Leaders Eat Last | Simon Sinek
Summary
TLDRThe script explores the impact of human emotions and chemical responses on organizational behavior. It delves into how happiness, driven by chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, influences trust, cooperation, and leadership within groups. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a 'circle of safety' to foster these positive traits and contrasts the effects of cortisol, which induces stress and inhibits empathy. The talk highlights the need for leaders to understand and leverage these emotional and chemical dynamics to build successful, empathetic, and cooperative teams.
Takeaways
- 😌 Trust and cooperation are natural reactions when we feel safe, whereas cynicism and self-interest arise when we don't.
- 🤔 The human body and organizations can be directed through incentive systems, which aim to shape behavior towards set goals.
- 🧠 Four primary chemicals in our bodies—endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin—drive our feelings of happiness and influence our actions.
- 🏃♂️ Endorphins are associated with masking physical pain, such as during exercise or laughter, and are less about survival in modern times.
- 🎯 Dopamine is linked to the feeling of accomplishment and goal achievement, which is why visualizing goals is crucial for motivation.
- 📉 The overemphasis on dopamine-driven incentives can lead to addiction to performance and a focus on metrics rather than the bigger picture.
- 🤝 Serotonin is the 'leadership' chemical, tied to pride, status, and self-confidence, and is reinforced through public recognition.
- 🔐 Oxytocin is the chemical of love, trust, and loyalty, promoting a sense of safety and cooperation, which is vital for strong human relationships.
- 🤝♀️-🤝♂️ Physical contact is a powerful way to increase oxytocin levels, fostering trust and a sense of belonging.
- 🧘♂️ Cortisol, the stress hormone, is designed to keep us alive in dangerous situations but can be detrimental when chronically present due to a lack of trust.
- 🧠 The balance between our subconscious and conscious brains is crucial, with the subconscious having access to a vast amount of information that can inform our decisions.
Q & A
What is the natural reaction when we feel safe amongst our own?
-When we feel safe amongst our own, the natural reaction is trust and cooperation.
How do the chemicals in our body relate to our behavior in an organization?
-The chemicals in our body, such as endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, incentivize us to repeat behaviors that are in our best interest, similar to how organizations use incentive systems and goals to direct behavior.
What is the primary purpose of endorphins in our body?
-Endorphins primarily serve to mask physical pain, and activities like laughing can trigger an endorphin rush.
Why is dopamine associated with finding something or accomplishing a goal?
-Dopamine is associated with the feeling of accomplishment and focus, which is why visualizing goals and tracking progress can help in achieving them.
What is the issue with relying too much on dopamine-incentive systems in a company?
-Over-reliance on dopamine-incentive systems can lead to addiction to performance, selfishness, and a lack of cooperation, which may hinder company growth.
How do serotonin and oxytocin differ from endorphins and dopamine in terms of their effects on behavior?
-Serotonin and oxytocin are selfless chemicals responsible for trust, loyalty, and cooperation, unlike endorphins and dopamine which are more selfish and short-term.
What is the role of serotonin in reinforcing relationships within a group?
-Serotonin, often associated with pride and status, works best when shared and reinforces relationships between individuals, such as parent and child or leader and follower.
Why is physical contact important for the production of oxytocin?
-Physical contact is important for oxytocin production because it creates a sense of safety, trust, and loyalty, which are essential for social bonding and cooperation.
What is the effect of cortisol on our behavior and health?
-Cortisol, the stress hormone, can inhibit the production of oxytocin and other growth functions, leading to a constant state of self-preservation that can negatively impact health and well-being.
How does the speaker suggest we should approach criticism in a workplace?
-The speaker suggests that criticism should be done in person or over the phone to show respect and build trust, rather than through impersonal emails.
What is the significance of a leader's willingness to sacrifice for their people?
-A leader's willingness to sacrifice for their people builds trust and loyalty, and is rewarded with the followers' commitment to the leader's vision and goals.
How does the balance of testosterone and oxytocin affect leadership qualities?
-Testosterone can inhibit oxytocin, reducing empathy, which is why traditionally male-dominated fields like policing or investment banking may struggle with empathy. However, a balance of these qualities is essential for effective leadership.
What is the role of the subconscious brain in problem-solving and decision-making?
-The subconscious brain has access to a vast amount of information and experiences, allowing it to work on problems even when not actively thinking about them, leading to insights and solutions that may seem to come from nowhere.
