2025 Highly Effective Teams

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Highly Effective Teams, Neuroscience insights and strategies

Welcome to brain based professional development, resources to help you build new insights and strategies for long lasting vitality at work!

The Science and Strategy of Team Creativity and Momentum

If everyone has to think outside the box, maybe it is the box that needs fixing.

Malcolm Gladwell

“Whole Brained” Team

•Security

•Synchrony

•Creativity

“But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others.… It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.”

Brene Brown

12 Steps of Positivity- Dr. B Fredrickson, Book=Positivity

Expansive Mind

1:1 Stable

3:1 Flourishing

Positive Emotions:

Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe, Love

  1. Be Open

  2. Build high quality connections

  3. Cultivate kindness

  4. Limit Distractions

  5. Dispute negative thoughts

  6. Find Nature

  7. Learn & apply strengths

  8. Mindful meditation

  9. Meditate on Loving kindness

  10. Ritualize Gratitude

  11. Honor endings

  12. Visualize YOU in 10 years meeting your mission

__

There are two things we have absolute control over,

your actions and your attitude.

Mo Gowdat

Founder of Solve for Happiness

_________

What will you try this week for to enhance team impact?

  1. Remind the team of their mission

  2. Focus on nature on the way to work.

  3. Feel hope that the team can solve the latest challenge

  4. Buy the book Positivity


“I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.”

Abraham Lincoln

Team Activities to enhance new ideas:

  1. Share a challenge you had as a leader.

  2. Build trust by supporting a team member.

  3. Clarify the mission of the team.

  4. Limit your morning distractions.

  5. Start a meeting with a mindful moment.

    1. Learn more about affinity bias.

    2. Praise my team for their effort over result.

    3. Honor the feelings that happen with learning new skills.

    4. Say “not yet” when mastering a new skill.

    5. What will I try this week to build team momentum?

    6. Share a past challenge in the next meeting.

      (Vulnerability)

      How is kindness brought into a team meeting?

      (Trust)

      Clarify mission, roles and responsibilities

      (Clarity)

      ____________________________________

Leader tasks to focus

1. 5 minutes prior to each meeting;

consider how you can support those in the meeting

2. relax your face, jaw and shoulders

3. 5 deep breaths

___________________________________________________

Team

1.Unique food exercise

2.Cultivate kindness

3.Positive Emotion check in

______________________________________________________

Team Science 

•Security

•Synchrony

•Creativity

________________________________________________________

Resources and Videos on Professional Growth

Ted talk on Purpose:

https://youtu.be/vVsXO9brK7M?si=_ehrFCVneGUVanAe

Harvard Implicit Bias test:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatouchtestv2.html

Videos
Mindset: https://youtu.be/0tqq66zwa7g

Emotional synchrony: https://youtu.be/cef35Fk7YD8

Body/Budget/ Emotions: https://youtu.be/KliAI9umFyY

Purpose: https://youtu.be/PhuKJWm1_fQ

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/impactwellbeing/professional-wellbeing.html

https://www.who.int/activities/promoting-well-being

https://hbr.org/2007/11/cognit...

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/10/20/us-surgeon-general-releases-new-framework-mental-health-well-being-workplace.html

Loehr, J., & Schwartz, T. (2001). The making of a corporate athlete. Harvard business review, 79(1), 120-129.

Shanafelt, T., Trockel, M., Rodriguez, A., & Logan, D. (2021). Wellness-centered leadership: Equipping health care leaders to cultivate physicianwell-being and professional fulfillment. Academic Medicine, 96(5), 641–651.

Bennett LM, Gadlin H, Marchand C. Collaboration and Team Science Field Guide. 2nd ed. Bethesda, MA: National Institutes of Health Publication No. 18–7660, National Cancer Institute, 2018.


That is your responsibility as a person, as a human being, to constantly be updating your position on as many things as possible. And if you don’t contradict yourself on a regular basis, then you’re not thinking. Malcolm Gladwell


    Books;

    Culture Code - Daniel Coyle

    Resonant Leadership- Richard Boyatsis

    The Mind of the Leader- R Hougaard

    Positivity- Barb Fredrickson

    Find Your Why- Simon Sinek

    The Genius Zone- Gay Hendricks

    Bio

    Mary Rensel, MD, FAAN, ABIHM

    Mary Rensel, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Director of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Wellness at the Mellen Center of the Cleveland Clinic. She has graduated from the Medical College of Ohio and completed her Neurology and Neuro-immunology fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic. She is boarded in Neurology and Integrative Medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Rensel’s work has focused on Adult and Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis, Brain health and Integrative Medicine. Her work in academic medicine often intersects with wellness, advocacy, innovation, coaching and strategic initiatives. She has been a “Best Doctor” of Cleveland since 2010 per the Cleveland Magazine. She is a national speaker in academia and a keynote in business settings and even Good Morning America and The Moth Stage. She is the owner of Brain Fresh, a neuroscience based professional development support system and is a Hello 7 trained Business Coach for women docs considering and or growing a business.

    https://linktr.ee/Dr.MaryRensel

    Thank you for your attention and please reach out with questions,

    Mary Rensel, MD FAAN

    Stay in touch, which team strategy have you tried and what worked? 

    Dr.MaryRensel@gmail.com

    Mary Rensel, MD FAAN






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