Limbic System vs . the Neocortex

or initiative, much like a car salesman trying to meet a quota. Leaders needed to focus less on the car salesman approach and more on connecting to the individual and collective psyche of the organization, using the significance versus contribution paradox. The only way to do this is to honor teams by giving voice to the individuals that make them up. Covey (2004) re-enforces, “Once you’ve found your voice, the choice to expand your influence, to increase your contribution, is the choice to inspire others to find their voice. Inspire (from Latin inspirare) means to breathe life into another” (p. 31). District and site leaders needed to “breathe life” into the organization through consistency and clarity of purpose. In addition, our leaders found the counterpart to contribution was significance. It is inherently human nature to seek significance. In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl (2006) writes, “The true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche” (p. 110). This quote by Frankl also reinforces the idea of significance within the leadership paradox. Significance—or meaning, as Frankl states—is to be recognized in the world we operate in, no matter how big or small. Within education settings, significance is attained through individual accolades, honors, and achievements. Significance could also be attained through the collective achievements of collaborative teams. Leaders, however, found a nuance to significance that unlocked a new paradigm for the district. Although individuals and teams naturally or aggressively sought significance, whether publicly stated or not, they were far more inspired when the narrative changed. Chasing personal significance obviously served as a powerful motivator; however, the reframing of personal to collective significance—to serve as the conduit for empowering students to discover their own significance—was invigorating for teams. This was the essence of change needed; teams’ need to become significant through contribution was a meaningful research discovery that powered the organization engine moving forward.

Science tells us the limbic system and neocortex help human beings articulate feelings and language, respectively. In his cutting-edge work Start With Why, Simon Sinek (2009) distinguishes these two regions of the brain that serve very different functions. Sinek’s concept of the Golden Circle forced leaders, regardless of areas of expertise, to rethink their approaches when considering highly effective practices. The Golden Circle describes three areas: (1) the outer layer is the what; (2) the middle area is the how; and (3) the inner layer is the why. Sinek (2009) describes the meaning of the science behind the Golden Circle, asserting:

Its principles are deeply grounded in the evolution of human behavior . The power of WHY is not opinion, it’s biology . If you look at a cross-section of the human brain, from the top down, you see that

the levels of The Golden Circle correspond precisely with the three major levels of the brain . (p . 55) Figure 2.2 compares the three layers of the circle to the basic framework of the brain’s limbic system and neocortex.

Why Limbic System

How

What Neocortex

Source: Adapted from Sinek, 2009, p. 56. Figure 2.2: The Golden Circle compared to the limbic system and neocortex.

Sinek goes on to describe the importance of the limbic system and the neocortex in relation to function. We were hesitant to leave any of Sinek’s (2009) description out due to its extreme importance to this particular balanced leadership paradox:

The newest area of the brain, our Homo sapiens brain, is the neocortex, which corresponds with the WHAT level . The neocortex is responsible for rational and analytical thought and language . The middle two sections comprise the limbic brain . The limbic brain is responsible for all of our feelings, such as trust and loyalty . It is responsible for all human behavior and all our decision making, but it has no capacity for language . It is this reason why putting our words into feelings is so hard . (p . 56)

The heart represents the limbic system, feeling part of the brain, and the mind is the rational, language center . Most companies are quite adept at winning minds; all that is required is a comparison of all the features and benefits . Winning hearts, however, takes more work . The ability to win hearts before minds is not easy . Given the evidence of the natural order of decision-making, I can’t help but wonder if the order of the expression “hearts and minds” is a coincidence . Why does no one set out to win minds and hearts? Perhaps our brains are trying to tell us that WHY must come first . (p . 59)