reframing.
Challenge and replace negativeor unproductive thought patterns
with more positive and solutionfocused ones.
This can help reduce anxietyand improve your ability to
(27:37):
tackle problems.
Regular physical exercise willalso support brain rewiring by
boosting neurogenesis, which isthe creation of new neurons, and
enhance your cognitive function.
Finally, engage in new learningexperiences, such as acquiring
a new skill or hobby.
All this will stimulate yourbrain and improve your problem
(28:01):
solving abilities by encouragingthe formation of these new
neural connections.
Pay attention to what you'rethinking and if it's not serving
you, it's time to change it.
Changing and rewiring the brain.
You can do on your own, but Iwill be honest with you, it's
(28:24):
better to do to to get the brainto work, to get support from
somebody who is experienced tohelp you through, because there
are some situations that arequite challenging, and even for
me that have been doing this forabout 17 years now, there are
times that I struggle to get mybrain to stop and do what I
(28:49):
wanted to do.
So having that form of supportis so important.
Knowing what to do is soimportant, and because I've been
doing it for so long, I knowwhat steps to take.
The last question is how doesprison brain mapping help me
understand my behavior andimprove how I communicate with
(29:09):
others?
So prison brain mappingdiagnostic is like a map of your
brain that shows you why youact and talk or speak or
interact the way you do.
It helps you see your strengthsand how you can get even better
at talking, communicating andworking with people.
(29:30):
For example, it shows how youcan be a better listener if
you're great at explainingthings.
It shows you how you can or howyou currently work.
It shows you your currentbehavior pattern and you can
then map that against whatyou're doing and what you want
(29:51):
to achieve and then determinethe question of is this serving
me now?
And if it's not, it might be astrength, but that strength is
not beneficial to where you areor where you want to go.
But this is why the prisonbrain mapping diagnostic is so
powerful.
It also shows you how yourbrain is actually adapting away
(30:15):
from the way it's currently,away from your preferred pattern
.
That's the way you've wired yourbrain over time and that can
have an impact on your emotions.
So it can have an impact on howyou feel.
Sometimes it can be a feelingof frustration, sometimes it can
be a feeling of anxiety orburnout, and this can be changed
(30:38):
by understanding what'sactually going on in your brain.
It's almost like shining alight into your brain.
It's amazing.
So today we've explored howemotional intelligence and brain
rewiring can empower us tonavigate and overcome workplace
biases.
So now I challenge you to pickone technique that I've gone
(31:03):
through and practice it thisweek.
Whether it's concept ofrewiring your brain, challenging
your negative thought patterns,setting a small, achievable
goal, whatever it is, take thatstep towards empowerment.
Thank you once again forjoining me on this journey today
.
Until next time, keep leadingto Excel and remember your brain
(31:28):
is your most powerful tool forchange.
Thank you for tuning in intoLead to Excel podcast.
For more resources on today'stopic, visit
themindsightacademycom.
Stay inspired and see you inthe next episode, where we'll
explore another facet ofleadership emotional
(31:51):
intelligence and neuroscience.
Welcome to Lead to Excel podcast, where we explore
the connection betweenleadership, emotional
intelligence and neuroscience toempower you to excel in your
personal and professional life.
I'm your host, maureen Chiana,and today we are tackling a
critical issue, a critical topicworkplace biases against women
(00:27):
and how these can be dealt withthrough emotional intelligence
and the power of the brain.
In the last few weeks, I've hadso many people that I coach or
that I have started coaching dueto this problem biases in the
workplace against women.
(00:48):
Sometimes these biases or inmost cases, these biases are
from their managers.
In a lot of cases are women aswell, and that's a topic I'm
going to talk about soon,because a lot of times, females
(01:10):
that have risen through theranks and have felt that they
needed to be really aggressiveor really needed to be focused
not even necessarily aggressive,but focused on where they're
going to get to the top becomeleaders with no emotional
(01:30):
intelligence, no idea of how tolead human beings, which is
really unfortunate.
