Researchers at the University of Reading (UK) have started a project to scan the brains of influential people with leadership gifts to find out how they make their decisions using information that can sometimes be complicated and even conflicting. Its main objective is to determine how the mind of a good leader works.
The study will analyze brain areas associated with decision making and strategic planning using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology. Participants will be CEOs of companies, heads of voluntary organizations and military leaders. "The ability to make decisions under pressure, with incomplete and changing information is a hallmark of good leaders," explains Douglas Saddy of the Center for Integrated Neuroscience and Neurodynamics in Reading. "We are interested both in understanding the situations in which leaders make decisions that benefit society , and in knowing under which conditions they are more prone to making partial or even selfish decisions," he adds.
