So, you have your forecasts and vision clearly outlined for the next 5 years and are quietly confident that you have researched and predicted exactly what your market sector will look like in 5,10 or 15 years. 

Our brain is not designed for 21st-century organisational life. Whilst technology and society have continued to develop, our brain hasn't changed since tribal caveman days, yet we expect them to work effectively in our modern organisations.

Judging a Book by its Cover

We have all been taught not to do this as children, but within seconds of meeting someone you categorise them into a group; either they’re in or they’re out. This judgment is based on the attractiveness, likeability, competence, trustworthiness, and the aggressiveness of a person's face.

“Our brains are not wired to multitask well… When people think they’re multitasking, they’re actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly. And every time they do, there’s a cognitive cost in doing so.”

Humans are social beings. We want to build relationships, yet in organisations we forget that our co-workers and managers are part of our performing act. When one falls we all feel the bump.

Technology is constantly giving us more ways to escape time consuming, verbal methods of communication. We replace them with quick and instant responses and neglect to build relationships.

Think about the last e mail you sent to an employee when you were alerting them to a mistake they had made.  How did you start it? What language did you use? Was it factually correct? It didn’t really matter did it?  It was just pointing out that their work hasn’t been up to standard lately. 

Oh really? On the contrary we are always negotiating. We just don’t give ourselves credit for it – in fact do we actually realise that we are doing it? 

So what’s the biggest message to come out of Brexit so far?  The one certainty is the uncertainty. But the one vital call to action we should all be undertaking is…communication.