Sometimes My Brain Doesn’t Work At Work
As I write these words, I’m keenly aware of neurology. Not as a (formal) student of neurology or brain physiology but as a patient. One Sunday a few years ago, I awoke to strange sensations and cognitive fog that progressed to the point that a day later, I was unable to walk under my own power. We would discover that my immune and nervous systems were at odds with each other in a battle called Guillain-Barré.[1] Whether I would again be able to walk unaided or think clearly were open questions, but not as concerning as whether my brain would keep telling my lungs to breathe or not. Gratefully, I have made a relatively full recovery, though I live in constant awareness of the tension of a brain and body that don’t quite work the way they used to, with some days still requiring an effort to move and think that saps me of energy. It’s strange to think that our neurology and biology could work against us in deadly fashion, but it’s true.
I wish I had been exposed to David Rock’s Your Brain at Work early in my illness and recovery journey—understanding how the stresses my body was enduring, and the additional cognitive load required to perform even simple tasks required a number of resources I needed to cultivate would have at least given me categories for some of what I was enduring and how to change my brain.[2] As Rock would point out, being able to name is one of the first steps to regulating and directing how we emotionally and physiologically respond to stressors.[3] Moreover, most neurological patients will tell you distraction, fractured focus, and lack of sustained energy are pronounced challenges when dealing with this kind of disease. A treatise on these very challenges would have been a God-send in my early recovery, but it certainly has incredible value for me now.
Guillain-Barré is one kind of fracturing I’ve had to navigate. Amid a challenging transition following a long-tenured lead pastor, I’ve had to intersect with other types of fracturing: relational, cultural, and organizational. Only now, instead of my own neurology and biology at odds with each other, these tensions are present in multilayered complexity. There is so much that applies in Your Brain at Work to my current context that I can’t unpack it all here; instead, I’ll focus on one element I’m already applying with some exciting results.
Rock uses the acronym SCARF to move toward healthy and effective social interactions.[4] Here’s how I’m trying to interact with this model among our staff and governance teams:
Status
Status is our relative importance to others[5]. By holding space for collaborative conversations, even in addressing the crisis du jour, celebrating the contributions of others, and inviting constructive feedback for me in each of these settings, I’m seeing team members have a growing and healthy esteem for themselves and others on the team. While Rock argues that constructive feedback can actually cause more fracturing, I believe he is referencing this in a top-down/supervisor-to-subordinate approach; inviting candor from the team to me first seems to invite and sustain healthier engagement.[6] [7] We’ve also employed a coaching approach—what Rock calls “quiet leadership” and Camacho calls “mining for gold”—which has brought connection and status to others.[8] [9]
Certainty
The predictability of the future allows people to function better individually and corporately.[10] In today’s world and, as I mentioned above, the seeming cycle of daily crises coming our way, predicting the future seems impossible. To help, we’ve committed to communicating with our teams as much as we can as quickly as we can about our plans. In team meetings, inviting others to shape those plans helps with status; when plans need to change, it allows us to make those adjustments while still elevating the agency of others.
Autonomy
That sense of agency—that there is some level of control—is autonomy[11]. By my delegating as much as possible (with support!) to those better positioned to both understand and activate decisions, team members have more sense of control. They have also expressed joy, even in uncertainty, in ways that weren’t present early on in my tenure. They’ve been able to bring stability and optimism into their ministry areas in a renewed way.
Relatedness
The need for status can impede our ability for us to experience relatedness.[12] We work on relatedness by interacting around calibrating resources, playing games at the beginning of meetings, and sharing in fun together. The simple act of inviting staff or council members as a group into my home to share a meal and play some games has worked wonders for increasing relatedness.
Fairness
We all have a sense of justice and whether or not we’re being treated fairly. I cannot give everyone the same experiences or investments all the time, but I can show that we are “trying to do the right thing by everyone.”[13] We have worked hard to function with integrity organizationally and with increased accountability for me as the senior leader. In a season of organizational financial constraints, using my own resources to help provide for a need or opportunity for our staff team members has bolstered a sense of fairness and care.
We have a long way to go in our pursuit of health and integration as teams and as a body. But investments like these are bearing fruit and giving us momentum toward some of the deeper work that needs to be done. Not only is this serving our organization well, but it is also positioning us to serve as agents of reconciliation in our community. And it’s allowing me to pursue sustainability and thriving, even on days where my neurology and biology don’t get along.
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[1] Shahrizaila, Nortina, Helmar C. Lehmann, and Satoshi Kuwabara. “Guillain-Barré Syndrome.” The Lancet 397, no. 10280 (Mar 27, 2021): 1214-1228. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00517-1
[2] Rock, David. Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long. (New York: Harper Business, 2020), ix.
[3] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 119.
[4] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 198.
[5] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 280.
[6] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 208.
[7] Scott, Kim. Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. New York City: Saint Martin’s Press, 2019.
[8] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 215.
[9] Camacho, Tom. Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching. Kindle. London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019.
[10] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 121.
[11] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 280.
[12] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 201.
[13] Rock, Your Brain at Work, 180.
