Even self-aware people who know their own tendencies and patterns of thinking, and know the alternative strategies to use, still fail to change their thought patterns and behaviour. This is because there is a difference between what we know, and what we do, and this is shown in the brain. 

Metacognition is the scientific term for self-awareness and is our capacity to think about how we think. It’s critical in every aspect of leadership, from well-being to judgment, as it allows us to form doubts about information being presented to us, other people’s beliefs and, most importantly, our own thoughts. 

Over time, we have all developed language around interoception, without really understanding exactly what ‘interoception’ is. Examples include our trusting our ‘gut feeling’ or intuition. Our brains and bodies are always communicating with each other – sending information back and forth about everything happening inside us. This is our sense of interoception. Throughout our childhoods, we are consistently taught to ignore the signals that our bodies bring to our attention. We must eat, drink, and use the bathroom when it is convenient for others. Yet, the signals that our bodies give us provide important insights for our lives. Hence, suppressing and ignoring them leaves us with less, not more, control over what we do. But interoception is a tool that can be used to improve our decision-making skills, emotion regulation, empathy, and understanding of social situations.

Increasingly, leaders' challenges will be dominated by their ability to discern between quantifiable risk and unmeasurable uncertainty. But there’s a problem; our brains are built to reduce and avoid uncertainty, to use as little energy as is required and to stay within our comfort zone. We know that entering discomfort puts strain on our cognitive, emotional and physical resources. But we also know that this zone of discomfort is often where true innovation happens.