Developing Others and Self: What you need to know

Human beings are very knowledgeable about the world around them. Surprisingly their knowledge about their own self reduces as drastically with age as drastically they become aware of their environments. Psychology has long dealt with the concept of self and ego. From Freud (pronounced froyd) to Jung, the understanding of human behaviour has always dealt with this very concept. And the diversity in the thoughts of leading psychologists of all times tells us that there is no single way to define it. What do our worlds as we see them revolve around is core to human behaviour. There is one fundamental application of this knowledge and that is to know, what can be changed and what cannot be changed in human behaviour. Unlike lower animals, the more evolved ones (like apes and us) have one very major difference. The difference is in how the brain evolves. The brain grows to its full size in reptiles even before they are out of their shells. Human brain grows substantially in terms of density and other qualitative aspects for four years after birth and yet smaller but other important aspects might take up to fifteen years to evolve. The human brain The brain as we know has a reptilian brain - the ancient one, the mammalian brain the more evolved one and the last and our signature, frontal cortex, the intelligent brain. The reptilian brain controls primary needs like hunger, fear, sexual drive and impulsive reactions which are believed to be genetically engineered into all us. When a turtle is born, it automatically reaches for sea because it is the genetically programmed brain instruction - very primary and hard to fight. And this is so for a reason and a good one survival. The mammalian brain is the one that allows them to care for offspring, social behaviour in a herd or clan, territorial possessiveness, sexual and gender specific characteristics and others still primitive but secondary. The genius of Mother Nature lies in the frontal cortex which allows for memory, perception, idea, intelligence, problem solving and emotional control. It is marvellous to realise that it takes frontal cortex which is five times the reptilian brain in size to control it. It is this frontal cortex that allows for humans to be what they are and do what they do. The implications are that, when a croc mother gets hungry, she eats her own eggs to survive. However, the mammalian brain stops a lioness from doing the same (it is usually a lion that would eat a cub to remove competition). Humans have the tendency to have great control over primal desires. We adapt to these desires in other creative ways (taking to crime for example, just kidding). But the system isnt fool proof. Every now and then, the reptilian brain acts out or the mammalian brain acts out while the frontal cortex is helpless. These socially awkward situations are painful.

Workplace Behaviour Our natural state and preference for certain actions or inactions make us what we are. But development is also a continuing phenomenon in the brain. How do we learn or unlearn habits, skills, predispositions and competencies is largely decided by the environment and an individuals current state of mind. Environment Environmental factors are however, key here. Only when we get positive response or success by trying something new, do we actually learn it. With repetition, the new behaviours become largely effortless and obvious. For this very reason an individuals environment must reward learning. And above all, it must reward learni ng in the manners that suit an individuals learning style. This is why people with one major learning style are at natural risk of facing a hostile environment especially to learning. What it means for organizations is that even if culturally innovation isnt a prized value, for some experimentation alone will bring best developmental results. The development of such an individual poses a dilemma to the organization. At times it can be manageable. But yet in some scenarios it simply isnt. Consider a fact ory where a managers experiments with the assembly line can cost millions. One cannot allow such learning. An individual with such inclinations would not usually take up such an employment setting, but if he/she does, its difficult to make learning engaging and fruitful. In contrast to innovation, if the manager at the same factory had an over dependence on learning through reflecting on assimilated data from vicarious sources, he/she will have too much of theoretical foundation which would be reliable and tested. Such a persons learning will be very fruitful because his/her applications of learning will be less risky, more successful and well appreciated in the factorys quality culture; hence, accelerated learning. Having outlined how the environment impacts development by either rewarding learning or discouraging it, lets focus on the internal factors of an incumbent which decide development. Individual Characteristics and Personality Human behaviour is always motivated. Motivation is the root that can rarely be changed. Since humans have the consciousness to make choice between their numerous desires, what we act toward is really a key to understanding ourselves and others. Research suggests there are at least 16 distinct motivations for human to act. Since survival is very primal and most of us do not find that as a threat in the civil world, these become redundant. The others guide our extra-survival behaviour. Few of these, are very deep rooted and strongly important. Yet couple of others are genetically embedded.