About the Author
Jeremiah Gómez
I get to be Sarah's husband and Jubilee's and Zechariah's dad. I also get to serve as lead pastor at Trinity Church, a dynamic church in the Midwest where we're diligently seeking to Love God, love others, live sent, and be transformed together in community. I love the privilege of working across differences, championing healing and reconciliation in many forms.9 responses to “Sometimes My Brain Doesn’t Work At Work”
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My heart goes out to you, my brother. I can only begin to grasp the challenges from years past and the ones that you face now. Thank you for sharing about your journey.
You asked in my post about how we make it “safe” to move from one context to the next. I appreciate Rock’s SCARF framework as we consider this. Especially Relatedness. There is a back burner theme in much of our reading, the theme of Play. In the Technopoly articles, the childlikeness is evident in “Leading Out of Who You Are” (as well as in Friedman and Poole). Even your example here, with board games in your home. Each week brings a new level of emotional and relational connection to leadership. I am beginning to realize that Relatedness and allowing others to see your non-threatening motives are foundational.
Thanks for helping me put those pieces together.
Thanks for your reply, Darren!
My journey certain has not been as challenging as what many others face, including amont those with the same syndrome. I’m grateful! Beyond that, I get to experience what 2 Corinthians 12:9 invites us to: “The gift of my great kindness will give you the stength you need… For the greatness of my power comes to the ones who understand how weak they are” (FNV).
Fittingly, inviting people to my home (which doesn’t happen as often as it may have come across in the post–it’s not like we’re gathering every week for that!) is one of those power-in-weakness places. Even when I fear that hosting something like that will be more draining than fulfilling, I do find it’s uniquely cup-filling and energizing in a unique way.
I’m on a journey of learning (and re-learning!) the value of presence and the emotional/relational connections that are not easy but essential for walking with others.
One of the insights I gained from this book was the understanding that the brain, thinking and feeling, biologically uses the same forms of “fuel” as moving our body does. Your experience with Guillain-Barré sounds devastating. It is hard to think about the brain center that controls all our functions can get so out of sync and wreck havoc on both the mind and the body. I’m sorry you still have lasting effects. What are things you do to keep the balance and priorities in the correct order? Are you even able to do it when the fatigue sets in?
Thanks for your reply, Jess!
One of the gifts of my journey is that I feel like it’s given me compassion for others who are in “the spirit is willing, but the flesh (or mind) is weak” seasons. I’m not proud of how driven/driving I was with myself and others; I’d like to think I’ve learned extra grace for myself and for others.
Now, I’d love to say that I’ve found out exactly how to find balance/priority. That’s actually one of the conversations I had with my coaching experience for this class. I’m learning to ask for help, including in processing my calendar–I will often plan much more optimistically than I should and then pay for it. I’ve also started holding space on my calendar for priorities of investment that require more cognitive focus (strategic planning, preparing weekend messages, the work for this program). I haven’t found a sweet-spot for sustainability yet, but it will probably involve ongoing honesty with what my limitations are in different seasons–this is a growth-edge for me!
Jeremiah,
I had never encountered Guillain-Barré in other circles, and I appreciate your transparency in sharing. I realize this has no shortage of challenges and other questions. I can only imagine that there is uncertainty about how your mind and body work in concert.
It sounds like you are delving deeper into SCARF. Do you have enough energy (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual) to maintain proper balance? Can you draw a line where you can say “no” in situations to avoid perpetual interactions?
Thanks for your comment, Michael!
Some of the SCARF engagement is in realizing how some of what we were already doing fits that model, and some has been working to bring more alignment within it. I know the SCARF framework is not the only one, and may not even be the best one, but it has seemed helpful and effective right now.
I would not say that I have found proper balance or maintain it well. If I use the analogy of a tightrope (which is probably a poor analogy, because I’ve never actually walked a tightrope), I would imagine much of that journey doesn’t FEEL particularly balanced, but making constant adjustments keeps you from falling. I’m in the “making constant adjustments” space, and sometimes I actually make them before I lose balance!
As I mentioned to Jess above, finding balance and sustainability was part of my coaching discussion. Empowering others has been a big help when it comes to learning to say, “no.” I am grateful for some members of my leadership and discernment team who have intersected with some of the hard conversations around our leadership transition that have gotten cyclical/perpetual; that has given me permission to draw some of those lines that you mention.
How have you effectively identified and held healthy boundaries, especially in those “perpetual interactions” spaces?
Jeremiah,
You are correct in your statement about empowering others and the ability to say “no” to other needs. What I have discovered for many of my employees is that they lack specific hard skills and rely upon others to cover without making the investment in learning on their own. While it is surprising to see, I am now not surprised due to the overarching landscape. I have spent countless hours over the past month on equipping others, and that has led to less of the perpetual interactions and more direct and worthy conversations.
Jeremiah, it must have been frightening to face such serious health crises in your life! I am so glad you have recovered and are feeling better. And yes, this book is wonderful, especially in helping us understand how our brains function. You mentioned that we might have been in a position to serve as agents of reconciliation in our community. What does that look like to you?
Jeremiah,
Your post was incredibly moving and insightful. I truly admire the resilience and strength you’ve shown in navigating both personal and professional challenges, particularly in the aftermath of your Guillain-Barré experience. What I appreciated the most from your post is how you’ve transformed adversity into an opportunity for growth, not just for yourself, but for your entire team.
Thank you for sharing and inspiring me to dig deeper and re-evaluate in times of struggle and adversity.