THE i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL &

METHODOLOGY MANIFESTO

The About my Brain Institute's i4 Manifesto outlines the

philosophy behind the i4 Neuroleader Model & Methodology,
and the path forward for creating brain-friendly cultures.
 WE BELIEVE IT IS TIME
TO UPDATE OUR VIEWS
ON LEADERSHIP .

2 © ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE

In the last two decades the way we live and work has
dramatically CHANGED . What people expect
from their LEADERS today is different to what they
expected in even the recent past.

Leadership models, frameworks and principles have

always been useful in helping us understand where to
focus our efforts when it comes to leading ourselves
and others.

They can also help us reflect on specific skills and

behaviours that are vital to develop in order to improve
our effectiveness as leaders.

“7 Habits of Highly Effective People” developed by

American author Stephen Covey, is a good example.
His principles have been widely followed around the
world for many years.

The world has shifted dramatically since 1989, when

Covey’s book was first published. Even though some
principles never die, we need to recognise that work
environments have become more complex than we
could have ever imagined.

Little progress has been made in reshaping

traditional leadership models. However, in the field
of neuroscience, many new discoveries have emerged
shedding new light into how our brains work.

This offers an opportunity to better understand why

and how we behave the way we do, make decisions and
interact with others.

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 WHEN IT COMES TO BEING
AN EFFECTIVE LEADER,
WE BELIEVE THAT
UNDERSTANDING OUR
BIOLOGY IS VITAL.

INTEGRATION INSPIRATION IMAGINATION INTUITION

THE ABILITY TO
THE ABILITY TO MANAGE UNDERSTAND
THE MENTAL ABILITY
THE ABILITY TO UNIFY OUR ENERGY AND SOMETHING
WHICH FACILITATES
BRAIN, MIND AND BODY STIMULATE OURSELVES INSTINCTIVELY
CREATIVE THINKING
AND OTHERS WITHOUT INVOLVING
OUR COGNITION
It is only logical to now include the brain in our
LEADERSHIP models. This fascinating organ is home
to our intellect, memories, emotions and discernment.
But the BRAIN is not the only organ in our BODY
that matters.

We believe that there are other bodily processes that

have been relegated and in many cases forgotten,
when it comes to leadership and management practices.

These body processes or abilities can be expressed in

the following terms:

INTEGRATION
The ability to unify brain, mind and body.

INSPIRATION
The ability to manage our energy and stimulate
ourselves and others.

IMAGINATION
The mental ability which facilitates creative thinking.

INTUITION
The ability to understand something instinctively
without involving our cognition.

We are more than just heads. We are very much

bodies of interconnecting systems that can not be
dissected into separate compartments like cardiology,
dermatology, neurology, orthopaedics and urology
without understanding the whole.

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 WE BELIEVE THAT A HIGH
FUNCTIONING BRAIN
IS A LEADER’S BEST TOOL.

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Being able to see the brain through imagery such
as PET & SPECT scans, functional MRI and other
new TECHNOLOGIES , have helped us make
breakthroughs in beginning to understand the art of
NEURAL NETWORKS – how they form, how they
decay, and how they can be rebuilt and ENHANCED .

We are starting to see which part of our brains are

responsible for which functions and how new regions of
the brain can be established to replace damaged areas.

It is easy to see how fragile the human brain is – how

a seemingly small fall at the age of 4 still shows up in
a brain scan at 48 and can explain behavioural traits
originally thought to be innate, inherited and even
psychopathological.

The cumulative effects of an average of 6 hours a

night’s sleep, as opposed to the required 8 hours is
now also evident if we want to maintain healthy brain
and body function.

The belief that many of us hold that we can ‘get

by’ without sleep for long periods of time can be
disproved. We can see the toxicity of our addictions
– alcohol, drugs, nicotine, sugar and so many other
elements that kill off our brain activities.

It is now reasonable to say that a balanced and healthy

brain positively influences a person’s behaviour,
attention, memory, decision-making and effectiveness.

We believe that anyone can – and should - learn more

about their brain and how to optimise it if they want to
perform more effectively at work and in life.

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 WE BELIEVE THAT
OUR BRAIN-BASED
LEADERSHIP MODEL,
THE i4 NEUROLEADER ,
CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND
HOW TO DEVELOP CRITICAL
LEADERSHIP ABILITIES.

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The i4 MODEL is a personal leadership and well-
being model based on neurobiology. The model is
made up of four key organisational competencies
and sixteen underpinning pillars which include the
abilities of INTEGRATION , INSPIRATION ,
IMAGINATION and INTUITION .

The model and methodology can guide us in

understanding how a leader can:

ƽƽDevelop their mental fitness to Perform

ƽƽCreate the Collaboration framework to get

the best from constantly changing groups

ƽƽSpark the Innovation required to determine

where growth can occur

ƽƽEncourage the Agility to weave strategy

and implementation together in interacting
experiments of learning.

