Leadership Rebooted: Cultivating Trust with the Brain in Mind

ABSTRACT

Today’s human service organizations demand innovative leadership to effectively manage outcomes, turnover, and respond to the environment. Through neuroscience-informed approaches, leaders align their leadership style with social work values. Doing so furthers the leader’s ability to cultivate a positive environment within the organization. This conceptual article profiles a cross-sectoral neuroleadership model supported by culture and climate theory research to improve human services. Leading in this way encourages empowerment of social workers and builds a resilient, thriving human service organization. Implications for leadership and the social work profession suggest that neuroleadership leads to enriched practice, improved retention, and better outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Leadership
• retention
• organizational climate
• culture
• neuroleadership

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Practice Points

• The eight neuroleadership behaviors are tools for leaders to amplify influence and motivate the workforce, therefore improving trust

• Improved trust enhances social work practice, leading to better client and organizational outcomes

• Healthy, resilient culture and climate, core elements of a successful organization, are magnified through reflective and intentional leadership