So today I'm going to shedlight on this, on the critical
barrier to professional growthwhich we're talking about
workplace biases.
They are often invisiblehuddles that disproportionately
(01:54):
affect women, especially blackwomen, in their careers.
Our journey today will navigatethese biases and explore
actionable ways to overcome them, ensuring that every woman can
achieve or maximize herpotential.
(02:15):
In our workplaces, biasesmanifest in two main forms
implicit and explicit.
Implicit bias is like an unseencurrent subtly influencing
decisions without you evenrealizing it.
It's in the assumptions that awoman might not be as
(02:38):
technically skilled or as acertively competent in
leadership roles.
For black women, this currentruns even deeper, as racial
stereotypes compound genderstereotypes, creating a
formidable barrier toadvancement.
Then there's explicit bias.
(03:00):
These are the direct,undeniable instances of
discrimination.
They're the policies orattitudes that overtly favor one
group over another, oftensidelining women, and
particularly black women, fromopportunities for growth and
leadership.
These biases don't just limitindividual careers.
(03:24):
They stifle the diversity ofthoughts and experience
essential for organizationalsuccess.
And this is why I tend to saythat a lot of times you find
that organizations or a leaderor team employ people because of
the potential that they see,that they see that they have in
(03:44):
their brain.
But when they start working foryou, the way you treat them
makes them leave their brain athome, and then they come to work
and they're just using yours,and that's real shame because
it's a complete loss ofdiversity and creativity.
So let's start by understandingwhat we're up against.
(04:06):
Workplace biases, whether theyare obvious or subtle, can
significantly impact women'scareer advancement, job
satisfaction and emotionalwell-being.
These biases manifest, like Isaid, in different forms.
I want us now to reflect, or Iwant you to reflect, on your
(04:28):
experiences.
Have you ever felt overlooked,underestimated or pigeonholed
because of your gender?
Recognizing these moments ispainful but necessary.
Emotional intelligence is ourammo and our tool in navigating
workplace biases.
(04:48):
It comprises several key skillsself-awareness, self-regulation
, empathy, motivation and socialskills.
Starting with self-awareness,this is about knowing your
feelings, your strengths, yourweaknesses and triggers.
We're faced with bias.
(05:10):
How do you react?
Or respond emotionally?
Can you identify these emotionsin real time?
Or do they happen and then yougo away and then start
ruminating and really gettingyourself into an emotional
entanglement.
(05:30):
Practicing mindfulness, whereyour paying attention to
yourself and to what's happeningaround you, will help you
enhance your self-awareness.
Spend a few minutes each day inquiet reflection, focusing on
your breath and observing yourthoughts and feelings without
(05:51):
judgment.
Then self-regulation Once youbecome aware of your emotions,
the next step is to manage them.
This doesn't mean suppressingyour feelings, but understanding
and expressing themconstructively.
It's being curious.
(06:12):
It's asking the question why amI feeling the way that I do?
Techniques such as deepbreathing, counting to 10, or
positive affirmations can helpmanage emotional responses in
the moment.
It might be that you're aboutto give a presentation and then
you find yourself so nervous youmight start speaking really
(06:33):
quickly or you might completelyfreeze.
This is the time to stop, takedeep breaths, count to 10, and
refocus yourself.
Or it might even be thatsomebody challenges you in the
meeting.
You say something.
They disagree with you in avery not very nice way.
Instead of getting defensiveand jumping in, stop breathe,
(06:57):
count one to 10, and thendetermine how you're going to
respond.
Empathy, understanding andsharing the feelings of others
can help you bridge gaps andbuild alliances.
It involves active listeningand putting yourself in other
(07:18):
people's shoes, even those whomay unknowingly exhibit biases.
Empathy can transformperspectives and foster a more
inclusive environment.
Then we look at motivation.
Channel your emotional energytowards your goals, despite any
(07:42):
biases you might encounter.
