Posts Tagged ‘thinking’

I could stop whenever I want to

Monday, April 26th, 2010

You’re addicted to your smartphone.  So what? Isn’t that a pretty socially acceptable compulsion – one that helps you be more efficient and effective? The term “Crackberry” isn’t considered to be universally negative. If you’re hyper-connected, you’re considered to be technologically advanced and in demand.

Perhaps you question whether you’re really addicted. Maybe you really could stop whenever you want to. So why do you break into a cold sweat if you inadvertently leave the house without it? Why can’t you turn it off or ignore it?

What are the downsides to this habit?

You devalue the people around you. If you interrupt conversations to answer email or take calls, you are giving the message that the current activity is less valuable to you than whatever’s happening on your phone.

You lose valuable “stare out the window” time. Constant connection prevents you from devoting blocks of time to thoughtful reflection.This thinking time is a necessary leadership activity – allowing for deep thinking about the strategic priorities that need your attention.

Email, in particular, is addictive. Psychologists are identifying email addiction as a growing problem. People become obsessive about checking email. Receiving satisfying (funny, informative or whatever you find fulfilling) email happens intermittently. That is the most potent kind of habit-forming reinforcement, and what causes some folks to constantly scan their inboxes.  They even have a name for it – “variable ratio reinforcement!”

You think you’re constantly needed. Perhaps the most insidious of the smartphone addiction symptoms is the underlying message of importance. If you’re connected 24/7, it must be because your input is always essential. Recognize that often the issue is yours (I need to be “in the know”) and not theirs. People will survive without you. They even learn to make decisions and grow as leaders without you standing in the way.

Before you come to the conclusion that your smartphone use isn’t a problem, try turning it off a few hours each day. Take a walk. Think expansively. Then come back, refreshed and ready to tackle the work that really does require your time and talent.


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Posted in Communication, Discipline, Strategic | 6 Comments »

Think achieve, then do

Monday, April 5th, 2010

If you don’t know where you’re going, you can never get lost. Herb Cohen

When vacationing, the lack of a defined destination can set the stage for a grand adventure. In our work lives, however, not knowing where you’re going usually spells disaster. How can you best meet your goals and avoid the aimless wandering that wastes everyone’s time and money?

Think achieve, then do. Before you get down to action, focus on what it is you want to achieve. Don’t think about what you want to do, define what you want to accomplish. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Why are we doing this? What is our purpose for doing this work?
  • What result are we trying to achieve? What will change, and how? What will be created or eliminated?
  • When this is done, what will success look like? What impact will it have? On whom and on what?

Think achieve, then do may not come naturally. There are some common barriers to focusing first on what we want to accomplish, including:

Task orientation. You arrive at work and immediately get busy. You check things off your to-do list. It is all too easy to get through an entire work day without thinking about what you are trying to achieve. Don’t take for granted that you know what results and impact you’re striving for. Take some time each day, preferably first thing, to zero in on “think achieve.”

Fuzzy goals. You may think you know what you’re trying to accomplish and why. But do others share the same picture? Talk about it to ensure that you and your teammates have a common vision around what will be achieved -  a shared definition of success. Pretend you’re traveling to the future and that you’ve accomplished your mission. What does the world look like? Who or what has changed? What spin-off effects can you imagine?

I “should.” Think achieve, then do requires focus and a direct connection between what you want to accomplish and what you think and do each day. When you say, “I really should…(exercise daily, call my customers more frequently, take my son to dinner…), do you really have any intention of doing it? If so, do it. If not, “I should” is a distraction from a laser-like focus on what you really want to get done.

Lack of realism. If your picture of success is complex, break it into discrete, manageable chunks that you can accomplish over time.

Lost focus. Use reminders that help you keep your eye on the ball.  Post a list of what you want to achieve in a spot where you’ll see it regularly. Find a meaningful picture that represents what you want to accomplish. Create a theme song. Set up automated reminders on your phone or computer. The key is to put your desired results front and center to keep you on track.

Not doing. It’s one thing to get pumped up about what you want to achieve. It’s another to hunker down and get it done. Resist the urge to do it all yourself. Assemble others with a vested interest and divide duties. Decide how you’ll move forward, monitor progress and hold one another accountable.

Charting a course to a future reality can be exhilarating. It also requires a tolerance for risk, since the journey to your ultimate destination will include some surprises. Mark Twain said to succeed in life you need two things – ignorance and confidence. You may not know exactly what lies ahead, but start your trip today by figuring out what is you really want to achieve. Then get packing and enjoy the ride.

