This month marked the 13th NeuroLeadership Summit, with record in-person attendance in New York City and virtual attendance, thanks to the summit’s offer permitting anyone to view sessions online for free. More than 40,000 sites joined the virtual conversation, proving the inclusivity of this gesture. Inclusion was a thread throughout the summit’s discussions centered on “Rethink the Organization”, and my antennae were raised for new insights from the science of inclusion. This election has surfaced the challenges of exclusion in our society, beyond just the workplace and we would be wise to explore how these insights cross the work/life divide, so we can build a better future for all.
David Rock and his team at the NeuroLeadership Institute have created a space through this conference where academics and practitioners come together to exchange theories and thoughts that develop into big ideas that can be transformational. At this year’s summit, we learned that self-development is becoming a norm and that one’s ability to generate energy can lift people to new heights.
Bob Kegan and Rob Cross, thought leaders and pioneers I have followed for years, presented their latest findings and it was a bonus to see how their theories have come of age in the nexus of the new world of work.
Bob Kegan is faculty at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, a psychologist who explores the possibility and necessity of ongoing psychological transformation in adulthood; the fit between adult capacities and the hidden demands of modern life; and the evolution of consciousness in adulthood and its implications for supporting adult learning. I have adopted this framework as we help support organizations and individuals build a capability of agility. Bob coined a phrase at the conference, “business as unusual,” and outlined a new social contract at work. Some of the elements of the manifesto included: we could be greater contributors to each other’s thriving, quit the second job you hold—i.e., “to look good” —as it’s a waste of time, use your job as a tow-rope to stretch and challenge you in new ways and that pain plus reflection equals progress. You can read more about this latest thinking in his new book,