Set small, achievable targetsthat lead to bigger objectives.
Celebrate these milestones tokeep you motivated.
This would also help preventyou from getting too focused on
the biases you're experiencing,where you then end up losing
(08:05):
opportunities for getting tostay focused on what you really
want, because your focus is onwhat's being done to you.
But when you focus on what youwant, when you focus on the goal
that you want to achieve, thatis powerful, because that will
help you stay focused, reassesssituations and know how to deal
(08:30):
with the biases that are comingagainst you, where you're being
really intentional about whatyou want, and so this way,
you're being very responsive asopposed to being reactive.
Then, finally, social skillsEffective communication and
(08:51):
relationship building skills arevital.
They will help you navigate andnegotiate the complexities of
workplace dynamics, practiceassertive communication that
respects your value and thevalue of others.
I do talk a lot aboutcommunication, and I'll mention
(09:13):
it a bit later in this podcast,but it's one that is so
important because what we do ashuman beings is communicate the
way we are, or get defensive,like the example I gave
previously about being in apresentation or in a meeting.
Somebody challenges you withoutstopping to think.
(09:35):
You get defensive and then youstart responding to the
communication without actuallylistening intently to what the
person is saying.
Your brain goes into this fastmode where you then prepare your
answer and you then might findthat you're both talking about
(09:59):
different things.
So because you've not reallypaid attention to what that
person said.
But also paying attention givesyou more time to answer very
smartly, so that you're notbeing reactive but being very
responsive.
(10:20):
Neuroplasticity the brain'sability to reorganize itself by
forming new neural connectionsis what offers us so much hope,
because you can rewire yourbrain to respond more positively
to challenges, including biases.
(10:41):
Pay attention to your thoughts,observe them in a
non-judgmental way.
When you notice your minddrifting towards biases or
challenges, gently guide it backto simply noticing your
thoughts.
This technique will help youincrease awareness and reduce
(11:07):
stress.
We are then able to beintentional about the decisions
that you're making, the wordsthat you speak, but also
managing your emotionseffectively so that you're
consciously doing what you wantto do, and it also helps you to
focus on what you want, seeopportunities and get to where
(11:32):
you need to get to quickly,instead of spending time in that
fighting zone of survival, butinstead you'll be able to thrive
.
Cognitive behaviour techniquesare so important, and this is
your ability to spot and addressnegative thinking habits that
biases can initiate, for example, thinking traps like
(11:56):
catastrophising that thoughtprocess.
You know where you tellyourself this will always go
wrong because I'm involved, orwhere you indulge in mind
reading, they probably think I'mnot competent enough.
All these can be countered.
Challenge these thoughts byquestioning their accuracy and
(12:18):
substituting them with positiveaffirmations.
If you catch yourself thinkingI'm going to fail this project
because I'm not good enough,counteracted by reminding
yourself of past successes andyour skillsets, such as I have
successfully completed similarprojects before and I have the
(12:42):
skills needed to succeed in thisone.
Then visualisation, where we useour frontal part of our brain,
visualise achieving your goalsdespite biases.
Imagine navigating achallenging meeting successfully
or speaking up and being heard.
(13:03):
Visualisation primes your brainto acting ways that align with
your visualised outcome.
This is so powerful becauseonce you visualise, for example,
yourself in a meeting whereyou're speaking up and being
heard, even when you then getinto a meeting and you're
(13:24):
actually not being listened to,because your focus and you've
already visualised it and yourfocus is that you know what I'm
being heard.
It enables you to stay focusedon what you want to say, on the
message you're delivering, thathonestly, because you're in that
(13:45):
calm state, you will find thatyou will be heard.
Because when you focus on notbeing heard oh, I've spoken
before and I wasn't listened to,I wasn't heard.
Once you're going with thatkind of mindset because that is
where your focus is going youwill activate your stress
(14:07):
response and you'll find thatyou either start speaking really
quickly or you miss the pointor you cramp too much in.
