The Leader’s Brain by Wharton Professor Michael Platt
Michael Platt, PhD, Director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, recently spoke with Brett LoGiurato of Wharton School Press about his new book, The Leader’s Brain: Enhance Your Leadership, Build Stronger Teams, Make Better Decisions, and Inspire Greater Innovation with Neuroscience.
When asked why he wrote this book, Platt said, “I have been at Wharton for about five years now. I’ve been teaching Brain Science for Business to MBA students, undergraduates, as well as leaders in the field – practitioners, through executive education. It’s really clear that the insights and technologies from neuroscience can have a major impact on business in everything from marketing and brand strategy to leadership, to management, and to inspiring innovation. My goal is really to reach a much wider audience so that everybody can benefit from the lessons of neuroscience.”
Platt, who has appointments in three different schools in addition to his directorship at the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, added, “It’s really critical to have full appointments in the School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School. It really plants my feet firmly in the disciplines that are so important for driving our work, which takes the problem set from business and leadership, looks at it through the lens of psychology, and utilizes the techniques and technologies from neuroscience.”
Regarding neuroscience in the workplace, Platt notes that human beings are social creatures by nature and one of the most important jobs of leaders is to connect with the people they manage and help create environments in which they can work together efficiently and effectively with great morale. Neuroscience can teach us how to do that better – from making eye contact with people to whom you are talking to utilizing technology to get people on the same wavelength in a way that promotes trust and cooperation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, neuroscience could help managers and leaders scientifically validate strategies that work, such as teamwork and good communication.
For more information on Michael Platt and his new book, The Leader’s Brain: Enhance Your Leadership, Build Stronger Teams, Make Better Decisions, and Inspire Greater Innovation with Neuroscience, visit the Wharton Web site.
Albert & Company International, Inc. is a unique consultancy and Web publishing service for Executive Development and Advanced Management. Our vision is to help individuals gain the knowledge they need to excel, thereby increasing their efficiency and productivity, leading to better organizational growth. For more information on this and many other courses in our extensive Executive Education database, the most comprehensive and complete of its kind, visit us on the Web at http://albertconsulting.com, or email us at info@albertconsulting.com.