Outlines
🧠 Incentives and Chemicals in Human Behavior
The paragraph discusses how human organizations and bodies are driven by similar incentive systems. It explains that behaviors are directed through goal-setting and rewards, which are analogous to the body's chemical responses to stimuli. The human body uses four chemicals—endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin—to incentivize actions beneficial for survival and cooperation. Endorphins mask physical pain, dopamine is associated with achieving goals, serotonin with status and pride, and oxytocin with social bonding and trust. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a 'circle of safety' to encourage trust and cooperation, which are natural human inclinations.
🏆 The Role of Serotonin in Leadership and Status
This section delves into the role of serotonin as a leadership chemical, responsible for feelings of pride and status. It highlights how public recognition boosts serotonin levels, reinforcing social hierarchies and the relationships between leaders and followers. The speaker uses examples such as company events and public acknowledgment to illustrate how serotonin motivates individuals to perform for the recognition and to reciprocate the sacrifices made by others. The paragraph also touches on the innate human tendency to form hierarchies and the natural deference shown towards perceived 'Alpha' individuals.
🤝 The Power of Oxytocin in Building Trust and Loyalty
Oxytocin is described as the chemical behind love, trust, and loyalty. The paragraph explains how physical contact and social interactions stimulate oxytocin production, creating feelings of safety and confidence. It discusses the importance of oxytocin in business relationships, where trust is crucial for successful collaborations. The speaker argues that leadership involves making sacrifices for the team, which in turn earns loyalty and hard work from followers. The paragraph also suggests that oxytocin can enhance problem-solving abilities and make individuals more generous, ultimately contributing to a happier and healthier community.
🚨 The Impact of Chronic Stress on Health and Performance
The paragraph addresses the negative effects of cortisol, the stress hormone, on human health and behavior. It contrasts the short-term survival benefits of cortisol with the long-term detrimental effects of chronic stress, which can lead to anxiety, tension, and a range of health issues. The speaker explains how a lack of trust in organizations can lead to constant low-grade stress, inhibiting the positive effects of oxytocin and impairing immune function. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of trust and safety in creating a healthy work environment and preventing the adverse health effects associated with stress.
🤔 The Interplay Between Conscious and Subconscious Thought
This section explores the differences between conscious and subconscious thought processes and their respective roles in decision-making. The speaker explains that while the conscious brain processes limited information, the subconscious has access to a vast reservoir of experiences and learnings. It discusses how posing questions to oneself can trigger the subconscious mind to work on problems, leading to 'Eureka' moments during moments of relaxation. The paragraph also touches on the importance of experiences and interactions in filing away knowledge that the subconscious can later access.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Safety
💡Trust
💡Cynicism
💡Self-interest
💡Chemicals of Happiness
💡Endorphins
💡Dopamine
💡Serotonin
💡Oxytocin
💡Cortisol
💡Leadership
Highlights
The human body and organizations share similar incentive systems that direct behavior through chemical responses.
Four chemicals—endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin—govern our feelings of happiness and drive our behaviors.
Endorphins are primarily for masking physical pain, with laughter being a modern trigger for their release.
Dopamine is associated with the feeling of accomplishment and the drive to achieve set goals.
Visual representation of goals is crucial for directing dopamine and maintaining focus on targets.
Metrics should be used to track progress, not to become an obsession that can lead to selfish behaviors.
Serotonin is linked to leadership, pride, and status, and is reinforced through public recognition.
Leadership involves a balance of enjoying earned perks and being willing to make sacrifices for the group.
Oxytocin is the chemical behind love, trust, and loyalty, and is essential for cooperative behaviors.
Physical contact is a direct way to increase oxytocin levels and foster a sense of safety and trust.
Business is fundamentally about human relationships and finding circles of safety within which to operate.
Leaders must choose between sacrificing people for the sake of numbers or protecting people at the expense of numbers.
Cortisol is the stress hormone that, when chronically elevated, can inhibit oxytocin and lead to health issues.
Leadership styles differ between genders, with women often having an inherent advantage in empathy and care.
The balance between testosterone and oxytocin influences the level of empathy and cooperation in social dynamics.
The subconscious mind has access to a vast amount of information and experiences, which can provide solutions to posed problems.
Curiosity, experience, and social interaction are vital for filing away knowledge and accessing it when needed.
