In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Jen Recla about leading with curiosity. As a leadership coach, trainer, and outdoor enthusiast, Jen Recla is on a mission to awaken passion, joy, and the spirit of adventure in every professional endeavor. With over 15 years of organizational development experience in leadership, coaching, and mentoring, she specializes in creating growth experiences that inspire and equip individuals and teams to maximize their value and impact. She leverages her top Gallup strengths of woo, maximizer, communication, futuristic, and arranger to make learning fun, bring knowledge to others, and inspire individuals to reach their full potential.

This video challenges the traditional belief that motivation must precede action, introducing the “Action First Principle,” which asserts that motivation is actually generated through action rather than waiting passively for inspiration. Neuroscience reveals that dopamine, often misunderstood as solely a pleasure or reward chemical, primarily functions as a motivation chemical that drives effort and striving. Dopamine is released during the process of working toward a goal, rewarding incremental progress rather than just the final outcome. This insight explains why breaking tasks into smaller steps and making progress visible sustains motivation more effectively than waiting for a distant reward or sudden burst of inspiration. Highlights ⚡ Motivation is generated by action, not the other way around. 🧠 Dopamine drives motivation by rewarding effort and progress, not just outcomes. ✅ Breaking tasks into small, achievable steps sustains motivation through mini-rewards. 🎯 Autonomy and recognition amplify dopamine responses, making effort more rewarding. 📊 Visible progress through tools like Kanban boards enhances engagement and momentum. 🌱 Creating psychological safety normalizes failure and encourages innovation. 🚀 The first small action breaks procrastination and kickstarts a positive motivational cycle. Key Insights ⚡ Reversing the Motivation Equation: Traditional wisdom suggests we must feel motivated before acting, but research shows that starting action actually sparks motivation. This insight empowers individuals to overcome procrastination by focusing on doing rather than waiting for a mood or feeling. The implication is profound: motivation is a dynamic response to behavior, not a prerequisite, shifting the locus of control firmly into the hands of the doer. 🧬 Dopamine’s Role in Motivation: Dopamine is widely misunderstood as merely a pleasure chemical, but it primarily drives the desire to pursue goals by rewarding the effort itself. This neurochemical reward system is designed to encourage persistence and incremental progress. It explains why people feel energized and motivated by small wins rather than only by end results, highlighting the importance of process-oriented goal setting. 🛠 Breaking Goals into Micro-Objectives: Large goals can feel overwhelming and demotivating due to the delayed dopamine rewards. By subdividing goals into smaller, manageable tasks, each step triggers a dopamine release, creating a series of mini-celebrations that maintain momentum. This approach is applicable in many domains—from individual productivity to complex team projects—making daunting challenges more approachable and rewarding. 🎨 Autonomy Enhances Motivation: When individuals have control over how and when they work, their brain’s dopamine system responds more robustly. Autonomy fosters a sense of ownership and meaning, making effort intrinsically rewarding. Managers who micromanage risk killing motivation by removing this vital sense of agency, whereas empowering employees to experiment and choose their approach boosts engagement and creativity. 👏 Recognition Fuels Sustained Effort: Social validation through praise and recognition acts as a potent dopamine booster. Recognizing not only outcomes but also the effort, problem-solving, and learning process reinforces motivation. Decentralized and frequent recognition systems, such as peer-to-peer kudos, create a culture of continuous encouragement that sustains daily effort and collaboration. 🎯 Visible Progress is Critical: Effort that is invisible or lacks tangible markers of advancement fails to trigger dopamine effectively, leading to disengagement and burnout. Visual tools like Kanban boards or public leaderboards make progress concrete and satisfying, creating a feedback loop of motivation. These tools transform abstract work into a sequence of achievable wins, supporting sustained focus and energy. 🌱 Psychological Safety and Learning from Failure: Normalizing failure as a valuable learning opportunity rather than a negative endpoint reduces fear and encourages risk-taking. Leaders who openly share their struggles and model a growth mindset create environments where employees feel safe to innovate and persist despite setbacks. This nurtures resilience and keeps the dopamine-driven cycle of exploration active, essential for creativity and long-term motivation. 🏁 The Power of the First Step: The video emphasizes that the single most important action to spark motivation is simply to start. Even the smallest effort—writing one sentence, putting on running shoes—can trigger dopamine release and initiate a positive motivational feedback loop. This practical strategy offers a straightforward antidote to procrastination and inertia, making motivation accessible anytime by focusing on immediate action rather than distant feelings. #Neuroscience #Motivation #Dopamine #OrganizationalPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #Leadership

Abstract: Traditional motivation theories position desire as the precursor to action, but contemporary neuroscience reveals a more nuanced mechanism: effort itself generates the neurochemical signals that sustain motivated behavior. Dopaminergic pathways respond not primarily to reward consumption but to goal pursuit, effort expenditure, and progress detection. This reversal has profound implications for how organizations design work systems, structure goals, and support sustained performance. Rather than waiting for intrinsic motivation to emerge, evidence suggests that behavioral activation—initiating effort even in low-motivation states—triggers dopamine release that reinforces continued action. This article synthesizes research from neuroscience, organizational psychology, and behavioral economics to examine how effort-motivation loops function, their impact on individual and organizational outcomes, and evidence-based interventions that leverage these mechanisms. Organizations that structure work to emphasize visible progress, effort recognition, and iterative achievement create neurobiological conditions for self-sustaining motivation, reducing dependence on external incentives while improving wellbeing and performance outcomes.

