Tame the Primitive Brain: 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work

512 Pages·2013·1.31 MB·English

by  Mark Bowden

Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Week One You
Day One: Shared Instincts
Impulse Buying
Primary Schooling
Suppressing Thoughts
Ingrained Habits
The Unconscious Process
Out of Control
Day One Action
Day Two: Snap Judgments
Get Away from Her, You B#%$*!
We’re Still Collating
I Think It’s Safe to Assume It Isn’t a Zombie
This or That?
We’re All Gonna Die, Man!
Day Two Action
Day Three: Default to the Negative
Rumsfeld
I’ll Wake the President
Crisis of Confidence
I Do Not Like Broccoli
Expect the Worst
Act Today to Preserve Today
Day Three Action
Day Four: Best-Fit Thinking
Pacino or De Niro?
If the Cap Fits . . . It Must at Least Be on a Head?
Pattern Recognition
Day Four Action
Day Five: Friend, Enemy, Sexual Partner, or Indifferent
Categorically Thinking
So What?
Fitting In
You’re Fit for Work
Again, So What?
Trust in Behavior
Day Five Action
Day Six: Moods and Emotions
Are You Feeling Blue?
In the Mood for Anger?
What Started This?
Change = Threat
Pull the Trigger
Find What You’re Looking For
Day Six Action
Day Seven: The Spice of Life
Chemical Dependence
Diminished Responsibility
Hell’s Seesaw
Day Seven Action
Week Two Relationships
Day Eight: Relationships Are Dyadic
Madonna’s First Imprint
Ducks in a Row
The Born Identity
I Blame The Parents
Day Eight Action
Day Nine: Opposites Attract
You Complete Me
Attractive
Where’s the Romance Gone?
Trophies and Gold Diggers
See That Really Annoying Person? It’s You!
Old-Brain Logic
Day Nine Action
Day Ten: BFFs
Me, Again
Marching to the Same Drummer
Trust It
Chemical Wedding
Eyes
Definition of a Friend
Friends with Benefits
Day Ten Action
Day Eleven: Enemies
Who Goes There?
A Brief History of Hatred
Kill or Be Killed
Why Can’t They Be Like Us?
Extremists
Extremities
People Hate Being Powerless
Day Eleven Action
Day Twelve: Indifference
Who?
Blending into the Background
Day Twelve Action
Day Thirteen: Moods Are Contagious
Outbreak
Sharing the Feeling
Emotional Time and Space
Emotion, Mirrors, and Empathy
Sociopathic?
Day Thirteen Action
Day Fourteen: The Four Stages of Relationship
Reflection
Infatuation
Reality
Grief
Partnership
You Fall for Them Again
Day Fourteen Action
Week Three Tribe
Day Fifteen: We Are Tribal
Club
First Tribe
Community Spirit
Group-Work
Reptilian Brain Tribes
Tribal by Nature
Day Fifteen Action
Day Sixteen: Tribal Nurture
Fit
Propaganda
Day Sixteen Action
Day Seventeen: Hierarchy
Symbols
Alpha—Beta—Omega
Kicking Post
Top Down
Treading on Toes
Ordo Ab Chao
Day Seventeen Action
Day Eighteen: Tension
Solo or Group
Parties
Isolation
Responsibility versus the Safety Net
My Brother’s Keeper
Reasonable
Day Eighteen Action
Day Nineteen: Values
Affiliations to Appearance
Valuing the Disagreement
Pedants
Day Nineteen Action
Day Twenty: Diversity
So Fast You Don’t Know What Hit You
Species Depend on Each Other
Environmental Conditions for a Great Team
Leading Teams Well
Day Twenty Action
Day Twenty-One: Changing Tribes Is Expensive
The One Constant
Leaving the Tribe
Day Twenty-One Action
Week Four New You
Day Twenty-Two: Suspend Judgment
The Doctor Is In
Act Up
Day Twenty-Two Action
Day Twenty-Three: Be Curious
Ask Questions
Standing Their Ground
Day Twenty-Three Action
Day Twenty-Four: Open Your Heart
Old Hats for Old Heads
Keep Your Own Heart
Day Twenty-Four Action
Day Twenty-Five: Give
Better to Give . . .
. . . Than to Receive
Take My Advice; I’m Not Using It!
Instinctive about Choices
Day Twenty-Five Action
Day Twenty-Six: Manage Your Disappointment
Goals
Expect Disappointment
Day Twenty-Six Action
Day Twenty-Seven: Values Trump Rules
Rules and Artificial Intelligence
Organizational Intelligence
Take a Break
Day Twenty-Seven Action
Day Twenty-Eight: Expand Your Tribe
Social Advantage
Closer Than “on Average”
The World Is Your Oyster
Small Is Beautiful
Day Twenty-Eight Action
Conclusion
Further Reading and Resources
About the Author
Index
Praise for Tame the Primitive Brain
“If you keep on doing what you do you’ll keep on getting what you’ve got—
that’s never been a problem for me as a confirmed masochist—but for the rest
of you, this book offers a clear, concise and above all entertaining way to take
control.”
—Tim Fountain, notoriously depraved egomaniac and author of Rude Britannia
“If you think you’re highly evolved and easily able to manage your reactions
and emotions, think again. Mark Bowden combines thoroughly researched
and accessibly presented science with real-world examples from a wide range
of business situations to create a highly readable and practical system for
understanding and working with your lizard brain to radically improve your
effectiveness at work. Tame the Primitive Brain is now on the “must-read” list
for all of my executive clients.”
—Karen Wright, leader in the field of corporate coaching and author of The
Complete Executive: The 10-Step System for Great Leadership Performance
“Tame the Primitive Brain is a fascinating book because it not only provides
valuable insight into how your brain works in different situations, but also
gives practical advice on how to communicate with and manage your
reactions to others. If you want to be successful in your business and personal
relationships, buy this book now!”
—Victoria Stilwell, canine behavioral expert and author of It’s Me or the Dog
“Tame the Primitive Brain is enormously practical, humorous, relevant, and
accessible. You have laid out the red carpet for anyone who has an interest in
growing past the implications and consequences of automatic behavior in the
workplace, both their own and from those around them.”
—James DeStephanis, Instructor, Self-Development Lab, Joseph L. Rotman
School of Management