Most leaders don’t get the luxury of calm, controlled conditions. They’re making decisions in motion, juggling complexity, and responding to constant demands. In that kind of environment, pressure isn’t an exception; it’s the norm. 

But under pressure, the brain doesn’t always support the kind of leadership teams need. It prioritises speed, safety, and habit. It moves fast to protect, not to reflect. And in that rush, it often drives behaviours that feel right in the moment but quietly limit performance over time. 

Neuroscience helps explain this. Research from Joseph LeDoux and Matthew Lieberman shows that we operate with two distinct systems: one reactive and fast, the other reflective and deliberate. Beyond the theory, these systems directly shape how leaders respond, especially in a high-stakes environment. 

In this article, we explore the link between these two systems and The Triple Goal’s Red and Green Zone framework. We’ll look at why certain behaviours emerge under stress, how they impact team dynamics, and what leaders can do to shift from reactive to intentional.

Because in high-pressure leadership, behaviour isn’t just personal. It’s cultural. And the brain drives more of it than most leaders realise.

 

Two Brains, One Leader

Every leader has access to two internal systems for making sense of the world and responding to it. Neuroscientists Joseph LeDoux and Matthew Lieberman describe these systems using different language, but their findings point in the same direction. 

LeDoux identified two neurological pathways that process emotion: 

• The “low road” sends information directly from the thalamus to the amygdala. It moves quickly, often triggering fear or defensiveness before a person has time to think.

• The “high road” routes that same information through the prefrontal cortex. It’s slower, more deliberate, and allows space for interpretation, regulation, and choice.

 

Lieberman describes something similar: 

• The “X-System” handles fast, reflexive processing. It’s efficient and automatic.

• The “C-System” is reflective. It supports reasoning, values alignment, and conscious decision-making. 

 

Both models describe a tension between two parts of the brain: one that reacts, and one that reflects. Both have value. Both serve a purpose. But they lead to very different kinds of leadership behaviour.

In the context of the Leadership Growth Profile, the fast brain maps to Red Zone patterns. These include habits like control, avoidance, or people-pleasing. The slow brain supports Green Zone behaviours, such as listening, perspective-taking, and empowering others.

These systems aren’t flaws to fix. They’re built-in pathways the brain uses to protect and perform. Leaders who understand how these systems work are better equipped to notice their own defaults and shift toward more intentional ways of leading.

 

Red Zone Leadership: A Fast Brain Reaction 

The fast brain exists for one reason: protection. It evolved to help us react quickly in high-stakes situations. For leaders, that wiring still operates. But instead of reacting to physical danger, it shows up in moments of uncertainty, risk, or identity threat. 

Common triggers for the fast brain include: 

• Time pressure

• Fear of failure or exposure

• Challenges to status or authority

• Moments of ambiguity or high stakes 

 

In these situations, the brain prioritises speed over reflection. It moves quickly to reduce discomfort and restore a sense of control. That’s when Red Zone patterns emerge.

These patterns reflect three biological stress responses: freeze or fawn, fight, and flight. They often emerge automatically under stress and fall into the following core Red Zone areas.: 

Approval

Driven by the need to be valued and accepted, this Red Zone area shows up as people-pleasing, passivity, or a reluctance to challenge others. Leaders may seek affirmation by enabling poor behaviour or positioning themselves as the expert, even when collaboration is needed.

Control 

This pattern stems from the drive to do excellent work and maintain independence. Under pressure, it can harden into dominance, perfectionism, or inflexibility. Leaders may push too hard, overlook others’ perspectives, and lose their human connection in pursuit of control.

Security 

Rooted in the desire for safety, this Red Zone often leads to withdrawal, caution, or defensiveness. Leaders may hesitate to act, avoid risk, or shut down curiosity. The result is slower decisions and missed opportunities for growth.

 

These responses are not intentional. They are fast brain defaults that once served a purpose. Many Red Zone behaviours helped leaders succeed earlier in their careers. For example, an “Approval” behaviour like avoiding conflict might have maintained good peer relationships or helped them advance without friction.

The problem is that under the weight of leadership, those same habits stop serving them and begin to limit their impact on others.

When the fast brain drives leadership, teams feel it. Trust becomes cautious. Learning slows. People stop speaking up or taking initiative. Over time, these moments create a culture of reactivity.

The fast brain isn’t irrational. It’s efficient. It scans for risk and acts quickly. But leadership often requires something different. It asks for presence, curiosity, and deliberate action. The fast brain isn’t designed for those things.

Without awareness, these patterns repeat. Not because the danger is still there, but because the habit remains. That’s what makes Red Zone leadership both common and costly.

 

Green Zone Leadership: A Slow Brain Response 

The slow brain operates from the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, reflection, and emotional regulation. Unlike the fast brain, which reacts, the slow brain responds. It pauses, considers context, and chooses action based on values and long-term outcomes. 

