2025 ACNS
Mary Rensel 
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
1:1 Stable
3:1 Flourishing
Positive Emotions:
Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe, Love
Be Open
Build high quality connections
Cultivate kindness
Limit Distractions
Dispute negative thoughts
Find Nature
Learn & apply strengths
Mindful meditation
Meditate on Loving kindness
Ritualize Gratitude
Honor endings
Visualize YOU in 10 years meeting your mission
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There are two things we have absolute control over,
your actions and your attitude.
Mo Gowdat
Founder of Solve for Happiness
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What will you try this week for to enhance team impact?
Remind the team of their mission
Focus on nature on the way to work.
Feel hope that the team can solve the latest challenge
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:
Share a challenge you had as a leader.
Build trust by supporting a team member.
Clarify the mission of the team.
Limit your morning distractions.
Start a meeting with a mindful moment.
Learn more about affinity bias.
Praise my team for their effort over result.
Honor the feelings that happen with learning new skills.
Say “not yet” when mastering a new skill.
What will I try this week to build team momentum?
Share a past challenge in the next meeting.
(Vulnerability)
How is kindness brought into a team meeting?
(Trust)
Clarify mission, roles and responsibilities
(Clarity)
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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
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Team
1.Unique food exercise
2.Cultivate kindness
3.Positive Emotion check in
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Team Science
•Security
•Synchrony
•Creativity
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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...
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.
Brower HH, Nicklas BJ, Nader MA, Trost LM, and Miller DP. Creating effective academic research teams: Two tools borrowed from business practice. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 5: e74, 1–5. doi: 10.1017/cts.2020.553
Begg MD, et al. Graduate education for the future: new models and methods for the clinical and translational workforce. Clinical and Translational Science 2015; 8: 787–792.
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
Thank you for your attention and please reach out with questions,
Mary Rensel, MD FAAN
Have fun in Baltimore!
Stay in touch, which team strategy have you tried and what worked?
renselm@ccf.org
Mary