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When facing a crisis, think wider!

Monday, March 29th, 2010

You’re facing a crisis and working hard not to panic. Sure, it’s not your first emergency, and you survived the others. What tools can you use this time to not only survive, but maintain clear thinking in the midst of chaos?

Use situational awareness. Law enforcement officers, who deal with life-or-death situations, are trained to avoid cognitive blindness. That’s what happens when we face a threat. We focus in on the one thing that’s giving us trouble. Officers are trained to develop situational awareness or the ability to  mentally widen out. Think of it as a camera lens that pulls back to wide angle. Rather than focusing your thinking on the narrow threat, expand to take in the larger picture.

To broaden your thinking, ask these questions:

  • What are the peripheral issues that have an impact on this crisis?
  • What other industries might we learn from?
  • What other situations have we been involved with that might inform our actions?

To deepen your thinking, ask:

  • What are the potential outcomes of the situation now? In the future?
  • What other perspectives aren’t we considering?
  • What data are we using to make a decision?
  • What other data point to a different conclusion?
  • What assumptions are we making, even without being consciously aware of them?

Try the rule of six. When things go bad, we want to quickly zero in on “the answer.” Judy Sorum Brown shares the rule of six, which was taught to her by Paula Underwood, a Native American leader and author. Basically, this means that we come up with at least 6 possible answers to our problem. The most challenging aspect of the rule of 6 is that you must hold each of those 6 answers in your head and not immediately choose from among them. This allows you to be open to a wider range of thoughts and perspectives. As you discuss and examine all 6 without judging, you are able to be a true systems thinker, without having to champion “your” idea.

We all want to be like Henry Kissinger, who said, “There cannot be a crisis today; my schedule is already full.” Like it or not, you’ll face predicaments that must be solved. Giving yourself (and your team) a wider head space in which to think will mean a better solution. And because it’s the best resolution to the problem, you probably won’t have to deal with that same crisis again. Good riddance.

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Posted in Creativity, Decision-making, Decisiveness, Discipline, Leadership, Strategic, crisis | 2 Comments »

Easy = True, and Why it Matters to You

Friday, February 12th, 2010

abc-blocksDrake Bennett published an article in the Boston Globe’s online edition titled Easy=True: How ‘cognitive fluency’ shapes what we believe, how we invest, and who will become a supermodel. He cites psychological research on cognitive fluency, defined as the measure of how easy it is to think about something. This research indicates that fluency impacts what we buy, what we believe, who we vote for and how we feel about others.

Researchers believe that fluency is adaptive, that it helps us be successful as a species. For example, fluency includes a preference for the familiar. This ensured that we ate familiar (nonpoisonous) plants and avoided unfamiliar, dangerous creatures.

The problems with fluency occur when we don’t factor it into the ways we process messages and communicate with others. We can be unaware of the influence of fluency on our own judgments, and we can miss opportunities to utilize fluency when we want to share information with others.

How can cognitive fluency work for you?

To “sell” your message, keep it simple. Ideas that are easier to think about are more memorable and more believable. Use simple terminology that is familiar to your audience. People will not only remember it more easily, they will be more prone to believe it. Rhyming phrases are more believable than those that don’t rhyme, even if the words mean the same thing.

Use repetition. Seeing or hearing something multiple times helps people remember your message. This bias for the familiar also creates positive associations. People like familiar things, even if they really are no better than the alternative.

Be a better listener by “closing the loop” with clear, simple words. You’re listening carefully, but to be sure you are both on the same page, restate the message in your own words – using plain language to summarize your understanding.

To encourage deep thinking about an issue, use more complex or unfamiliar words. Use the opposite of fluency – disfluency – if you want people to think abstractly or profoundly on a topic. More complex wording, unusual word combinations or even a less readable font encourage our brains to get out of intuitive mode and think deeply.

To help people feel confident, have them list only a few reasons they’ll be successful. Generating a long list of positive attributes gets challenging, and that difficulty encourages the person to think more negatively. Because they have to work hard, they subconsciously conclude that they’re not so great after all.

Resist the urge to manipulate using cognitive fluency. Cognitive fluency can be used for good or for less-than-honorable purposes. Be open and transparent in what you are doing and why. For example, tell people why you’re using certain terms – either to help them think deeply or to make your message more memorable.

