At the recent Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) Conference, where I had the privilege to both attend and present, I joined a fascinating session led by my good friend and colleague, Dr. Henry Mahncke , CEO of BrainHQ from Posit Science. I always learn a lot from him.
During his presentation, Dr. Mahncke, an accomplished neuroscientist, displayed a compelling image of the human brain highlighting the regions most affected by what he described as noisy information processing.
The image illustrated a fundamental truth about the human condition, especially for those who lead, negotiate, and operate in high-stakes, high-noise environments:
Noise doesn’t just distract us; it degrades our ability to think, connect, and decide.
The Neuroscience of Noise
Dr. Mahncke explained that when we are flooded by noisy information, whether from the environment, technology, or internal stress responses, it affects multiple brain systems in distinct ways:
- Working Memory becomes overloaded, reducing our ability to retain and organize critical information.
- Attention Networks scatter, fragmenting focus and increasing the likelihood of impulsive reactions.
- Decision-Making Centers in the frontal cortex default to shortcuts, bias, and emotional reasoning rather than deliberate thought.
- Social Cognition Areas, vital for empathy and relational accuracy, become dulled, causing us to misread others’ intentions or emotional states.
- Sensory Pathways (Seeing and Hearing) lose filtering precision, allowing irrelevant details to hijack perception.
In short, as noise increases, signal clarity decreases, and so do performance, composure, and connection.
Supporting his conclusions, The DOC shared compelling data visualizations from his research at BrainHQ, demonstrating how noise alters neural function, and, more importantly, how leaders can build new neurons through habit-based exercises that promote neuroplasticity and long-term adaptability through Brain HQ APP.
From Neural RUTT to Cognitive Rust
Following his presentation, during dinner with Thor Eells, Executive Director of National Tactical Officers Association, and Jeff Zimman, Co-Founder of BrainHQ, I asked Dr. Mahncke: “What happens when that noise grows louder and louder?”
He replied simply: “That’s when a person is in a RUTT (meaning: noise, neural inflexibility, and reduced neuroplasticity).”
That statement resonated deeply. In my framework of Rustic Leadership, I refer to this same phenomenon as Rust, the corrosion of cognitive and emotional elasticity that develops when repeated exposure to noise, stress, chaos, or ingrained habits limits flexibility and clarity.
Just as metal exposed to friction and elements corrodes over time, the human mind exposed to unfiltered stress experiences psychological oxidation, a slowing of the flow of information and energy.
As Dr. Daniel Siegel describes, attunement, the harmony between internal regulation and external connection, falls out of tune when:
- Perspective narrows.
- Emotional range stiffens.
- Behavioral patterns harden.
My collaborative work with Doc Shauna Springer, Ph.D. and Jeff Kingsfield on Elastic Identity reveals that Rust doesn’t happen overnight; it accumulates subtly. Over time, noise becomes the default signal, and leaders begin to operate reactively rather than reflectively. It also supports my work with Dr. Cathy Greenberg on Emotional Elasticity (2025, Forthcoming Book).
The Elastic Self: Restoring Cognitive and Emotional Elasticity
Where Rust represents rigidity, the Elastic Self embodies adaptability—the ability to stretch, recover, and recalibrate under stress.
An Elastic Self:
- Filters noise without suppressing the signal.
- Reclaims bandwidth through deliberate regulation (breathing, reflection, reframing).
- Maintains attunement even when the environment grows chaotic.
In high-stakes environments, whether in decision-making, crisis negotiation, tactical leadership, or executive command, elasticity is the antidote to neural RUTT. It allows leaders to remain present yet composed, focused yet empathetic, analytical yet human.
I have long argued that elasticity is not merely a personality trait, it is a neurobehavioral capacity that can be trained, tracked, and strengthened through awareness, feedback, and continuous recalibration. Elasticity restores attunement to the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), ensuring clarity amid complexity.
Consequently, leaders must be aware not only of background noise, but also of the habits and behaviors they have perfected over time, patterns that once enhanced mastery but can evolve into behavioral noise that sabotages performance and outcomes.