Things basically don't go wrong,but then you come across to the
people who you're presenting toas incompetent or unprepared
(14:29):
Some things to do.
I call them action tips are setboundaries for yourself.
Learn to say no to tasks thatdetract from your career goals
or personal well-being.
But also, when I talk aboutsetting boundaries, it's also
setting boundaries for yourselfso that, no matter what's
(14:51):
happening, no matter the biasesyou're experiencing or what is
happening around you, you'resetting boundaries for yourself
in the sense that you're stayingfocused on what you want to
achieve.
You're staying focused on thegoal that you have, and it could
(15:12):
be a goal of going into asenior leadership role.
It could be a goal of goinghigher in your career.
It could be a goal of scalingyour business.
Whatever the situation is, butjust staying focused on where
you're going.
Another important thing is sickmental shift, sick mental shift
(15:34):
or sponsorship.
Find mentors who can offerguidance, support and advocate
for you.
Build a support network,surround yourself with allies
who would uplift and support youand, finally, invest in a coach
.
It's so important because acoach will help you navigate
through a lot of biases, andthis is whether you're an
(15:56):
interpreter or whether you'rerunning your own business.
Leaders and organizations play acrucial role in dismantling
workplace biases.
So organizations implement biastraining.
Educate employees to recognizeand combat biases.
Promote diversity and inclusionand show that diverse
(16:20):
representation is present or isoccurring in all levels of the
organization.
Create safe feedback channelswhere you encourage open
dialogue open dialogue aboutbiases and discrimination.
These are so important.
As a leader, give people thesafe space to give you feedback
(16:45):
on how you're managing.
What do they perceive?
Because you find that, as aleader, you might be drawn
unconsciously to a certain typeof people in your team, where
you're giving them the greatprojects, or giving them
projects, and then you'reignoring other people that
probably don't agree with you.
Then, subconsciously, you moveaway from them so you don't give
(17:11):
them opportunities to grow.
But they might actually be theones you need, because they are
the ones that are not, yes,people, but you don't like the
people that don't conform towhat you say, what you want
because you're the boss, but agreat boss is the one that
actually listens, because youlearn a lot from people that
(17:35):
don't agree with you, and youfind that you're also able to
grow because of it.
After exploring emotionalintelligence and these brain
rewiring tips, I want us to divenow into a practical.
After exploring emotionalintelligence and brain rewiring
(17:59):
techniques, I want us to nowdive into a practical tool that
are found invaluable insupporting new clients.
It's called the Prison BrainMapping Diagnostic.
This is a unique diagnostictool that offers deep insights
into an individual's behavioralpreferences and work aptitudes,
(18:23):
based on neuroscience.
Understanding your own brain'swiring can empower you to
address and overcome biases moreeffectively.
Prison Brain Mapping helps youachieve this by identifying your
behavioral strengths.
Knowing your strengths allowsyou to leverage them more
(18:45):
effectively in challengingsituations.
So, for example, if thediagnostic shows that you excel
in strategic thinking, beingfocused, being very evaluative,
you can use this strength tonavigate and mitigate biases in
workplace planning anddecision-making processes.
(19:06):
It might then show you thatyou've actually wired this part
of your brain very high over the75th percentile.
Now the question is does thisserve you in your role?
It might serve you if you'reworking as an embryologist,
where you need to be veryprecise.
But it might not serve you ifyou're a leader, because you
(19:27):
will find that you struggle todelegate and then you're
actually getting burnt outbecause you're doing your job
and your team members' jobs.
This also helps you understandemotional reactions, so it can
reveal why certain biasestrigger strong emotional
responses in you.
Reading the diagnostic with acoach is so powerful because
(19:50):
your coach will enable you gobeneath the surface and
understand your reports in avery deeper way and then enable
you create an action plan, whichis what I do with my own
clients.