Each of the sixteen pillars of the i4 Model encompasses

three key elements. These elements have been
carefully selected to help people focus on smaller
pieces of information for easier learning. This structured
mapping forms the basis of the i4 Curriculum, which
is at the core of all the About my Brain Institute’s
workshops, certifications and corporate programs.

The experiential activities taught at the programs

follow principles of neuroplasticity and its effects
on learning and change.

The conceptual teachings of the i4 Curriculum are based

on the latest findings from the fields of neuroscience,
neurogastroenterology, sleep science, nutrition,
movement, design thinking and strategy.

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 LEADERSHIP MODELS HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED OVER TIME, MAINLY TO HELP
PEOPLE IN ORGANISATIONS FOCUS THEIR
ATTENTION ON WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO
TO IMPROVE THEIR LEADERSHIP
CAPACITIES, IN ORDER TO MAKE A
BUSINESS PROFITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE.

THE i4 NEUROLEADER MODEL AND

METHODOLOGY AIMS TO START
A DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP CONVERSATION,
ONE THAT ADDRESSES THE NEEDS
AND DESIRES OF THE HUMAN BEHIND
THE LEADER.

SILVIA DAMIANO
FOUNDER & CEO
THE ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE
PERFORMANCE COLLABORATION i4 NEUROLEADER INNOVATION AGILITY

© SILVIA DAMIANO • ABOUT MY BRAIN INSTITUTE

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 WE BELIEVE THAT THE
i4 MODEL COMPETENCIES
AND PILLARS CAN HELP
PEOPLE DEAL MORE
CREATIVELY WITH
THE CHALLENGES
OF A VUCA WORLD.

IMAGINATION INSPIRATION INTEGRATION INTUITION

TO REALISE THE
TO RESOLVE THE
TO DEAL EFFECTIVELY CONNECTIONS
TO HELP OVERCOME AMBIGUITY OF OUR
WITH VOLATILE BETWEEN DIFFERENT
THE UNCERTAINTY TIMES, IN WHICH THE
CONDITIONS THAT VARIABLES IN THIS
CREATED BY SEQUENCES OF SIMPLE
ARE GENERATED COMPLEX WORLD,
UNPREDICTABLE AND LINEAR ‘CAUSE
BY CONTINUOUS A BALANCED AND
CIRCUMSTANCES. AND EFFECT’ NO
CHANGE. INTEGRATED BRAIN
LONGER WORK.
IS KEY.

V U C A
We are now living in a VUCA world - one of Volatility,
Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity. CHANGE is all
around us. Combined with increased expectations from the
business, our customers and our employees - who want to
grow and learn in supportive work cultures - it is easy to
understand why leadership has never been harder.

For most organisations around the world, the challenge is

to equip leaders to perform consistently at a high level.

Traditional business models are being disrupted and

leaders and staff at every level must now be able to
identify new ways in which they can provide value to the
business and external suppliers.

This means collaborating with new partners, creating

innovative ways of thinking and developing the agility to
deliver value on multiple fronts and projects.

Leadership looks different. It can exist at every level of the

business. To succeed in the VUCA world leaders need
to be able to identify ideas and resources wherever they
show up and bring people together to deliver them.

For this reason, we believe it is critical to also equip

everyone with the awareness and the tools to develop
their ability to grow and contribute to the business as
leaders in their own right.

The abilities of the i4 Neuroleader Model, when

enhanced, can help us respond to this ‘VUCA’ world.

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THE INTERNET AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE
OF MASSIVE CONNECTION HAS
REINVENTED MANY INDUSTRIES, BUT WE
ARE STILL SURROUNDED BY COUNTLESS
PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND BUSINESS
MODELS BUILT ON THE LOGIC OF THE PAST.

MANY OF THE DECISIONS THAT DEFINE

THESE BUSINESSES WERE MADE YEARS
AGO, IN A DIFFERENT AGE, AND IN A
DIFFERENT CONTEXT. WE NEED TO
RETHINK THE HABITS THAT HAVE MADE
US SUCCESSFUL IN THE PAST AND
CHALLENGE THE CONVENTIONAL
WISDOM AND INDUSTRY MODELS THAT
HAVE DEFINED OUR WORLD.

LUKE WILLIAMS
AUTHOR OF ‘DISRUPT'
  
 WE BELIEVE THAT THE
APPLICATION OF THE
i4 MODEL CAN HELP
ORGANISATIONS TO
CREATE HEALTHIER AND
BRAIN FRIENDLY LEADERS,
TEAMS AND CULTURES.

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For many years it has been a normal practice to assess
people in organisations using traditional competencies
such as STRATEGIC thinking & BUSINESS acumen.

Korn Ferry, one of the largest recruitment and leadership

development companies in the world, has been able
to establish over the years, that there are eight key
competencies that most organisations want their
executives and managers to possess.