Research continues to reinforce the idea that we make judgments and decisions based on more than just the cold facts. The moral of the story is to think critically about the myriad of inputs you process each day. Are your likes and dislikes well-reasoned, or are they simply a reflection of what is easy for you think about?


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How crowded is your brain?

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

j0438747You’re doing a high-stakes presentation and need to be articulate and compelling. In a perfect world, you’d have a laser-like focus on the task at hand. In the real world, you’re working hard to hold other thoughts at bay.

There’s the dismal sales report to explain to your boss. A talented-but-green direct report needs more of your time. You’ve been on the road so long that you are more familiar with the airport gate agents that with your family. These topics and more keep drifting to mind – taking up valuable neurological space that you need to communicate your message well.

How do you manage your crowded brain and maintain focus?

Monitor your mind’s Task Manager. If you use a PC, you’re probably familiar with the Windows Task Manager. It’s the handy tool you access when you simultaneously hit Ctrl+Alt+Del. It shows the processes and applications running and how much capacity they’re using. When you need to concentrate, make a quick list of issues that intrude. Then you can figure out how to clear out the thoughts that will interfere with achieving your objective.

Put aside what you can’t do anything about. The first group of mental intrusions to cast aside are the things you can’t impact. These are the issues that you can’t control, impact or manage for. These might include your boss’s leadership style, an past event or the stock market. Visualize a bank vault. Mentally lock those topics in the vault.

Take quick action to get things off your plate. Email your assistant to  schedule meetings with the boss and direct report. Call home. Make a to-do list. Do something to quickly get momentum on your nagging issues. Then set them aside.

Eliminate interruptions. Don’t allow incoming texts, emails or calls to derail your focus and add to your mental clutter. Although you may not be familiar with it, all electronic devices have an OFF setting.

To do your best work, you must give yourself permission to be fully present in the current moment. There’s an old saying: If you chase two rabbits, both will escape. How many mental rabbits are you chasing right now?

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Creativity: Not just for the artsy anymore

Friday, May 15th, 2009

thinking-out-of-the-boxBuzz phrases like “thinking outside the box,” “paradigm shifting” or “find a new perspective” can be categorized as creative thinking. I used to think that creative was not a word that applied to me. I don’t paint, sing, sculpt or even mime. So I would have scored myself pretty low on creativity, and frankly, it wouldn’t have concerned me too much.

But not thinking creatively? That’s bad news. In this economy (and actually in any economy), we need people who can operate outside of expected parameters.  Even Albert Einstein was on the creativity bandwagon. He referred to it as “daring speculation.”

Successful companies know that their products and their customer service can’t just be good. Every interaction is an opportunity to delight and surprise – and that takes constant inventiveness.

So, if you think you’re creativity impaired, what do you do?

Spend time cultivating creativity. Rather than a useless indulgence, this is time well-spent. Some focused effort – even just a few minutes a day- can boost your imagination.

Budget thinking time. One of the most helpful ways to foster inspiration is to think. This may sound obvious, but we can get so caught up in doing that we forget about thinking. Give yourself 15 minutes of just pondering (not multi-tasking); your insights may surprise you.

Read around. Don’t limit your reading to industry-specific books and periodicals. Read stuff that has no direct connection with your work. Originality comes when you’re exposed to a wide variety of ideas.

Examine your assumptions. Scrutinize the things you feel strongly about. Suspend your perceptions and beliefs and play around with alternative hypotheses. You may not change your mind, but you will probably open it a bit. And you’ll exercise your brain, making it fluid and nimble enough to tackle the next challenge.

Write it down. Even if you don’t keep a full-flung journal, keep track of your ideas – in a small notebook, your i-phone or other mobile device. What may seem like a mundane thought today could be a breakthrough tomorrow.

You may not be a budding artist, but you can find ways to break out of your established patterns and become more innovative. Being more creative can pay off for your career – and enrich the rest of your life too.

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Think and act strategically

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

focusAre you finding it hard to get out of the details of your to-do list to focus on thinking and acting strategically? If you spend your time just trying to fight fires, you’re not spending time on what matters most, the stuff that will really drive success.

What does it look like when you’re strategically focused?

You align your work with the organization’s identity and goals. Is your organization a leading edge innovator, a quick adaptor or one that excels at solid, time-tested best practices? If you are thinking and acting strategically, you know the answer and coordinate your actions accordingly.

