Doug Noll is a well-known consultant to executives and entrepreneurs. He gives them essentially the same advice that the Wizard of Ads has been giving you for the past 32 years: “Win the heart, and the mind will follow.”

Doug Noll says that strong leadership begins with the understanding of a simple truth: People are emotional beings, and their nervous systems shape how they respond at work. “Employers,” he tells roving reporter Rotbart, “should stop thinking of their staff as rational, and recognize instead how strongly their emotions drive their actions and decisions on the job.” Doug says that leaders who understand this fundamental truth reduce workplace conflict and get more productive results from their people.