The neocortex and limbic system work together to balance rational thought with emotional responses and behaviors.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Music]
when we feel safe amongst our own the
natural reaction is trust and
cooperation when we do not feel safe
amongst our own the natural reaction is
cynicism paranoia and
self-interest so the question is how do
you create a circle of safety as it
turns out the human body is built the
exact same way as any organization if we
want to direct the behavior of people
inside our organization what do we do we
develop all sorts of incentive systems
we give them a Target we give them a
goal we offer some sort of bonus and
what do people do they work towards the
goals that we set we direct their
behavior it works perfectly effectively
it works the same way with children we
give them gold stars and we get them to
do the things that we want it works
perfectly fine inside the human body are
certain
incentives that work exactly the same
way and if you've ever had a feeling of
Pride status accomplishment love trust
friendship loyalty all of these feelings
that I'll generically call
happiness are basically produced by four
chemicals inside our bodies they are
endorphins
dopamine serotonin and oxytocin Edo
every single feeling that we basically
know as happiness is controlled by these
four chemicals and what they're trying
to do is incentivize us to get us to
repeat behaviors that in our that are in
our best interest in other words to get
us to cooperate to get us to trust it is
our natural disposition to want to trust
and cooperate and we're always looking
for it which is why the sense of
belonging is so powerful we're always
seeking out people who are like us we
want to be next to people who are like
us the first chemical endorphins we've
all heard of an endorphin rush a
runner's high endorphins have one
purpose and one purpose only to mask
physical pain that's it in our modern
day and age with supermarkets and cars
we don't really use endorphins for
survival much
anymore but there are other ways you can
get endorphins laughing for example when
we laugh it's actually an endorphin rush
you're actually convulsing your internal
organs and so endorphins are released to
mass that pain we've all had the
experience where we laugh so hard we say
stop stop it hurts it's cuz the
endorphins have run
out dopamine dopamine is the feeling you
get when you find something you're
looking for or you accomplish a goal you
set out to accomplish you know that
remarkable feeling you get when you
cross something off your to-do
list that's dopamine this is why we are
told that you must write down your goals
if you want to achieve them if you don't
write down your goals you you won't
achieve your goals there's some truth to
this we're very VIs visual animals you
have to be able to see the
Target and then it directs the dopamine
directs us to stay focused on that
Target the whole idea of metrics is to
count progress to make us feel like
we're making progress towards the goal
we're not supposed to be obsessed with
the metrics we're supposed to be
obsessed with the destination metrics is
Sly simply a way to help us feel like
we're getting towards it this is why we
have a vision statement they call it a
vision statement because you have to be
able to see it
so that it focuses us towards that
Vision the problem is most vision
statements are absolutely useless it's
because they're abstract and we can't
imagine them in our Mind's Eye we can't
see them you know so many vision
statements are to be the biggest to be
the best to be the fastest to be the
most respected respected by whom your
mother you can't understand this what if
I were to tell you you'll get a bonus if
you accomplish more how much more you
ask me more doesn't work we're no good
with the abstract we need things to be
specific we need to be them we we need
them to be visual most of the incentive
systems that we have built inside our
companies are dopamine incentive systems
they're individual incentives we give
people a Target and we offer them a
bonus and we offer them that is the
primary means we drive behavior and so
what happens is people will do exactly
what we want and they will work for the
dopamine and they'll hit the first
Target and we'll give them another bonus
and we'll hit the second Target and you
can become addicted you can actually
become addicted to Performance you can
actually become addicted to making the
numbers inside a company and the problem
is like all Addiction in time you
actually waste resources waste time and
destroy relationships ironically it is
not the best way to get a company to
grow and the reason is is because
dopamine and endorphins are selfish
chemicals you don't need anyone's help
to get them go for a run work your to-do
list get your goals set you're good to
go you don't need any's help you can do
it by yourself the problem is the
feelings don't last
they're very short term you lose them
quickly as soon as you achieve something
nobody here is excited about the numbers
they hit four years ago it's gone on to
the next and this is the problem this is
the problem we actually work against
each other too much dopamine in the
system we actually become more selfish
not more selfless and as we know from
the circle of safety as we know our best
opportunities are to work together to
face the dangers outside and seize the
opportunities not to work by ourselves
this is why the other two chemicals
exist serotonin and oxytocin are the
selfless chemicals they are the social
chemicals they are the chemicals
responsible for trust and loyalty and
cooperation without these chemicals we'd
all be working by ourselves and we would