So the awareness of this is thefirst step in applying
emotional intelligencetechniques more effectively,
(20:11):
allowing you to manage yourreactions and respond in ways
that serve your best interests.
It will also help you enhancecommunication skills by
understanding the diversecommunication styles and
preferences of your colleagues,which you find a lot of times.
(20:36):
You can then tailor your owninteractions to minimize
misunderstanding and biases.
It's so powerful.
This is particularly useful inbuilding a more inclusive, more
productive workplace as well orteam.
So looking at some practicaltips on using this diagnostic
(20:58):
when you take the diagnostic,which takes about 45 minutes,
you're able to then review itwith your coach and go through
the results, like I mentionedpreviously, then develop an
action plan personalized actionplan and this might include
specific emotional intelligencepractices, brain rewiring
(21:20):
exercises or communicationstrategies aimed at addressing
the biases that you face.
Then the regular check-ins areimportant.
Using this brain mappingdiagnostic as a baseline, we can
regularly check in to yourprogress or check in to see how
much progress you're making,then adjust your strategies as
(21:43):
needed to enable you to continueto grow and overcome biases in
the workplace.
It's so powerful.
I want to know more about usingthe prison brain mapping
diagnostic.
Drop me a message and I'll useit with you.
I will go through it with you.
It's powerful.
It's powerful.
So now I want us to, or rather Iwant to, answer some questions
(22:07):
that I've had over time and I'mjust going to go through maybe
three or four.
The first question I want toanswer here is how can I
overcome biases in the workplacewhen they seem so ingrained in
the company culture?
So overcoming ingrained biasesrequires a multifaceted approach
(22:31):
.
Definitely, to handle hiddenbiases at work, you need to
start by watching closely howpeople are treated.
If you notice some fairness,it's best to speak up or talk to
someone who can help, like amanager or HR professional.
So learn more about differentkinds of biases and share what
(22:54):
you know with your team.
If you want to know more onbiases, I definitely would
recommend two things.
One is you can have a look atthe emotional intelligence for
leadership training in ouracademy, the Mindsight Academy.
Or, if you're a Christian woman, you can join our Mindsight
(23:15):
Women's Network, where I reallywill support you through all
this.
There's so much in the networkthat really helps you navigate
through these biases, and youfind that you're not just
helping yourself, you're evenable to help other people.
So it's crucial to lead byexample, display the behavior
(23:36):
that you wish to see by treatingeveryone with respect and
advocating for diversity andinclusion in all your
interactions.
Modern intelligence plays a keyrole here.
So use your empathy tounderstand the perspective of
other people and your socialskills to then influence change,
(23:56):
and this really includes peoplewho might be dishing out the
biases Really powerful, becausethe only person you can change
is yourself, but the good thingis that most times when you do
change, people around you changeas well.
So, additionally, sica lieswithin your organization who
(24:19):
share your vision for a moreinclusive workplace.
Together, you can work oninitiatives that raise awareness
about biases and their impact.
Remember, change often startssmall, but can grow with
persistence and the rightapproach.
Another question that I'vereceived is can you provide
(24:41):
practical tips for applyingemotional intelligence to
improve my leadership style?
Absolutely.
Enhancing your leadershipthrough emotional intelligence
starts with self-awareness.
Take time to reflect on youremotions and how they influence
(25:01):
your decisions and interactions.
Practicing mindfulness can helpyou become more attuned to your
emotional state.
Then work on yourself-regulation skills by
developing coping strategies forstress and emotional triggers,
and this is where Coach canreally help you do this.
(25:23):
This could involve deepbreathing exercises, taking
regular breaks or engaging inphysical activity to manage
stress.
Also and I think this is whereit becomes important your coach
can actually help you preventyou, to help prevent you from
getting stressed in the firstplace, so that a situation that
(25:46):
might have caused you a lot ofstress now their help would
actually make it to be water offa dog's back, so you find that
you're not stressing over whatyou used to stress about before.
