Mirror, Mirror…

Social intelligence:  Neuroscience says we are hard wired to reflect others

Hard wired to reflect others
Did you know that we have brain cells called spindle cells and mirror neurons that instantaneously prepare us to imitate the people we interact with?  Discoveries in neuroscience show us that human beings are literally hard wired to reflect other people’s feelings and connect.  Daniel Goleman’s work on Social Intelligence explores this emerging science and takes a good look at “two-person psychology.”  What really transpires when we interact with others?

Learning about social intelligence and developing related skills are crucial to our personal leadership effectiveness, relationships, and team performance—just to skim the surface.

Goleman notes that when we interact with another person, a feedback loop is created.  So when we have these repeated interactions with the people we spend most of our time with, we actually sculpt the shape, size and number of neurons and other connections in our brains and the other person’s.  How crazy is that?!

Managing conflict
Being aware of our natural “mirroring” of others is also incredibly helpful when we’re learning how to manage tension and conflict.  When you find yourself in a situation of conflict, maybe it’s not really “your conflict” to begin with.  You might be reflecting the other person’s conflict.

**Click here to sign up for our Managing Tension and Conflict Email Series.  You’ll get free access to more information on “reflecting” along with other practical tools for reducing stress and managing conflict.

Emotional contagion
When they say, “a smile is contagious,” it’s really true.  Of course, that means a bad mood is also contagious.  As a leader in your business, you are setting the “emotional tone” for your team and your culture.
How well are you leveraging social intelligence to drive productivity and profitability?
In your relationships, are you taking the lead to create healthy interactions?

Use your powers for good, not evil.
And share your stories with us!

                                                                                                                                                                               
“Wingspan Coaching provides motivated business leaders with tools to achieve higher levels of individual, team and business performance. Their proven coaching, training, and leadership development solutions deliver real-world strategies and practical hacks for greater profit in business and life. Founded by Cathy Maday and headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Wingspan Coaching has served entrepreneurs, large corporations and the Energy and Utility industry for nine years.”