What if every problem wasn’t really a problem but just a brain state?
Thanks to one of my mentors, Dr. Terry Anderson, who taught me the various brain states and their effect on my performance and well-being.
Reflecting on leadership moments armed with this information, I’ve watched leaders lose control of meetings, missions, and moments…
Not just because of a lack of skill,
but because their team’s nervous systems were hijacked.
Every problem unfolds through three invisible states:
Survival (Reactive)
Your amygdala takes the wheel.
Focus narrows. Thinking collapses into fight, flight, or freeze.
Leadership move: Slow it down. Breathe. Normalize.
Learning (Reflective)
The prefrontal cortex re-engages.
Curiosity returns. Patterns start to appear.
Leadership move: Explore facts, emotions, and meaning.
Creative (Transformational)
Now the brain connects dots it couldn’t see before.
Insight, innovation, and clarity.
Leadership move: Frame problems as opportunities.
Many teams never make it past survival.
They just loop—react, blame, repeat.
Exceptional leaders escort people up the neurological ladder:
from panic to perspective to possibility.
Emotional control is the highest form of leadership.
Question for you:
Where’s your team operating from today—Survival, Reflection, or Creativity?