In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Hugh Blane about what the leadership industrial complex has gotten wrong. Hugh Blane is a renowned leadership, athletic, and financial coach with over forty years of coaching experience. Hugh, the founder and principal of Claris Consulting, has coached successful CEOs to transform their leadership, which transforms their culture and results. As a coach, Hugh has generated over $75 million of client and enterprise value over the last ten years, and clients include Sony Pictures, Starbucks, Costco, Stanford University, Nordstrom, REI Co-op, and Wells Fargo.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Hugh Blane about what the leadership industrial complex has gotten wrong. Hugh Blane is a renowned leadership, athletic, and financial coach with over forty years of coaching experience. Hugh, the founder and principal of Claris Consulting, has coached successful CEOs to transform their leadership, which transforms their culture and results. As a coach, Hugh has generated over $75 million of client and enterprise value over the last ten years, and clients include Sony Pictures, Starbucks, Costco, Stanford University, Nordstrom, REI Co-op, and Wells Fargo.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network (https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/HCI) !

In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Jan Yuhas and Jillian Yuhas about navigating team conflict and balancing resolution and productivity in the modern workplace. Jan Yuhas, M.A., MFT, and Jillian Yuhas, M.A., MFT, are Conflict and Communication Strategists and International Best-Selling Authors of Boundary Badass. They specialize in helping business leaders and teams master communication that transforms conflict into growth opportunities, cultivates psychological safety, and develops resilient organizations rooted in collaboration and trust. Learn more at ⁠www.twentyeightconsultancy.com⁠.

Abstract: The proliferation of automation technologies—including artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithmic management systems—has fundamentally altered the psychological and structural foundations of employment relationships. This article examines how automation reshapes traditional notions of job security and explores evidence-based organizational responses that balance technological adoption with workforce stability. Drawing on empirical research and practitioner cases across manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services, the analysis identifies key interventions: transparent transition planning, skills-based redeployment frameworks, participatory automation design, and hybrid work models that emphasize human-machine complementarity. The article argues that sustainable automation strategies require moving beyond zero-sum displacement narratives toward mutual investment frameworks where technological capability building becomes a shared responsibility. Organizations that proactively recalibrate their employment value propositions demonstrate superior retention, innovation outcomes, and stakeholder trust in technology-intensive environments.

This video discusses the profound and ongoing transformation of the workforce driven by rapid technological advancements, particularly automation and artificial intelligence (AI). This shift is reshaping jobs across industries, replacing routine and repetitive tasks with machines while emphasizing the importance of uniquely human skills such as creativity, empathy, and complex problem solving. Traditional job security, once defined by long-term, stable employment in a single role, is being replaced by a new form of security based on adaptability and lifelong learning. Highlights 🤖 Automation is reshaping jobs across all industries by taking over routine tasks. 💡 Job security now means adaptability and continuous learning, not job permanence. 🏥 Human skills like empathy, creativity, and judgment remain irreplaceable by machines. 📈 Hybrid work models combine human expertise with machine efficiency for better outcomes. 🗣️ Transparent communication reduces employee anxiety during technological change. 🎓 Investing in employee training fosters loyalty and prepares workers for future roles. 🤝 The new employment contract emphasizes lifelong employability and partnership between workers and employers. Key Insights 🤖 Automation transforms tasks, not just jobs: The video stresses that automation often changes job content rather than eliminating entire roles. For example, bank tellers now focus more on complex customer interactions rather than routine transactions. This insight challenges the common fear that machines simply take jobs away, highlighting instead the evolving nature of work where humans and machines collaborate. 🧠 Human skills are the core of future job security: While machines excel at predictable, repetitive tasks, uniquely human abilities such as creativity, empathy, problem-solving, and judgment remain highly valuable and difficult to automate. This means workers who develop and maintain these skills will be more secure and in demand, underscoring the importance of continuous skill development. 💬 Clear, honest communication is critical during transitions: The video highlights how companies that communicate early, honestly, and in detail about changes reduce fear and speculation among employees. Transparency builds trust and prepares workers mentally and practically for transitions, preventing anxiety and disengagement that can harm organizational performance. 🎓 Investment in employee learning is essential: Providing paid training time, high-quality courses, and mentorship programs signals that employees are valued and enables them to adapt to evolving job requirements. This approach not only helps retain institutional knowledge but also boosts morale and willingness to embrace change, leading to a more resilient workforce. 🤝 Worker involvement improves automation outcomes: Engaging frontline workers in the planning and design of automation systems ensures that new tools fit workflows better and address practical challenges early. This participatory approach results in smoother implementation, higher acceptance, and solutions that truly augment human capabilities. ⚖️ Human-machine collaboration optimizes productivity: Instead of viewing automation as a job killer, the video advocates for designing hybrid models where machines handle data-intensive and repetitive tasks while humans focus on judgment, creativity, and empathy. This complementary relationship preserves jobs, improves quality, and accelerates innovation. 🛡️ The social contract of work is evolving: The old promise of lifelong employment is replaced by a commitment to lifelong employability. Employers invest in their workers’ skills and adaptability, while workers commit to ongoing learning. This new contract reflects the realities of a fast-changing technological landscape and fosters a mutually supportive partnership. 🧩 Mental health and well-being must be prioritized: The threat of automation can cause stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, negatively impacting workers’ mental health and organizational knowledge retention. Companies ignoring these human factors risk lower engagement, increased errors, and reputational damage. Supporting workers emotionally is thus crucial for successful technological transitions. 🔄 Continuous learning must become a routine: Because technological change is ongoing, companies should embed learning into the workweek, offering stackable certifications and peer support networks. This transforms skill development from a one-time event into a sustainable habit, enabling workers to keep pace with evolving tools and processes over their careers. 🙌 Fair treatment of displaced workers maintains dignity and trust: When roles are eliminated despite best efforts, companies that provide fair severance, extended benefits, and job search assistance help ease transitions and uphold employee dignity.