Resilience vs. Elasticity: The Oak and the Bamboo
During my presentation, the next day, I shared that resilience is often celebrated as strength under pressure, but resilience alone can fracture when strain becomes unrelenting. The oak tree stands tall and firm, yet in a fierce storm, it may snap. The bamboo tree, by contrast, bends with the wind, absorbing its force and returning upright when the storm passes.
In leadership, the oak symbolizes endurance; the bamboo, elasticity. Resilience keeps us standing. Elasticity keeps us evolving.
This mirrors Dr. Mahncke’s findings at BrainHQ who had honored me by attending my session: when the brain becomes noisy, it loses neuroplasticity, the flexibility to rewire and adapt. Similarly, when leaders experience Rust, they lose emotional plasticity, the flexibility to recover and reconnect under pressure.
Rust Factor Indicators (RFI)
As a part of my training, I shared with the participants the Rust Factor Indicators (RFI), recently introduced in collaboration with Justin King of MAGNUS | ONE, as part of an ongoing research program with data from more than 6,000 participants, demonstrating strong construct and content validity and an alpha reliability of .93.
The RFI self-assessment* (Javidi & King, ©2025) measures the degree to which specific behaviors generate cognitive noise that interferes with optimal processing. These twelve patterns, while adaptive in certain contexts, can become corrosive under stress, leading to RUTT behavior that calcifies flexibility and dulls attunement:
- The Analyzer – Intellect Rust: Over-reliance on logic and analysis at the expense of empathy and attunement.
- The Comparer – Envy Rust: Evaluates self-worth through comparison and competition with others.
- The Controller – Dominance Rust: Seeks control to reduce internal anxiety and maintain predictability.
- The Deflector – Avoidance Rust: Evades discomfort or conflict through rationalization, postponement, or distraction.
- The Doubter – Uncertainty Rust: Hesitates to act without full assurance, seeking reassurance to avoid failure.
- The Endurer – Suffering Rust: Finds identity in struggle and endurance, equating hardship with significance.
- The Guardian – Anxiety Rust: Protects through vigilance and control rather than trust.
- The Harmonizer – Approval Rust: Gains acceptance by pleasing others and suppressing personal needs.
- The Performer – Validation Rust: Derives self-worth primarily from achievement and recognition.
- The Precisionist – Perfection Rust: Pursues flawlessness to control outcomes and prevent error.
- The Pretender – Facade Rust: Masks vulnerability through composure or emotional suppression.
- The Seeker – Distraction Rust: Chases stimulation and novelty to avoid stillness or introspection.
Each represents a behavior that, while once protective or performance-enhancing, can harden into rigidity, creating internal “noise” that distorts judgment, connection, self-awareness and our capacities across the 11 Rings of human performance and wellbeing, introduced by the MAGNUS ONE Theory.
Over 600 conference participants completed the assessment at the conference and it was really an eye opener for them given that they had attended Dr. Mahncke’s presentation the day before. Together, we were able to connect the dots and walk away with a series of integrated strategies. It was a beautiful convergence between a Neuroscientist and a Human Behaviorist, at work.
Conclusion
Dr. Henry Mahncke’s insights into how noisy information disrupts neural systems align powerfully with the applied science of Elastic Leadership.
- Noise creates fragmentation.
- Fragmentation leads to rigidity.
- Rigidity, if left unchecked, becomes Rutt / Rust.
Through awareness, reflection, and deliberate regulation, leaders can cultivate elastic coherence, the capacity to remain both adaptive and attuned, no matter how loud the world becomes.
Tools like the MAGNUS ONE Platform, which track stress, emotion, mood flexibility, and the 11 Rings of Human Performance, were designed to help leaders visualize and manage this process in real time. Combined with the neuroscience and cognitive-training tools developed by BrainHQ, they form a Yin-and-Yang partnership for optimizing attunement, restoring the flow of information and energy, and enabling leaders to deliver results with excellence.
In the end, resilience is not about resisting noise, it’s about restoring clarity through neuroplasticity (Brain HQ) and emotional elasticity (MAGNUS ONE). BRAVO NTOA for bring these platforms together for members for positive outcomes.