#60 - From the Archives: S.C.A.R.F. and the Social Neuroscience of Leadership

The Managing with Mind and Heart Podcast

This is one of our most popular episodes. Originally aired May 2020

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“We can’t afford to not be in the pre-frontal cortex. In the information age, it’s exponentially important to be in that part of our brain.” – Scott Ummel

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ethan and Mike bring on another Nash Consulting trainer and consultant, Mr. Scott Ummel. Scott, our inhouse Wizkid on the social neuroscience of leadership, discusses the concept of S.C.A.R.F. and its impact on how we lead, manage, collaborate and operate in the workplace. S.C.A.R.F. is an acronym for the five things are brains are always scanning for in our environment: Status (our pecking order in a community), Certainty (our need for consistency in our environment), Autonomy (the perception of having control), Relatedness (having a sense of inclusion) and Fairness (the need to be treated equally). Tune in to learn more about how our brains work and how we can use that information to lead well and thrive in the workplace.

We mention several resources, so here they are for you to check out:

SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others – paper by Dr. David Rock

Leading Well from Within – book by Daniel Friedland, MD

The Body Keeps the Score – book by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Book by Yuval Noah Harari

NeuroLeadership Institute – training on the neuroscience of leadership by Dr. David Rock

Goleman EI – classes and training on emotional intelligence by Daniel Goleman