Your Brain at Work

AI agents are continuously evolving in ways that increase their potential to support our work. Not only can they synthesize long meetings and moments later provide you with key insights, ideas, and actions, they can also write your emails, plan an upcoming conversation, and make difficult decisions for you. However, does AI actually improve your ability to do these things, and is the output better than what a human could do alone? For example, even though you have the meeting notes, will you actually understand what was discussed and be able to make good decisions from the summary? Will it help you identify the right path forward and give you the motivation to take steps that might be challenging? Research shows that if we rely on AI too often or use it in the wrong ways, it could actually dull our thinking. Join Drs. David Rock and Emma Sarro as they discuss what “better” thinking means from the perspective of the brain and how AI can be used to get there. Learn the key behaviors that can turn AI from merely a tool into a collaborator.

Conventional wisdom suggests that if you want people to participate, you need to mandate it. However, this can easily backfire. What research suggests is that if you want people to participate and get the most out of this participation, you need to make it compelling. Getting people to fully engage in learning, transformation or even just to attend an important organizational event is a central challenge for HR or talent functions. During times of intense change, this can often appear to be less important, when in fact, it may be even more critical. If you’re looking to achieve something beyond just compliance, you need to design in a way that compels people to fully participate and engage – a challenge when most of us are busy and overwhelmed. In this timely conversation, Drs. David Rock and Emma Sarro will explore insights from both science and decades of practice, including the non-obvious downsides of making learning mandatory, and three areas to focus on when making experiences truly compelling.

Uncertainty surrounds the future of DEI. Many organizations plan to continue their DEI work, yet they’re likely to face a number of challenges along the way. To be successful as we evolve our work, it's important to understand why DEI efforts became a priority in the first place, and whether they’re important enough for organizations to address in other packaging. What are the short- and long-term impacts of rolling back the work? Although DEI programs are sometimes politicized, limiting their effectiveness, there are several reasons why organizations need to address certain quirks of the human brain to achieve their best. Join Drs. David Rock and Emma Sarro as they discuss the core brain processes that make DEI work indispensable. A focus for this discussion will be our cognitive biases — mental shortcuts we’ve evolved to make decisions quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, cognitive biases can also cause us to make poor decisions that negatively impact our employees and business. We’ll explore the major biases that affect our work and how to mitigate them to make better business decisions.

Organizational survival in the midst of accelerating change and complexity depends on employees' sense-making, adapting, and taking risks. Psychological safety can effectively facilitate each of these processes. In fact, psychological safety is the critical foundation for high performance, as it acts as the accelerant for both employees and organizations to innovate and push boundaries. Join Drs. Brigid Lynn, Director of Research Design and Emma Sarro, Senior Director of Research as they discuss its particular importance now, the indicators that can signal environments lacking in psychological safety and the challenges organizations face when working to create environments that foster robust healthy debates. This promises to be a rich discussion that is both science-based and tactical as they offer tangible strategies for organizations to create the innovative and exciting environment that psychological safety enables.

During times of intense uncertainty and change, leaders are often called upon to navigate their team through challenges, provide clarity in the face of ambiguity, and make critical decisions under pressure. In the midst of the chaos, leadership development may be deprioritized, when in fact it is more important than ever. Skilled, well-equipped leaders can ignite their teams' performance and foster organizational grit and resilience. What are the key skills that leaders need to mobilize their teams when facing change? How can we provide leaders with the right tools to develop those necessary skills? And how can we get leaders to engage in the learning – one of the central challenges for HR and talent functions? The NeuroLeadership Institute has developed and refined a neuroscience-based leadership development program that has proven effective in increasing engagement and learning. Join Matt Summers, NLI’s Global Head of Leadership and Culture, and Dr. Emma Sarro, Senior Director of Research, to explore the fundamentals of leadership development, the key skills needed to handle uncertainty and change, and the various ways this learning can be scaled and delivered.

Join the next Your Brain at Work Live as Senior Director of Research, Dr. Emma Sarro and Global Head of Culture and Leadership, Matt Summers walk us through the current state of accountability, why it needs to be a priority for organizations to foster and NLI’s research-backed behavioral framework that supports each of the three essential habits of proactive accountability. They’ll describe the critical behaviors through the lens of the latest research and how it directly applies to the workplace.

