Session Description

Most leaders spend their time managing work. Brain-boosting bosses recognize that their real influence lies in shaping how well people can think, adapt, and perform.

Every interaction a leader has with their team, from meetings and feedback to communication, change, and recognition, has a hidden impact on the brain. While many leadership approaches focus on driving accountability and results, the best leaders understand that human cognitive energy is finite and that everyday leadership behaviors can either support or unintentionally drain the mental resources people need to do their best work.

In this fun, interactive session, we'll explore the neuroscience behind effective leadership and uncover the hidden ways leaders influence decision-making, adaptability, engagement, collaboration, and performance.

Through a brief self-assessment, you'll evaluate how brain-boosting your organization's current leadership practices really are and identify opportunities to strengthen them.

You'll also discover why seemingly small leadership habits, decisions, and behaviors can have an outsized impact on your team's ability to solve problems, navigate change, and stay engaged in an increasingly complex workplace.

Through practical examples, surprising brain science, and immediately applicable strategies, you'll learn how to become a brain-boosting boss, one who intentionally creates the conditions for people to think clearly, adapt effectively, and perform at their best.

You'll leave with a new way of thinking about leadership, practical tools to strengthen your own leadership effectiveness, and actionable strategies you can take back to your organization to help leaders at every level improve team performance and create workplaces where both people and business can thrive.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify leadership behaviors that unintentionally create brain drains or brain boosts for employees and teams.
• Evaluate the impact of leadership habits and workplace practices on thinking, adaptability, engagement, and performance.
• Implement practical strategies to become a brain-boosting boss and equip leaders across their organization to improve team and business outcomes.

About the Speaker

Jamie Lewis Smith, PhD (aka the NeHRd Lady) is what happens when a psychologist escapes the therapy room and infiltrates Corporate America with one mission: to make managers suck less!

As CEO of Pixel Leadership Group, Jamie leads a team of 30+ nerdy-but-fun executive coaches, leadership experts, and organizational consultants who help organizations solve business problems by better understanding human behavior. Pixel combines brain science, psychology, leadership research, and practical coaching to help leaders navigate change, improve employee engagement and retention, strengthen teams, and drive meaningful organizational results.

A clinical psychologist by training, Jamie has spent her career helping organizations make sense of the wonderfully weird things people do at work. She has served as an HR leader, executive coach, and trusted advisor across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, helping leaders and organizations build the cognitive agility needed to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

A published author, international speaker, and Forbes Coaches Council member, Jamie is known for translating complex brain science into practical tools that help people think, adapt, and perform at their best. Whether she's coaching executives, developing leaders, or speaking on stage, Jamie's goal is simple: build better leaders, create better workplaces, and help HR finally get some sleep at night.