When leaders activate this part of the brain, they tap into the core capacities that support Green Zone leadership. These include:

• Regulating emotion instead of reacting to it

• Taking a perspective and considering multiple viewpoints

• Making decisions guided by principles rather than pressure 

 

Rather than abstract skills, these are the foundations of how effective leaders behave under stress. In the Leadership Growth Profile, Green Zone leadership is defined by behaviours that consistently drive high performance, learning agility, and workplace joy; the outcomes known as the Triple Goal.

These behaviours are grouped into three core areas and six specific practices:

Align 

Leaders in this area focus on building clarity and trust. They align people behind a shared purpose and model the values they expect from others. The two Align practices are Inspire a Vision and Lead from Values.

Achieve

This area reflects how leaders create momentum and performance. They set clear standards for behaviour and outcomes, hold themselves and others accountable, and celebrate progress. The two Achieve practices are Drive Accountability and Engage the Heart.

Grow

Grow behaviours support innovation and continuous learning. Leaders coach individuals, invite new thinking, and create environments where learning sticks. The two Grow practices are Beginner’s Mind and Empower Others.

 

Green Zone practices come from choice rather than instinct. The slow brain takes more energy to engage. It requires self-awareness and practice. But when leaders use it consistently, the benefits ripple outward.

Teams respond to Green Zone leadership with initiative, openness, and resilience. They feel safer to take risks, raise concerns, and share ideas. Performance improves not because pressure increases, but because the environment becomes stronger.

Green Zone leadership comes from leaders who’ve learned how to slow down their response enough to choose something better. That choice, made again and again, builds cultures of clarity, trust, and momentum.

 

Why Fast Brain Wins More Often Than You Think 

Even experienced leaders with strong intentions and clear values can find themselves acting out of habit in high-stakes moments.

The fast brain fires first. Neuroscience shows that the reflexive system (the part of the brain wired for speed and protection) activates within milliseconds. It moves quickly to interpret threat, assign meaning, and drive immediate action. The reflective brain, responsible for thoughtful response, needs more time and more space to engage.

Stress makes that harder. When pressure is high, blood flow shifts away from the prefrontal cortex and toward areas of the brain designed for rapid survival. Leaders often feel a strong sense of urgency, but lose access to perspective and self-regulation.

Familiarity reinforces the cycle. If certain behaviours have worked in the past, the brain stores them as efficient solutions. Over time, these behaviours become the default. This isn’t because they’re the best option, but because they feel familiar and fast.

In these moments, many leaders don’t realise they’ve moved into reactive mode. The decision feels instinctive. The meeting keeps moving. The deadline gets met. But the long-term effects begin to accumulate.

Without clear feedback, these patterns are hard to spot. The fast brain protects, performs, and persuades, but often at the cost of presence and long-term effectiveness. To shift behaviour, leaders need visibility. They need structured insight into what’s showing up, how it’s received, and how it shapes the environment around them.

 

From Default to Deliberate: How the Leadership Growth Profile Helps Leaders Shift 

Understanding the fast and slow brain gives leaders a powerful framework. But understanding alone rarely leads to change. Most leadership habits are automatic, shaped by past experience and repeated under pressure. That’s why visibility matters. 

An advanced leadership assessment like the Leadership Growth Profile helps make these patterns observable. It shows leaders where fast brain reactions are showing up — often in ways they didn’t realise. These can include:

• Moments of pressure where behaviour becomes reactive

• Differences in how a leader shows up across relationships

• Specific Red Zone tendencies that feel normal but create drag 

 

The Leadership Growth Profile also captures where slow brain practices are already working. It identifies the Green Zone behaviours that support trust, ownership, and clarity, and pinpoints where those habits can be reinforced.

Several features make this possible:

• A focus on observable, behaviour-based feedback

• Multi-rater input that includes peers, direct reports, and managers

• A structured model that maps leadership behaviour to both Red and Green Zone patterns 

 

With this kind of insight, leaders can begin to shift. Not in theory, but in the moment. With coaching and support, they learn to pause, reflect, and act with intention, even under pressure.

 

Leadership Development Is a Brain-Based Practice 

The fast brain helps us survive. The slow brain helps us lead. Red Zone behaviours are instinctive, especially under stress. Green Zone behaviours, on the other hand, are intentional. They require both presence and practice. 

The strongest leaders aren’t the ones who move the fastest, but the ones who can regulate their response. That level of self-awareness doesn’t come automatically. It comes through insight, repetition, and support. So ask yourself: What brain are you leading from? And what kind of culture is it creating?

Ready to see what your leadership patterns are really signalling? Explore the Leadership Growth Profile to uncover how your behaviours shape culture, and where small shifts could unlock lasting impact.