They are the ones however, that are the hardest to find
in people. They call them the big 8 and these are:

 Planning
 Establishing vision and purpose
 Creativity
 Strategic agility
 Motivating others
 Dealing with ambiguity
 Innovation management
 Building effective teams
One of the aspects that is informing us and re-shaping
how we look at these competencies is brain science.
For example, effective 'planning', does not take place
without a well-functioning brain or if the person is
stressed and distracted.

Before each of the above competencies can be

achieved, a refinement of individual brain and body
abilities such as the ones proposed in the i4 Model
is essential. Improving the understanding of how
optimally or sub-optimally our brains and bodies are
operating, shifts the focus from just trying to 'fix the
behaviour' to spending time in building up the
biological system that is producing the behaviour.

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 WE BELIEVE THAT THE
i4 METHODOLOGY
OUTLINES AN EFFECTIVE
PATH FOR DEVELOPING
THE LEADERS OF THE
IMAGINATION AGE.
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In order to address this SHIFT , we propose to embrace
the notion of understanding how our individual brain
and body system works. This shift in consciousness
cannot take place unless we embrace new ways of being
and working.

We can start by developing more novel mindsets and

behaviours, ones that take into consideration how the
brain prefers to operate, learn and adapt. This is very
different from the mindsets, behaviours and habits that
currently prevail in most organisations.

To support the development of brain-friendly cultures,

we propose the i4 Methodology which is based on the
following four principles:

EXPANSION
Knowing how we function as a biological system

AWARENESS
Acquiring a more objective & holistic view of ourselves

EVOLUTION
Creating a renewed way of feeling, thinking & acting

NEURO-LEADING
Leading from an optimal state of being

The above principles inform the staged

i4 Transformational Process designed to develop
the competencies of the i4 Neuroleader Model.

Once developed, these competencies will enable

individuals to achieve an improved sense of well-being,
augmented creativity, true engagement & higher levels
of effectiveness.

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 THE i4 METHODOLOGY
TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS
PHASE 1 
BIOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
Phase 1 refers to the educational aspect of the
i4 Methodology. It focuses on exploring how our
brains and bodies function. This phase is critical
in expanding people’s knowledge and promoting
the creation of neural pathways in their brains.
This heightened level of consciousness may
open people up to the idea that a leader has
the potential to access a ‘state of creation’
to deal more effectively with ever-changing
conditions in the workplace and in life. 
Biological consciousness can awaken and
empower individuals to take greater ownership
for their personal development, encouraging
them to take action and optimise the way they
lead and live.
The desired outcome is an:
EXPANDED SELF

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PHASE 2 
DATA COLLECTION
Phase 2 consists of diagnostic surveys,
assessments and neuro-tools. These combine
to offer feedback on brain and body state,
abilities, traits, attitudes and behaviours.
This increases people’s awareness of how they
operate, act and feel.
The neurobiological aspects that underpin
these diagnostic tools encourage both
cognitive, social and emotional learning.
Our interdisciplinary methods create a powerful
and holistic experience that accelerates growth
at both an individual and collective level.
The desired outcome is an:
AWARE SELF

 PHASE 3 
APPLIED CO-CREATION
Phase 3 consists of establishing collaborative
conversations with different groups of people
to create brain-friendly commitments that
are relevant to the person within their
current reality.  phase, can help people pinpoint the actions to
The learnings and insights from Phases 1 and 2
are now co-creatively applied. This encourages
ownership of what needs to change. 
In this process, renewed energy is generated
increasing levels of commitment.
The desired outcome is an:
EVOLVED SELF
PHASE 4 
EMBEDDING & PROGRESS
Phase 4 includes the embedding of the desired
new habits and the monitoring of how the meta-
competencies are developing over time.
Information uncovered in the data collection
be taken. The tracking and follow up activities
reinforce the changes at a neuronal level. 
By simply understanding that the brain rewires
and constantly changes, the transformation of
the i4 abilities, traits, attitudes and behaviours
becomes tangible.
The desired outcome is becoming a:
NEUROLEADER
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 BUSINESS PEOPLE PLACE A PREMIUM
ON RESULTS AND THE FOCUS IS ON
DEVELOPING WILL POWER, DESIRE AND
POSITIVITY. THESE, HOWEVER, ARE
NOT ENOUGH TO CREATE THE DESIRED
BUSINESS RESULTS.

THE REAL FOUNDATION OF

INDIVIDUAL LEADERSHIP SUCCESS LIES
IN TRANSFORMING THE PERFORMER BY
REFINING THE SOURCE OF RESULTS, THAT
BEING THE LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

TO REALISE A MATURE STATE OF

DEVELOPMENT, A REFINEMENT
OF MIND AND BODY MUST TAKE PLACE.

DR. HARALD HARUNG

PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT
OSLO AND AKERSHUS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
  
 CREATING

BRAIN

FRIENDLY

CULTURES

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