Unlocking potential through neuroplasticity

Leader Question: Do you feel like tapping into your potential?

Did you know that you are not yet living your full potential? Maybe a quiet voice is whispering to you right now, "Crap caught!"

Your wonderful brain has about 100 billion nerve cells at its disposal, offering endless possibilities for combination. Our potential, which is hidden in it, is far from exhausted. Good News first, there is still more!!! Bad News: With a fixed mindset, we not only narrow our self-image, but we also prevent our brain from forming new networks.

Until the 80s, science thought that an adult's 🧠 was eventually fully formed. That changed with imaging techniques, when researchers could finally squint into a person's living 🧠! And ta-da, it can change and reconnect neurons well into old age. The code word for this ability is neuroplasticity. And here's how you can boost it:

1. Invite the brain

Our brain wants to be invited. With a must, it switches directly from potential development to resource exploitation. Düdüm! In a team it could look like this: Do you feel like helping me with the presentation? Sure, some things just have to get done, BUT how we say something can have a significant impact = potential development!

2. Encouragement

One of the most counterproductive things for your brain is when you think you know something. Your brain wants growth, but unfortunately it also wants to conserve energy and create patterns. When we file a pattern in our 🧠 from a colleague or something, we tie the bag shut for ourselves and others. Encouragement means to see the person opposite you in it and to encourage them that there is much more in them than they think is possible right now = potential development!

3. Inspiration & vision

We need visions for ourselves and our work. If you have a picture of who you want to be as a leader and where you want to go, or where you want your team to be, you can keep moving towards it through your actions = potential development!

4. New learning

Through neuroplasticity, the brain can absorb new information and make connections between neurons. This allows us to learn new skills, such as playing a musical instrument, learning a new language, or developing creative skills. The more we learn and face new challenges, the more our 🧠 can grow = potential development!

5. Feedback culture

Remember our newsletter? Successful companies have a good feedback culture where employees tell each other what they perceive. Positive as well as things that need improvement. Through feedback culture, employees experience connectedness, empowerment and growth. Feedback leads to the employee putting his brain in a balanced state and the feedback receiver can change his behavior through what he hears and also grows. Through the intensive exchange, both can correct the possible limiting preconceptions about the other - there is significantly more connectedness and an environment in which individuals, teams and ultimately the entire company can grow beyond themselves = potential development!

In Short: Our brain is not static, 🧑🏼‍🏫 but anatomically changeable at any age through neuroplasticity! Neuroplasticity allows for continuous adaptation and modification of the brain, helping us to reach our full potential and constantly evolve. YEAH!!!

Here is another interesting study on neuroplasticity: https://www.hhu.de/fileadmin/redaktion/ZUV/Dezernat_1/Studierenden_Service_Center/Schule-Hochschule/Praesentation_Unser_formbares_Gehirn._Die_Chancen_der_Neuroplastizitaet.VBC..pdf