Brain Fitness

The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews, to Keep Your Brain Sharp

Learnscapes are the factory floor of knowledge organizations; they are where workers connect to create value and learn from one another. Improving the inner workings of any aspect of a learnscape platform can increase organizational performance overall. Exercising workers’ brains boosts collective brainpower. That’s why the lessons in my friend Alvaro Fernandez’s new book provide a pathway to increased profitability.

Brains are dynamic systems that change over a lifetime. Scientists and researchers agree on the positive impact of four pillars of brain health:

• Balanced nutrition
• Stress management
• Physical exercise
• Mental stimulation

Years ago, American managers chuckled over reports of Japanese workers who engaged in daily, group calesthenics. Turns out this was the smart thing to do. Moreover, a variety of mental exercises builds strong brains in the same fashion that physical exercises builds strong bodies.

In our recent article in CLO magazine, Become a Chief Meta-Learning Officer, Clark Quinn and I argue that chief learning officers must take responsibility for the effectiveness of overall learning in their organizations. People who are mentally fit learn better. They are better at solving problems. They are more likely to innovate. Chief learning officers who fail to acknowledge that job stress and low self-esteem hinder learning and executive brain function are missing an opportunity.

What about brain training games and software? In large measure, the cards are still out. The book singles out some promising solutions but debunks many automated brain trainers as hype.

If you seriously want to increase your organization’s collective brainpower, you owe it to yourself to visit the SharpBrains site.