not do very well we're not very good by
ourselves the first one serotonin is the
leadership
chemical it's this feeling of Pride it's
the feeling of status it's the feeling
leaders have this is why they walk like
this right it's responsible for
self-confidence as well right if you
think about the ways to get serotonin
one of the ways to get serotonin is
public recognition this is why events
are very important public events company
events are very very important right
it's because when we put a room of our
peers together and we single somebody
out it's just like to single out Peter
Peter can you stand up please great job
on the meeting today we just want to say
thank you you did a superb job Peter
feels good he feels his status Rising
feels valuable you know we all want to
feel valuable amongst our own tribe we
all want to feel that our work is valued
by our peers and our bosses and so when
we have it pointed out publicly amongst
the group it actually makes us feel good
and valuable and others see us as
valuable and we feel our status rise we
feel proud and it builds our confidence
serotonin works best when it's shared
what it's attempting to do is reinforce
the relationship between parent and
child coach and player
boss and employee leader and follower
it's attempting to reinforce the
relationship between the person who
sacrifices so that you may gain and the
person who's the recipient of your
sacrifice and we like to work hard
because we want to make those who
sacrificed for us we want to make them
proud We want them to feel that their
sacrifice was worth it that's why when
we give an award to somebody the first
person they thank is God their parents
their boss their coach whoever sacrific
so they could achieve something on this
great day it's the first person they
thank I couldn't have done it without
their support their love their sacrifice
and if we give it to the boss or the
coach we give them an award they stand
up there and what's the first person
who's the first person they thank
couldn't have done it without my team
they say and the team sits there and
goes we love
you and it's shared and what we do is we
work hard for each other the person
who's responsible and in the in charge
is reinforced at Contin to give and see
that that they will achieve something
great and we continue to work hard to
make them proud and prove to them that
their sacrifice was worth it we don't
want to let people down we're not
accountable to numbers we're accountable
to people we're constantly assessing and
judging each other who's Alpha who's
beta who's dominant to us it's not a
fixed standard it's a relative standard
if you've ever met someone and you're
nervous meeting them you're not the
alpha we've all had the experience where
someone's met us and we can sense that
they're nervous meeting us you're the
alpha right we're constantly judging and
assessing each other we're hierarchical
animals you can't put a group of people
in a room and say you guys are all
equals it doesn't work that way we
always self-organize and the reason is
because when we assess that someone is
Alpha to us we voluntarily take a step
back and allow them to eat first our
leaders get first choice of meat and
first choice of
mate we may not get the best choice of
meat but we get to eat eventually and we
don't get an elbow in the face good
system to this day we are perfectly
comfortable with somebody more senior
than us getting preferential treatment
not a single person in this room has a
problem with somebody more senior than
you making more money than you doesn't
bother us at all we might think they're
an idiot but it doesn't actually bother
us that they make more money nobody has
a problem with somebody more senior
having a better parking space or a
bigger office it doesn't bother us in
fact we sometimes expect it it's because
we're proud to do things and shows uh
deference to those more alha than us
those that we have judged as Alpha and
if you're the recipient of that
difference if you're the one called Sir
or ma'am if you're the one who gets
given a cup of tea as soon as you walk
into the room even though you didn't ask
for it if somebody holds the door for
you or carries your luggage for you or
you're the one making more money and
enjoying all the perks you feel the love
you feel valued by your tribe you feel
the serotonin you feel your confidence
rise and it feels good
this is why we're all trying to Vie to
raise our status in the society because
it feels good it comes with certain
perks it's good to be the
king and you should enjoy those
perks
however they don't come for free there's
a cost for being the leader you
see as a Marine Corps General told me
the cost of leadership is self-interest
and he's right you see the group is not
stupid yes we gave our Alpha
this preferential treatment yes we gave
them first choice of meat yes we gave
them first choice of mate yes we show
them all this difference and they get
all that confidence as a result of all
the serotonin and the reason is because
when danger threatens the tribe we
expect the person who's actually
stronger who's actually better fed and
who's actually filled with all that
additional confidence to rush towards
the danger to protect us that's the cost
of leadership that's why we gave them
first choice of mate because they might
die first and we want to keep their
genes in the gene pool we're not stupid
that's what leaders do they're willing
to take the risk and sacrifice their
perks or Comfort when it matters to
protect their people you should enjoy
all the perks you've earned them however
are you willing to sacrifice the numbers
to save the people or would you
sacrifice the people to save the numbers