Empathy is another crucialcomponent.
Work to understand andappreciate the feelings and
(26:07):
perspectives of your colleaguesor team members.
Finally, improve your socialskills by actively listening,
communicating clearly andresolving conflicts
constructively.
Don't be the leader thatlistens to one person's
complaints.
Because you've got an affinitywith the person.
(26:29):
You take what they say and thendish out, maybe screaming or
telling somebody off becausesomebody has come to tell you
something.
Be very careful.
By focusing on these emotionaland intelligent competencies,
you will be able to foster amore positive, more productive
(26:51):
and supportive team environment.
Question three what are someeffective brain rewiring
techniques I can use to enhancemy decision making and problem
solving skills?
Rewiring your brain orneuroplasticity, offers exciting
opportunities for personaldevelopment, definitely To
(27:15):
enhance your decision making andproblem solving skills.
Start with cognitive reframing.
Challenge and replace negativeor unproductive thought patterns
with more positive and solutionfocused ones.
This can help reduce anxietyand improve your ability to
(27:37):
tackle problems.
Regular physical exercise willalso support brain rewiring by
boosting neurogenesis, which isthe creation of new neurons, and
enhance your cognitive function.
Finally, engage in new learningexperiences, such as acquiring
a new skill or hobby.
All this will stimulate yourbrain and improve your problem
(28:01):
solving abilities by encouragingthe formation of these new
neural connections.
Pay attention to what you'rethinking and if it's not serving
you, it's time to change it.
Changing and rewiring the brain.
You can do on your own, but Iwill be honest with you, it's
(28:24):
better to do to to get the brainto work, to get support from
somebody who is experienced tohelp you through, because there
are some situations that arequite challenging, and even for
me that have been doing this forabout 17 years now, there are
times that I struggle to get mybrain to stop and do what I
(28:49):
wanted to do.
So having that form of supportis so important.
Knowing what to do is soimportant, and because I've been
doing it for so long, I knowwhat steps to take.
The last question is how doesprison brain mapping help me
understand my behavior andimprove how I communicate with
(29:09):
others?
So prison brain mappingdiagnostic is like a map of your
brain that shows you why youact and talk or speak or
interact the way you do.
It helps you see your strengthsand how you can get even better
at talking, communicating andworking with people.
(29:30):
For example, it shows how youcan be a better listener if
you're great at explainingthings.
It shows you how you can or howyou currently work.
It shows you your currentbehavior pattern and you can
then map that against whatyou're doing and what you want
(29:51):
to achieve and then determinethe question of is this serving
me now?
And if it's not, it might be astrength, but that strength is
not beneficial to where you areor where you want to go.
But this is why the prisonbrain mapping diagnostic is so
powerful.
It also shows you how yourbrain is actually adapting away
(30:15):
from the way it's currently,away from your preferred pattern
.
That's the way you've wired yourbrain over time and that can
have an impact on your emotions.
So it can have an impact on howyou feel.
Sometimes it can be a feelingof frustration, sometimes it can
be a feeling of anxiety orburnout, and this can be changed
(30:38):
by understanding what'sactually going on in your brain.
It's almost like shining alight into your brain.
It's amazing.
So today we've explored howemotional intelligence and brain
rewiring can empower us tonavigate and overcome workplace
biases.
So now I challenge you to pickone technique that I've gone
(31:03):
through and practice it thisweek.
Whether it's concept ofrewiring your brain, challenging
your negative thought patterns,setting a small, achievable
goal, whatever it is, take thatstep towards empowerment.
Thank you once again forjoining me on this journey today
.
Until next time, keep leadingto Excel and remember your brain
(31:28):
is your most powerful tool forchange.
Thank you for tuning in intoLead to Excel podcast.
For more resources on today'stopic, visit
themindsightacademycom.
Stay inspired and see you inthe next episode, where we'll
explore another facet ofleadership emotional
(31:51):
intelligence and neuroscience.
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