You are nimble. Although your organization’s identity doesn’t vary, specific goals and/or strategies may need to change quickly and often. You constantly reassess threats and opportunities to achieve success.

You learn continuously. You look inside and outside your industry, listen to customers and pay attention to your competitors to keep abreast of change.

You refuse to do things that don’t drive success. There are lots of activities that eat time but don’t translate into achieving the organization’s goals. You just say NO!

You involve others. Strategic thinking and action isn’t just for top leadership. You communicate regularly about strategic issues to peers, direct reports and your boss to ensure that everyone knows the direction and how they can support it.

Now is the time to lift yourself out of the minutia of the day and focus clearly on the ever-changing, dynamic future. Scary? Maybe. Exciting? Definitely!

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Resilience: Bounce back in a crisis

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

jump“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet,” said Helen Keller. Leaders today should be full of character, given the challenges we face. What helps some people weather the storms, while others lose their way? Resilience – that ability to fall down and get back up, stronger and better equipped to handle the next problem.

Resilience isn’t stoic toughness, but an ability to take the pain, learn from it and bounce back. True resilience is fed by a reservoir of spiritual, emotional and physical resources. You build resilience when you:

Make connections. Nurture your relationships at home and at work. Though it can be challenging to find the time, schedule check-ins with your support system and don’t allow this time to be co-opted by other tasks.

Help others. Do something for someone else on a regular basis. Studies have shown that helping others improves your mental health. Plus, you’ll keep your own problems in perspective.

Control your thoughts. Yes, you can control your thoughts. Not in a new-age, mantra repeating way. Simply slow down enough to recognize the interior dialogue; then replace negative thoughts with something more positive. Rather than thinking, “I’ll never get through this,” think, “This too shall pass.”

Treat your body with respect. In times of stress, we turn to comfort food, comfort beverages and comfort TV. What we really need is to ramp up our efforts to care for our bodies – eat and drink wisely, and exercise to ease stress. Think about how you can reward yourself for treating your body like the temple it is.

Fast forward. George Burns said, “I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” Hard times aren’t here to stay. Focus on where you’re going, and take steps now to make those expectations a reality.

No one, not even a resilient person,  is immune to stress and anxiety. Resilience is what makes you put down that bag of potato chips, turn off the TV and get back to work.

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Being decisive…or maybe not

Friday, February 13th, 2009

42-15181409In 50 DOs for Everyday Leadership* we talk about the importance of making decisions when they are needed. (That would be DO#6 for those of you are are wise to the DOs.) Being decisive is not only a strategic part of the “leader job;” it’s a big part of building trust. The people around you need to know that you’ll be ready to make the right decisions at the right time.

Please note that we didn’t say “make all the decisions all the time.” (For those of you prone to “leadership as dictatorship,” we’ll try to address this in a future posting!)

For some people, decisions don’t come easy. For the decision-challenged, we find these strategies to be helpful:

Fake it til you make it. Instead of labeling yourself as indecisive, replace that internal dialogue with, “I am a decisive person.” (Do NOT follow this by looking in the mirror and saying, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”)

Solve the right problem. Before making a decision, examine the root cause(s) of the problem by asking 3 “why” questions. A (perhaps overly) simple example: My shower head isn’t powerful enough. Why? It seems to be clogged. Why? The water is hard. Why? My water softener isn’t working properly. Why? No salt.

Get it down on paper. Once you know the root cause, jot down everything you can think of about the problem and possible decision alternatives. Who’s involved, what do others know, what is unknown, how long it’s been happening, etc.

Sleep on it. Don’t expect big AHAs right away. Let your thoughts slowly percolate, preferably overnight. Your brain will continue processing on its own, and you might be surprised at some of the new information you can add 12 hours later.

Keep an open mind. It’s human nature to look for evidence that confirms what our gut is telling us. Consciously seek out opposing opinions and information that contradicts your gut. Your decision will be stronger for it.

Life is uncertain, so don’t wait to know everything. Sometimes you need to leap, even when you can’t pin down all of the facts. If you’ve followed the steps above, you’ll be in much better shape to not only decide, but to deal with the consequences of your decision.

Remember, not deciding is deciding. Enough said.

* 50 DOs for Everyday Leadership: Practical Lessons Learned the Hard Way (So You Don’t Have To) was written by Humanergy’s John Barrett, David Wheatley and Lynn Townsend. For more information, check out our website at www.humanergy.com or call us at 269.789.0446.

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