The 7 Secrets of Neuron Leadership

Chapter 16The Eighth Secret

I think a leader has to really be a balanced, whole, and a healthy person … in order to be the best leader on the job.

—MIKE DUKE, FORMER WALMART CEO

You've just learned about the Seven Secrets of Neuron Leadership, but there are really eight. We've all heard about the eight wonders of the world: here is the eighth and most important neuron secret of the world:

Everything beautiful, glorious, and ingenious, and everything diabolical, horrific, and devastating that humankind has ever created is heavily influenced by one chemical and one neurotransmitter in our brains.

I realize that a host of brain experts and creative painters will line up at my door to cut off my fingers for making this statement, but the evidence is clear. The neurotransmitter is dopamine and the brain chemical is oxytocin (Figure 16.1).

Figure 16.1 Oxytocin

Source: Zerbor, Dreamstime.com.

We learned earlier that many neuroscientists believe that our personalities are related to three primary neurotransmitters that modulate brain activity in predictable patterns and influence how we humans act and react to the world around us. Again, the neurotransmitters are norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.

Our neurotransmitter chemical levels are either high, medium, or low, and if our levels are out of balance, we can become psychologically or physically unhealthy. For example, a ...