only one of those choices makes you a
leader oxytocin oxytocin is everyone's
favorite chemical it's the feeling of
love it's the feeling of trust it's the
feeling of loyalty it's all the warm and
fuzzies unicorns and
rainbows like I said multiple ways to
get Mo oxytocin One
Way physical contact right this is why
children hold on to us makes them feel
safe it's why we hug the people we love
because it feels good it's why athletes
high
five it's why when someone's hurt or
someone's depressed we touch them we
kiss them on the forehead we rub their
leg leg and say they're there don't
worry it'll be okay we put we put our
hands on our friends shoulders when we
sense that they're tense cuz oxytocin
relaxes us and it makes us feel safe and
it makes us feel that someone's there
for us and it gives us the confidence to
try again because we know someone's
there you think business is about terms
and contracts it's not it's about our
pursuit to find Circles of safety
business is looking for Human
Relationships to find people around whom
we can feel safe and this is one of the
most valuable tools you have imagine
you're about to sign a deal with someone
and you come to sign the contract and
they say we're so excited and you say
we're so excited and you say great and
they say no no we don't need I don't
need to shake your hand let's just get
this contract signed and start the deal
and you go great and they say no no no
no I don't need to shake your hand let's
just do this I agree to all the terms
you just got all the terms you asked for
and yet their simple refusal to shake
your hand to create the human Bond of
trust means one of two things will
happen you will either Scuttle the deal
or you will go into it
nervous because they wouldn't shake your
hand oxytocin trust
safety if someone does a good job you
want to criticize somebody instead of
doing it on of email stand up walk
across the hallway knock on the door and
say nice job today and if you can't do
that pick up the telephone pick up the
phone and say hey just wanted to say
nice job and they'll say is that the
only reason you called and you go uh-huh
and they go wow
I've done it what it happen people are
amazed that you would spend the time
simply to say thank you or if there is a
criticism that you would spend the time
to pay them the the service to do it
yourself as opposed to on some email
leadership is a
sacrifice sometimes that sacrifice comes
in terms of your Comforts your profits
sometimes that sacrifice comes in terms
of your time and your energy and the
best leaders are the ones who are
willing to sacrifice for their people
leadership is a choice it is not a rank
I know many people at the top of
organizations who are not leaders and I
know many people at the bottom of
organizations who absolutely are
leaders and when you're willing to do
that and your people feel confident that
you would do that you are rewarded with
their love and their loyalty and they
will gladly give you their blood and
their sweat and their tears and
sacrifice themselves to see that your
vision is ADV
and the more oxytocin we have in our
systems the more good we want to do it
actually makes us more generous and as I
said before it it boosts our immune
system it makes us happier it makes us
healthier why because the human body is
desperately trying to get us to look
after each other the greatest feeling we
can get is when we do something nice for
each other on purpose so that we will do
nice things for each other and if we see
people do nice things for each other it
makes us want to do nice things for each
other why because the human body is
trying to get us to look after us
ourselves happy people live longer Happy
People oxytocin also does something to
the frontal lobe it makes you a better
Problem
Solver it makes you smarter when you
work amongst people with whom you
trust there's one more chemical I
haven't told you
about it's called
cortisol the big
CA cortisol is the feeling of stress it
is the feeling of
anxiety
it is the feeling of
tension it is the feeling you get when
you're not sure what's going to
happen cortisol is designed to do one
thing and one thing only keep you alive
it is an early warning alarm system the
problem is cortisol is not supposed to
stay in our systems it's supposed to
inject in our system Keep Us Alive at
this danger and then leave but when we
work in companies when we work in
environments in which there is low gauge
stress all the time because we don't
trust trust each other drip drip drip
someone comes to work and says I think
there's going to be redundancies today
and everybody goes what now everybody's
worried now everybody's paranoid now
everybody goes
tense and guess what nobody's getting
any work done that day because
everything is about stay alive stay
alive stay alive we react the exact same
way we become paranoid I knew I
shouldn't have spoken up in the meeting
oh I knew I shouldn't have done that
because we don't trust each
other we fear that our leaders would
sooner sacrifice us to save the numbers
and would never sacrifice the numbers to
save us if we just know that that's the
case and it happens every year drip drip
drip that's why we have stress at
work it's because there's this low grade
cortisol in our bodies at all
time there's a problem with that you see
cortisol is an oxytocin
inhibitor it doesn't want want us to be
empathetic when there's danger it wants
us to stay alive cortisol makes us
unbelievably
selfish
paranoid stressed tense it literally
inhibits the chemical that makes us
happier healthier and
empathetic to find all that extra energy
to make us paranoid and Keep Us Alive
cortisol has to turn things off
