The Modern Leadership Issue - 13

If you feel positive about the answers to these questions, you're probably able to
function at higher levels of performance and achieve more of your potential. When
the opposite is true-when we don't trust that leaders or those we work with have
our best interest at heart-humans literally perceive everything as more difficult
and expend more energy doing the same tasks. Prolonged and acute experiences
in untrusting or unaccepting environments become toxic to our nervous systems
and lead to unhealthy coping strategies that, in turn, lead to unhealthy people and
organizational cultures. This article will help you reflect on ways to become more
congruent with the way we are wired-as interdependent, bonded beings.
1
How important are
close relationships
to you at work?
2 Are people speaking
their truth around you?
Learning to load share
When humans know they can depend on the person next to them, their brain
changes how it allocates resources (glucose) because it assumes that it doesn't
have to work as hard to do the same task. Leading social neurobiologist Jim Coan
calls this interdependent phenomenon " load sharing. " His studies show that
higher quality relationships increase the amount of load sharing that occurs-plus,
stressful situations are experienced differently when alone than when holding the
hand of a trusted other.
Feeling alone in challenging or threatening situations seems to be a worst-case
scenario for human thriving. (Prolonged experiences of isolation, whether real or
imagined, are traumatic to people and can lead to other negative coping strategies).
Hard things happen, but a universal human truth is that we need trusting relationships
to be the most effective, resilient versions of ourselves. This is huge for leaders to
internalize and unlearn old patterns, mindsets, and behaviors. Interdependent
leaders learn that sharing and responding to needs is an essential part of growth
and trust-even if our past experiences told us otherwise. (To learn more about
adaptive change, go to page 22.)
3 What's it like to be on
the other side of you?
4 How comfortable are you
with needs-both yours
and other people's?
5 What might you be holding
back to keep others from
experiencing the " real " you?
Here are a few reflection questions to help you with the unlearning journey. They
don't offer advice, they offer perspective. As you explore your relationship with
needing trusting relationships at work and key aspects of load sharing, use these
simple questions as a mirror to gauge where you are on your journey toward
interdependent leadership.
Click or scan the QR code for
more reflection questions to
guide your learning journey.
CONTINUED on next page
PERFORMANCE MATTERS / PG 13

https://tier1performance.com/reflection-guide-unlearning-independence-and-learning-to-load-share/?utm_campaign=Modern%20Leadership%20Magazine&utm_source=Performance%20Matters&utm_medium=PR&utm_content=Modern%20Leadership%20Issue

The Modern Leadership Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Modern Leadership Issue