Interview with: Michelle Loch, Director and Principal Consultant, Rewired Leadership

1. Interview with: Michelle Loch,
Director and Principal Consultant,
Rewired Leadership
“Leaders spend 80 of their time in con-
versation, and employees spend 37 per-
cent of their time in meetings, yet we
allow both conversations and meetings
to be energy and cognitive brain drains
that waste time and fuel mediocrity.
Unfortunately, human beings are not
that good at having effective conversa-
tions, so organisations who focus on
developing conversational mastery can
support their leaders to double their
impact in half the time. The return on
investment of conversational mastery is
huge,” says Michelle Loch, Director of
Rewired Leadership.
Rewired Leadership is a sponsor com-
pany at the marcus evans HR Summit
2017, taking place 27 - 29 March, in
the Gold Coast, Australia.
How can HR develop conversational
mastery in leaders and employees?
Where should they start?
Quality conversations lead to quality
thinking, which leads to quality out-
comes. HR can have a direct, positive
impact on the way their people think,
collaborate and work together by invest-
ing in this critical and foundational skill.
Leaders must have conversations that
count. People tend to avoid difficult con-
versations, but issues build up. When
they have the skills and knowledge to
have powerful, rewired conversations,
they have the confidence and courage
to have the conversations they really
need to have to promote productivity
and performance.
When leaders become masterful at con-
versation, they have the tools to solve
any people-related issues. Ideally, eve-
ryone in an organisation should be
trained to some degree, starting from
the HR team who should become the
champions, then rolling it out to leaders
and team leaders. When there is
a shared language and mindset, so
much more can be achieved. Leaders
can find themselves on a repetitive
“conversation treadmill”. Conversational
mastery can move them on to the Ele-
vator of Insight!
How can neuroscience help organi-
sations get better outcomes?
Neuroleadership is an area of study
where we take the latest discoveries in
social-cognitive neuroscience and apply
them to leadership in a practical and
useful way. At the end of the day we are
managing humans, and now we have
the science to truly understand how
they tick. Behaviour change requires a
rewiring of brain connections, and it
turns out that we have more control
over how our brain grows and develops
than we previously believed. With the
right skills, leaders can influence the
brain wiring of both themselves, and
their team members.
How are human beings wired?
We are wired to survive, to respond to
the threats we perceive in our environ-
ment. We are also wired to see the
world through a social filter and the
wiring created by our previous experi-
ences, so no two people experience or
perceive a situation in exactly the same
way, yet we live and communicate as
though we are the same. Our tendency
to make assumptions can create many
problems in teams and across organisa-
tions. Understanding and learning to
manage our mental filters and cognitive
biases is an incredibly powerful and
masterful skill.
What insights can you share from
brain research and how it can influ-
ence HR?
As humans, we have very limited brain
fuel as a resource. That means our logic
brain, our capacity for thinking and de-
ciding, cannot work at the same time as
our limbic or emotional brain. When
someone is having an emotional experi-
ence, their capacity to think clearly is
significantly inhibited. Giving leaders the
skills to shift that, bring people back
into the thinking space again is a very
useful tool.
With the
right skills,
leaders can
influence
the wiring
of both
themselves
and their
team
members
Developing Conversational
Mastery in an Organisation

2. T h e H R N e t w o r k –
marcus evans Summits group
delivers peer-to-peer information
on strategic matters, professional
t r e n d s a n d b r e a k t h r o u g h
innovations.
Please note that the Summit is a
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly
limited.
About the HR Summit 2017
The 13th annual HR Summit is the premium forum bringing elite buyers and sellers
together. The Summit offers chief HR executives and service and solution providers
an intimate environment for a focused discussion of the key new drivers shaping
corporate priorities and HR strategies. Taking place at the RACV Royal Pines Resort,
Gold Coast, Queensland, 27 - 29 March, the Summit includes presentations on a
range of topics, among which helping the organisation sharpen its customer focus,
developing outstanding leaders, redesigning structures for higher efficiency, and
creating an innovative culture.
www.hranzsummit.com
Contact
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
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About Rewired Leadership
Rewired Leadership is one of Australia‟s leading neuroleadership consultancies based in Brisbane, Queensland.
Launched in 2012 Rewired Leadership offers a variety of leadership development training, coaching and mentoring programs
working with clients to REWIRE their leadership approach to meet the needs and demands of modern humans and the modern
world!
An expert in neuroleadership, an emerging field of study that takes the latest in social cognitive neuroscience and applies it in a
practical way to the art of leadership, Michelle is all about „making leadership EASIER‟… by working with organisations to create
energy shifts throughout the organisation, and educating leaders on how to self-lead, and lead others in a way that frees up time,
and lifts productivity!
www.michelleloch.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world‟s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, case studies, roundtables and one-to-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
Corporate Learning & Talent Development Summit (North America) - www.cltdsummit.com
HR Strategy & Innovation Summit (North America) - www.hrsummit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: http://events.marcusevans-events.com/hr2017-michelle-loch