Drs. Randy Brazie and Geoffrey VanderPal on the New Science of Decision Making

I suspect that there are times you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number and complexity of nonstop decisions you need to make. To further complicate matters, you may believe that some decisions require rational (brain) decision making, while others call for you to "go with your gut." But what if you could integrate the two - your brain and your gut - in a way to help you become the calm and steadfast person, and leader, you would like to be. What if you could combine both rational logical thoughts with your more instinctual feelings?

With their combined expertise in both business and medicine, Drs. Geoffrey VanderPal and Randy Brazie have developed an approach to do just that - by taking the latest scientific understanding of the human nervous system, drawing upon the Polyvagal Theory, to understand how the brain and the gut can make decisions together.

In their new book, The Steadfast Leader: Control Anxiety, Make Confident Decisions, and Focus Your Team Using the New Science of Leadership, they provide an approach that shifts away from the tension caused by "either-or" to using "both-and" and how that works better in every situation. Their work provides fascinating research findings along with real-world case studies and relatable examples that demonstrate practical, cutting-edge neuroscientific concepts that can help you stay focused and make better decisions―for yourself, your team, and your organization.

Geoffrey and Randy are co-founders of the NeuroConsulting Group LLC, specializing in leadership and business decision making, consulting, and training.

A licensed psychiatrist, Randy Brazie, MD, SEP®, is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Medicine and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Arizona Affiliated Hospitals. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry, with extensive experience in multiple sectors, including both clinic and hospital-based services as well as emergency and urgent care settings, and he specializes in trauma, depression, and stress treatments. He currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Resilient Health, an Arizona nonprofit healthcare provider of innovative multi-modal services for both public and private sectors, and as a Medical Director with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.

Additionally, he has co-authored peer-reviewed professional business journal articles intersecting neuroscience with various aspects of organizational thought and leadership. Randy also enjoys teaching and has experience in both undergraduate and graduate adjunct faculty positions.

Dr. Geoffrey VanderPal, is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Project Management Professional. His Doctorate is in Finance and Business and he completed a postdoc in Global Leadership. He has taught for various universities on four continents in the areas of finance and business. He has published in various research journals and is currently a professor in the Master of Science in Finance Program at Purdue University Global.

We started off with learning how the two of them connected with each other and how the became familiar with Dr. Stephen Porges and his research which is foundational for the Polyvagal Theory. They unpacked some of the concepts their work is based on, including the components of the Polyvagal Theory and a 101 on the autonomic nervous systems’ ventral and dorsal vagal complex and the sympathetic nervous system, which is helpful in understanding the science behind the work.

Before we did a deep dive into their book, I shared what Dr. Porges had to say about it: “In The Steadfast Leader, Brazie and VanderPal brilliantly introduce Polyvagal Theory into the pragmatic world of leadership. Their book focuses on resolving the historic problem that leaders have faced in making decisions – the conflict between intuitions and empirical metrics of performance.”

Drs. Brazie and VanderPal, canvas a wide variety of leadership styles and approaches, and they contextualize them with the Polyvagal Theory, noting the key qualities that differentiate steadfast leadership from other leadership styles. They talked about the tension between cognitive decision making versus intuitive, and integrating the analytical and instinctual.

Other areas included how we can make more optimal decisions without the negativity of past stress and trauma influencing those decisions; how a person can become a more successful manager using tools that they can adapt to their team along with some examples; various ways companies can incorporate “cues of safety” in the workplace and how doing so benefit both leaders and employees, similar to Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety.

They also discussed various examples of improvements that can be made to physical workspaces for happier and more focused employees; ways the Polyvagal Theory makes for better recruitment decisions, retention, and managing interpersonal workplace challenges. In addition, Drs. Brazie and VanderPal shared methods to master one’s focus, productivity, and connection with our self and others, how to address the complexities of decision-making, and advice for leaders facing difficult choices, and examples of how steadfast leadership can positively impact a team during challenging times or crises.

Self-awareness plays a keen role in effective leadership, and as such it is critically important for leaders to cultivate a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses. Steadfast leaders may also be more equipped to promote a culture of continuous learning and growth within their organizations.

They shared ways the Polyvagal Theory differs from other methods in dealing with unconscious biases when working with clients, staff or in the recruiting process, along with the financial benefits of the Polyvagal Theory that can lead to cost savings.

I recently had Daniel Goleman on, so I asked about the role emotional intelligence plays in their approach. We also covered indicators they think leaders should use to assess their effectiveness in embodying steadfast leadership.

Drs. Brazie and VanderPal are pioneers in the application of the Polyvagal Theory’s application in not only leadership and business situations, but also to each of us as individuals as a means to forge deeper and more authentic connections and relationships. In doing so it provides another approach for all of us to use as a way to help us live our lives more fully, and make better decisions.

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