Brain-Friendly Workplace

Friederike Fabritius, MS, is a neuroscientist and trailblazer in the field of neuroleadership. Her brain-based leadership programs have transformed how Fortune 500 executives think, innovate, and navigate change. Fabritius is a thought leader and keynote speaker, known for engaging global audiences at organizations like Google, Ernst & Young (EY), Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Adecco, Accenture, Deloitte, BMW, Bayer, SAP, Harvard Business Review, trivago, and Audi. An alumna of McKinsey & Company and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, she serves on the prestigious German Academy of Science and Engineering.Fabritius is author of the award-winning book The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier. She is fluent in six languages and lives with her husband and five children in Heidelberg, Germany. Visit her website at https://friederikefabritius.com.

• ContentsForewordAcknowledgements IntroductionChapter 1: The Neuro GapInterview: Julie Linn Teigland, EY EMEIA Area Managing PartnerChapter 2: Your Neurosignature: The Good, the Bad and the UglyInterview: Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, cognitive scientist, author and host of The Psychology PodcastChapter 3: Outcome CultureInterview: Stephan Aarstol, Tower Paddle Boards CEOChapter 4: Fun, Fear and FocusInterview: Dr. Janin Schwartau, thyssenkrupp Global Head of LearningChapter 5: Nurture Your Neurobalance Interview: Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global CEOChapter 6: Good StressInterview: Dr. Hubertus Meinecke, BCG Managing Director & Senior Partner; Chairman, Western Europe, South America and AfricaChapter 7: Wired to Be TribalInterview: Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules author and molecular biologistChapter 8: The Social Neuro GapInterview: Claude Silver, VaynerX Chief Heart Officer Chapter 9: What About the Kids?Interview: Amber Grewal, BCG Global Head of Talent and RecruitingChapter 10: Group Flow: The Antidote to GroupthinkInterview: Jeff Furman, President of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation BibliographyNotesIndexAbout the Author

Businesses are facing a “once-in-a-century opportunity... to create a better future,” writes neuroscientist Fabritius in this impassioned call for change in the workplace. In order to help employees “reach peak performance and experience greater joy and well-being” and aid management in reversing the “mass exodus of expensively trained and educated professionals,” Fabritius lays out a plan to help readers identify their “neurosignature” (the mix of dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, and estrogen that “shapes one’s personality”) based on their habits and create an optimal work environment for each type. High-dopamine people should be given “creative freedom and autonomy,” for example, while those high in serotonin make great managers. Fabritius shares anecdotes about companies that have made changes in the way they do business and are enjoying the benefits—one saw increased productivity after reducing workdays to five hours—and inspiring interviews with “thought leaders,” such as Jeff Furman, former lead counsel at Ben & Jerry’s, and Arianna Huffington, the CEO of Thrive Global. The “Brain Boost” sections that round out each chapter include advice on staying happy and healthy (taking cold showers and getting outside can help with energy and focus). Business leaders should make room on their desks for this guide.