The study of the brain is evolving and is now beginning to provide insights that can be applied to how we develop leaders. The field of NeuroLeadership is still in its infancy, but two important themes are emerging with implications for leadership development. First, much of what motivates us and drives our behavior is governed by the principle of minimizing threat and maximizing reward. Second, several domains of social experience utilize the same brain networks as are used for primary survival needs. In other words, the brain basically treats social needs in the same way it does the need for food and water.
The SCARF model summarizes these two themes in a framework that captures the common factors that can activate either a reward or threat response in social situations. The model involves five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. In a nutshell, Status refers to our feelings of importance relative to others, Certainty concerns being able to predict the future, Autonomy is about our sense of control over events, Relatedness refers to our sense of safety with others, and Fairness is our perception of fair exchanges between people.
These five domains activate either the reward or threat networks within our brain. When we experience a social stimulus that is “good”, the brain tags it as such and our response is to approach the stimulus. However, when our brain tags something as “bad”, our response is to disengage or avoid the situation.
So, why is this important? Because when we feel threatened in any of these five domains the increased brain activation actually inhibits our problem-solving and decision-making skills, as well as our motivation, collaboration and ability to manage stress. The bottom line is that such threats have a signicant negative impact on our performance. On the other hand, an approach (reward) response is linked to positive emotions and better overall performance.
The implication for leadership development is that this model provides a robust framework for enhancing both the self-awareness of leaders, as well as a leader’s understanding of the effect of their behavior on others. Leaders may sometimes negatively impact the SCARF domains without even realizing it. For example, they often create a Status threat by providing too much direction and not enough positive feedback to employees. They may create a Certainty threat by not providing clear expectations for performance. They may negatively impact Autonomy by micro-managing, or create a Relatedness threat by maintaining too much professional distance from their people. And they may negatively impact Fairness by not being transparent enough.
Employees tend to work harder for leaders who make them feel good about themselves, provide clear expecations, empower decision making, demonstrate trust, and treat all employees fairly because the relationship itself is intrinsically rewarding. These kinds of leaders activate an “approach” response and facilitate higher levels of enagement and performance from their people. The SCARF model, and the science of NeuroLeadership in general, hold great promise for helping organizations design new strategies for developing more effective leaders, managers and coaches.
