[CHIEF EXECUTIVE] How Accenture grew 20% using neuroscience

You’ve probably heard the average person uses only 10% of their brain. It’s an intriguing and promising idea.

It’s also a myth. 🙂

Modern science has demonstrated that most of our brain is being used most of the time.

As the field of neuroscience continues advancing, we’re also learning more about the relationship between the brain and the performance of business teams — teams like yours.

In fact, we can now use the latest advances in neuroscience to grow our firms, just like Accenture did.

According to a recent article in Chief Executive magazine, former Accenture CEO Mike Salvino experienced a personal crisis that led him into an exploration of what neuroscience can teach us about “human behavior, relationships, and motivation.”

Salvino discovered leaders can engage in certain behaviors that generate positive (or negative!) neurochemical reactions in their team members’ brains, impacting engagement and productivity.

Under his leadership, Accenture posted 20% growth on $7 billion in revenue and was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list.

What are the behaviors that turned things around for Accenture?

During Salvino’s tenure as CEO, the Accenture team learned that affirming and nurturing behaviors (compliments, pats on the back, rewards) cause the release of oxytocin in the brain, helping people feel emotionally connected and secure.

On the other hand, defensive behaviors activate the release of adrenaline and cortisol, creating spikes in stress levels. They learned that these neurological responses have a strongly negative impact on “inspiration and creativity.”  

The power of collaboration to positively impact a team’s emotional health was another discovery for Salvino’s team. When people learn and create together, the brain gets a boost of serotonin and dopamine, the so-called happiness chemicals.

Salvino frequently discusses the “people-centric strategy” he utilized during his tenure at the company. His goal was to “inspire people” to take “pride in the business,” believing they would then “focus more on customer needs and deliver innovation.”

He learned that such an environment would create more personal happiness, less stress and anxiety, more excitement, and a greater desire to be at work.

Of course, a leader’s behavior is the key to achieving such positive results from an inspired and engaged workforce.

SO — how can leaders like you and I ensure our behaviors create this kind of environment?

By harnessing the power of behavioral analytics.

The scientifically validated Flippen Profile measures the behaviors of leaders and teams.

For example, the Need to Nurture scale provides a 360-degree view of a leader’s ability to inspire and care for their teams. The Deference and Aggressiveness scales measure the tendency toward defensiveness.

But we need more than just the measurements. We need to change our behavior!

When the Flippen Group engages your team, we measure behaviors and create individualized action plans to eliminate any counterproductive behaviors holding your team back.

Salvino gives this advice: “Prioritize your people and treat them well. It’s more than a nice idea, it’s the key to sustainable success for any growing business.”

If treating your people better-than-ever is a priority for you, contact us.

And join our webinar: “Solving the 5 Pervasive Team Challenges.” Register HERE.

You’ll discover how to:

1. Optimize your high-performing teams by bringing scientific precision to your hiring and selection process and duplicating the behavior of your top-performers.
2. Accelerate your high-potential team members by breaking their behavioral constraints and increasing their leadership capacity.
3. Navigate change initiatives successfully with your team by quantifying your team members’ change tolerance and leading with behavioral precision.
4. Fast-forward newly formed teams by measuring psychological safety and proactively managing behavior.
5. Manage contentious teams and take control of your conflict costs by precisely identifying and eliminating toxic, systemic behaviors.

For more than 25 years, the Flippen Group has leveraged neuroscience, psychometrics, and adult-learning technologies to bring out the best in Fortune 500 companies, school districts, government organizations, and professional sports teams. We use analytics and coaching to help your team eliminate counterproductive behaviors, have fun, hit goals, and earn bonuses.

Learn how to overcome the “5 Pervasive Team Challenges” [Free Report]