Join us for a deep dive into the foundational research of what drives humans to connect with each other, to feel a sense of togetherness, and in contrast, what creates division.

Join us for an episode that dives into the core science that makes these conversations difficult on both sides, and how to use that science to improve them.

Leaders can generally be categorized into one of two types: servant and authoritarian. We'll discuss what drives people to develop into each type of leader, the differences in their belief systems, and importantly, how their brain processes differ. The NeuroLeadership Institute has spent the last 25 years leveraging neuroscience to understand how to develop better leaders, and we do so with organizations in three impactful ways. In this episode, we'll walk through each, from specific customized pathways to a set of leadership principles, all of which are designed to scale and embed fast.

Listen to a special episode of Your Brain at Work as David Rock interviews comedian Ben Gleib on the importance of bringing humor to the workplace and how to do it well. Humor is arguably one of the easiest ways to boost employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity, especially in times of uncertainty, stress, or crisis. Ben and David discuss the three proven tactics for safely bringing levity and humor into the workplace and why they work so well, from a neuroscience perspective.

Getting leaders to engage in learning is one of the central changes for HR and talent functions. During times of intense change, this can often appear to be less important, when in fact it may be even more critical. Yet, how can we engage busy, goal focused leaders in deeper thinking when they already feel overwhelmed? In this timely conversation, explore insights from both the science and decades of practice, including the non-obvious downsides of making learning mandatory, and a set of three focuses for making experiences truly compelling.

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not the only one. With the rate of organizational change at an all time high, you’re having to work with more information than ever and under more pressure to perform. It’s nearly impossible to be effective in this type of cognitive overwhelm. On this episode of Your Brain at Work, Dr. David Rock and Dr. Emma Sarro will share how building habits of self regulation can be the key to navigating the challenges of overwhelm in today’s complex world. They’ll dive into the underlying neuroscience of our threat system and how to effectively dampen its response with emotional regulation strategies that both individuals and teams can build. Learn the tangible strategies that can help you and your team regain focus.

Join Dr. David Rock for a special episode of Your Brain at Work live as he interviews Damien Mander, an Iraq war veteran turned environmentalist and founder of Akashinga, an anti-poaching foundation. His story is a unique one that highlights a profound personal transformation when he traveled to Africa and was faced with the challenges of the world’s wildlife. He founded the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, which focuses on ranger training, operations and integrating modern technology into conservation. He now shares his passion for conservation, the lessons learned and the nature of our priorities in an uncertain world. This is not just a powerful story, but one that has strong connections to how we view and develop our leaders today. Join us for this incredible episode!

In our next episode of Your Brain at Work Live, we are continuing our discussion around the leadership development trends of 2025 – this time focusing on the increased demand for critical thinking in the workplace. NLI’s Vice President of Consulting, Practices & Product, Rachel Cardero and Senior Director of Research, Dr Emma Sarro will discuss what’s behind the growing call by organizations for more critical thinking and other analytical skills in both their employees and leaders. In addition, they’ll discuss the ways that critical thinking enables organizations to thrive, from strategic decisions to its use of AI, and importantly, the underpinning neuroscience – the essential cognitive skills and mindsets that can increase critical thinking in others.

With all the ‘noise’ surrounding political pushback, legal challenges, and a volatile social climate, it's hard to separate what’s true from what’s trending. Join DEI expert Janet M. Stovall, CDE, and legal scholar Kenji Yoshino next Friday the 31st at 1:00pm EST for a critical webinar that cuts through the noise and equips you with the essential truths for navigating this complex landscape. They'll guide you through: - The political landscape, separating policy from politics to uncover the true impact of current political actions on your organization. - The social reality, distinguishing between performative allyship and genuine DEI commitment. - The legal outlook, unpacking the evolving legal framework and the role of the Supreme Court. Gain the clarity you need to: - Mitigate risks and ensure your DEI efforts are legally sound. - Build organizational resilience in the face of uncertainty. - Foster a workplace where all employees are empowered to deliver their best.