non-essential systems one of the systems
it turns off is growth we don't need
your fingernails to grow at the time of
danger it also turns off your immune
system it's not supposed to stay in your
system but when you have lowgrade
cortisol in your body what happens is it
screws with your immune system and so
all of these diseases cancer heart
disease diabetes are on the rise not
because of partially hydrogenated oils
or fizzy drinks our jobs are literally
killing
us this is the effect of bad leadership
we are literally shortening the lives of
the people who work for us we are giving
them cancer and diabetes and heart
disease and because they don't feel safe
we don't feel that they have our backs
and we're killing ourselves in the
process does this work differently with
in with gender are men and women wired
differently
um uh yes they are wire
differently uh women tend to be more
comfortable with this stuff uh because
it's
mushy and soft you know um it's not that
these things are mushy and soft it's
that just they're harder to measure
right the how do you measure the quality
of trust it's very hard how do you
measure if we made the numbers very easy
um
testosterone is an O is also an oxytocin
inhibitor this is why traditionally we
like men to be policemen I don't care
what your excuses you're coming with me
you know there's less empathy right men
have less empathy because of the
testosterone they do biologically they
have it's an oxytocin inhibitor which is
why when you have oh like an investment
Bank a lot of men and a lot of machismo
and a lot of competition it really can
be quite destructive um if there's bad
leadership you have it in the military
as well and it's not as destructive
because there's good
leadership um um so yes women tend to be
better at this I I actually believe that
we need more it's not that we need more
female leaders per se it's that we need
more leaders who like females females
just have an inherent Advantage you know
traditionally leadership has been male
leadership aggression make the numbers
Unapologetic make decisions right and
yet the balance of the chemicals which
tend to be more traditionally female
qualities things like empathy gratitude
patience care um are things that are
very important in all genders and all
leaders women have an
advantage um of those so it's once again
it's about balance I tend to believe
that great leaders actually come in
pairs mom and dad you know um you know
when we when we when we when we achieve
something great in our careers it makes
our fathers proud when we're good people
it makes our mothers proud right and so
I tend to believe good leaders even in
companies tend to come in pairs you tend
to have the more Visionary empathetic
people focus you tend to have the more
operator let's get this done let's
measure everything and it's the tension
of the two that actually make it very
functional it creates balance yes Simon
thank you very much I a bit of a follow
on from the last one actually but um I'm
interested in the difference between or
the triggers between conscious thought
and the kinesthetic feelings yeah and
how they actually which which are the
alpha in there and which leads which and
how can you turn them on or off boy
these are hard
questions all of these chemicals are
produced in our lyic brains and our lyic
brains are responsible for our
feelings and it's responsible for all of
our behavior and decision making but it
is not responsible for rational and
analytical thought and it's not
responsible for language we share the
lyic brain and all these chemicals with
all the social mammals we're all the
same we have a neocortex which is our
Homo Sapien brain which gives us the
capacity for rational and analytical
thought and language the the problem
with being human the problem with the
neocortex is that we want to make sense
of everything and we want to explain
everything and so when we have a feeling
where a gazelle just reacts to the
feeling we want to figure out where the
feeling's coming from you know and so
this can drive us mad right and it and
it can actually feed it good or bad we
create stories in our heads that can
really make it quite maddening um what's
quite remarkable about the conscious and
subconscious brains if you will the
conscious brain has access to the
equivalent of four feet of information
around you so this is the information we
access when we have uh brainstorming or
we do the pros and the cons or we think
about the problem or we access our
expertise right this is our conscious
brain the subconscious brain has access
to the equivalent of 11 acres of
information in other words every lesson
you've ever learned every experience
you've ever had gets stored away and the
reality is the value of the
brainstorming session is actually not
the brainstorming session it's the
asking of the question because your
subconscious brain will continue to
think about things not really think but
think about things even when you're not
thinking about them right but if the
question's never asked it won't
so the value of the brainstorming is the
posing of the question and then when
you're lying in bed or go for a run or
in the car or in the shower all of a
sudden you go oh my God that's the
answer right they come from nowhere they
didn't come from nowhere it's because
your brain is always working out
problems and posing the problem at work
and then allowing it to to sit allows
your brain to go into all those other
experiences you've had and know what to
do this is why experiences and curiosity
and talking to each other really matters
because you will file these things away
and you will access them when you need
them
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