We’ve all been told that thinking rationally is the key to success. But at the cutting edge of science, researchers are discovering that feeling is every bit as important as thinking.

All of us make hundreds of decisions every day — including what to eat for breakfast & how we should invest our money — & not one of those decisions would be possible without emotion. It has long been said that thinking & feeling are separate & opposing forces in our behavior. But as Leonard Mlodinow, author of the new bestseller, “Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking,” tells us, “extraordinary advances in psychology & neuroscience have proven that emotions are as critical to our well-being as thinking.”

One of the cornerstone ideas of the Lead From The Heart philosophy is that human beings are far more influenced by feelings & emotions than most people (leaders) realize. And Mlodinow’s work offers a state-of-the-art understanding of how to apply this knowledge in the workplace. “Emotions shape virtually every thought we have,” he writes. “They contribute, moment to moment, to all our judgments & decisions,” even when we believe we are exercising cold, logical reason.

If we understand that human beings are greatly influenced by their feelings, then it becomes incumbent upon workplace managers to support people in ways that inspire the feelings which motivate great performance.  And we discuss how to accomplish all this in this episode.

Leonard Mlodinow is a theoretical physicist, a former professor at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) & author of five best-selling books. His book “The Grand Design,” co-authored with Stephen Hawking, reached #1 on the New York Times best-seller list. As you might expect, he brings uncommon brilliance to this conversation – & shares insights that will prove invaluable to workplace leaders everywhere.

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