Ever wondered why some people are introverts and extroverts? Well there is no good answer to this question. It all depends on their parents genes and the fermentation of the zygote. Imagine an introvert trying to become an extrovert. Only if it was possible. Introverts will always feel insecure in a crowd and it is genetically governed; there is little that an introvert can do about this feeling of being drained just after an hour in a party. The same goes for sexual orientation, colour of o nes eyes, skin texture and natural metabolism. You cant change it. But you can learn to deal with it. Human mind also has its own governing defence mechanisms like bodys immunity system. We all have our own defence mechanisms and depending on which ones worked the best in past, our brain has a natural preference for some. These are developed in childhood and usually develop statically as we age. The truth is that happiest people are those who have no overdependence on a single defence mechanism. Defence mechanisms are important because they are subconscious interventions of brain and are largely involuntarily evoked when we face stress. Can you change it? Focussed therapy shows success but very slow and resource consuming. It is important to realise that an individuals development largely has to happen from within and this is no discovery. We all realise that throughout our life we both shape our environment and in the same process we are shaped ourselves. Behaviour leads to action and action leads to learning and learning leads to change in behaviour. The cycle goes on. The significant part of the cycle however is controlled by us. The self concept, traits, interests and temperament decide how we develop. But thats a lot easier said than done. Adults barely learn as against the children who have a great appetite for it. Why so? Mostly because we our brain slows down in regenerating new neuron pathways. So is it not possible to develop the deep rooted characteristics? But this is the art of development. Development always happens when it is welcomed and there is a motivation to act. Remember, that without motivation there is no room for development irrespective of the money you might want to put into it. Lets take an example. Bob who is an introvert is a good manager besides the fact that he has little socialising skills and networking prowess. As a coach, one can guide Bob to training programs that will help those skills build, but would that work? My bet would be on the money gone down the drain. The basic motivator for Bob is not intimacy and hence, this advice would only further degrade his motivation. So how to develop Bob to be an egregious leader? My first advice would be to not to. If this is still a need of the hour, start by providing a motivation first and at a deeper level. Remember that introversion is a very deeply rooted facet. Find something that is core to the persons personality and connect socialising with it. For example, if it is altruism, counselling must focus on using altruism as a motivation to not just counter

introversion but also reward socialization skills developmental efforts intrinsically. Obviously knowing people in and out is very important to be able to make these strategies to develop people. Thankfully, we have good psychological research to support psychometrics that can do this for us effectively. The second booby trap is to develop everything. At this instance, let me introduce an analogy to help explain my view. Consider a top rotating. The speed at which its rotating is the energy of the individual. The direction is a major concern. You want it to move but when it spins, its axis remains the same. A person might show a great spectrum of behaviour but central behaviours remain the same more or less. Yes, you can change the axis by pushing the top while its still rotating but that takes away a great deal of it energy. If you push multiple times, the stop loses its energy and drops. With individuals too one needs to prioritise on what needs to be developed. Because there is only so much that one can focus development on. Too much of it disturbs the axis. What to develop an individual on is a very critical and important step. Its major applications are in leadership development. Changing too much in a leader disturbs leaders true identity. This is easily observed by others as inauthentic leadership which isnt very advisable. Development must revolve around the major strengths while the rest might change only so much as the individual has the energy to put to. Conclusion While organizations see development and learning as programs and modules, it is worth mentioning that human brain learns throughout its consciousness and surprisingly, its most productive when its learning and developing. This would suggest that the very thing organizations impose on its resources could be a tool for strong engagement and productivity. The gap lies in a strategic approach and customised solutions for managers and leaders. The major challenge remains a culture that rewards all major learning styles. Its time to ask few quick questions and reflect: Does your organization reward experimentation or at least doesnt penalise mistakes while learning? Does your organization continuously share data and information through informal networks or knowledge systems are in place which incentivise collaborative learning? Does your organization prize specialised knowledge? Does your organization have formal literary associations or initiatives to create and share knowledge? Do people at your workplace always give a multitude of work on areas? Do people at your workplace try to understand your learning style before expecting learning? Do you know what is your learning style?