Self-aware leaders learn how to catch themselves in the clutches of The Almond Effect® before it clouds their judgment. This way they mostly avoid making poor decisions based primarily on irrational emotional responses not cognitive thinking.

When I was growing up and my mother wanted to "point out the error of my ways", I remember that she often prefaced her no doubt well-intentioned words of advice with: "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Depending on how much I wanted to hear her "words of wisdom", especially if I disagreed with her or was embarrassed because I had been caught out in some way, I must have often looked away because the other phrase I remember was: "Don't you turn away when I'm speaking to you!" Why is it that, in our culture at least, we want people to look at us when we are making a point?

If we ever imagined a global example of The Almond Effect® - this is it. As the full extent of this crisis is revealed and when history reflects on it and its aftermath, we will see decisions and actions driven by recklessness, fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Amygdalas - unable to perceive the difference between real and psychological threat - will cause, and have caused people to act rashly, unmediated by their pre-frontal cortexes; i.e. without thinking. This is one of those times when we have to be really clear about what is going on in our own heads and stay in control.

Neuroscientists have been conducting experiments for over 25 years on what happens in our brains when we experience something as being fair or not fair.

This is interesting research. So often we see people become demotivated and not perform to their best because they perceive an unfairness eg: that someone is getting paid more than they should; that someone has a promotion that they didn't deserve; that someone got the blame or bore the brunt of management's wrath for something that wasn't their fault; that someone was asked to stay back late at work.

Demotivation means lower levels of commitment, lower productivity, poor energy levels and as for creativity, innovation and initiative - well, what do you think?

I don't know about you but I get frustrated with baby boomers who simply bad-mouth Gen Y employees and don't think more about why they behave the way they do. The next time a Gen Y'er frustrates you at work or at home - take a deep breath and think about the context that they are coming from - their brain physiology, their database of experiences and the matters they are fearful and worried about. It won't make them change their behaviours but it might enable you to engage your pre-frontal cortex, calm down, use your emotional intelligence, be a STAR and maximize all the great things that creative, energetic, demanding and wonderful young people offer.