"Going Out of Your Mind"

I was listening recently to a TEDtalk where the person who had done research on the subject of happiness, creativity and human fulfillment shared an interesting piece of his findings: The human brain can only take in about 110 bits of information/second. Only? That still sounds like a lot to me.  He went on further to say that if we really want to understand what is said or being presented to us, the number goes down to 60 bits of information/second.

Now imagine that you're trying to work a problem through. You're sitting in your office, trying to come up with a solution, writing up a plan that you have to deliver to the board of directors, etc.  Phone rings and someone has a problem they need your input on. You hang up and try to get back to where you were. Someone knocks on your door and discusses something else. More information taking up prime RAM in your working memory. The truth about our brains is that we actually have a shockingly short amount of time each day (about 1-2 hours) to focus enough do the very analytical heavy lifting performed by the prefrontal cortex. You have all sorts of incoming information that is battling for a piece of this real estate. It tires easily. So you sit there and you realize, you're stuck. You keep looping back through the same thoughts or you don't have any good thoughts at all that propel you forward. Then, as deadlines approach and you still have nothing, something else begins to happen in your brain that works against you...a triggered threat response which releases chemicals like cortisol. This interloper begins to wash over your brain and your ability to learn as well as solve complex problems starts to take a nose-dive. It is scientifically known in neuroscience circles that intuition and low-level cognition are involved in complex problem-solving and innovation. Focus too much in the conscious areas and you are "over-thinking" and going nowhere fast which again amps up your cortisol. There's only one thing to do: Get out of your head.

When I get calls from people who are just so flustered and frustrated with all the plates they have spinning and all the information and tasks they have to deal with, they'll often say to me, "I'm going out of my mind here!" To which I reply, "Good. Keep going." The best way to lower the cortisol, activate the dopamine (good chemical associated with pleasure and one of the chemicals that helps with problem solving) is to stop overtaxing the conscious brain activity. The idea here is to lower the neural activity that's working against us. The best way to do this is to do something novel, creative, physical or meditative. Anything to get our of our prefrontal cortex and into other areas of our brain and subconscious. Studies indicate that we solve 60% of the problems we face without knowing how we solved them. We claim, "it just came to me." Often answers and solutions come to us after a good sleep, physical exercise, engaging in artistic expression or observation or even meditation. The unconscious is a powerful ally. It accesses various areas of our brain and memory and pieces things together in a way that bubbles up to our conscious and that's how we have our Aha! moments. As it turns out, very few of our problems get resolved in our prefrontal cortex.

So, what can you do as a leader to get through problem solving yourself and with your team? Is your office building on expansive property, close to a park, a museum? One exercise is to go to a museum and find a painting or sculpture and just observe it and notice what you're observing, feeling, experiencing. Don't be surprised if it connects to your issue and ideas start to flow. Play a game, take a walk in a park. The point is get yourself and your team out of the office and out of your minds. You will engage your people and their minds in a very powerful way that may just shift the way you think about thinking!

Leading in the "Age of And"

Cirque de Soleil - entertainment
Apple's iPhone – communication/connectedness
Southwest Airlines - transportation
 
What do these three consumer services/products have in common? They represent what emerges from what I call And-type thinking as opposed to Either/Or. Let's take a closer look…
 
Cirque de Soleil. In a nutshell, back in mid 1980s the entertainment industry was going from simmer to rapid boil and the circus…well, it was dying. Electronic games were capturing the minds and hearts of children (and the wallets of their parents). Additionally, more noise was being made about the use of animals in circus acts by the animal rights movement. At this time, a man named Guy Laliberté decided to combine two worlds: The Circus and The Theater. He then took the key/best elements of the circus: The excitement of daring acts, the tent-like environment and the clowns and combined them with the engaging aspects of Theater: story lines, visual artistry, multiple productions. It masterfully blends and plays to the entertainment level for children and the intellectual artistry and themed storytelling for adults.
 
Apple's iPhone. Steve Jobs is the master of integrative thinking that has lead to historical innovation that has changed the way we interact, purchase, communicate…and dare I say, to some extent, live. He took the technology of cell phones and iPods and PCs and combined it in the palm of our hand making any information, music and communication only a few taps away. This kind of thinking isn't what he does; it's part of who he is and what drives the thinking of his employees and the extraordinary results they produce.
 
Southwest Airlines. The great minds at this company decided that the current playbook and business models for the airlines wasn't working. So they decided to look outside the industry for inspiration. They combined the low cost of car transportation which doesn't offer meals, lounges, seating class choices or hub connectivity (all of which contribute to higher airfares) and the speed, friendly service and frequent departures of airlines. Southwest achieved a giant hike in value with a low cost model by thinking AND; not either/or.

Either/Or...
Either we do this my way or your way.
Either close down this business unit to save money or keep it open and save jobs
Either take a cut in pay or leave
 
Either/Or...We've heard them since we were kids...
"Either eat your vegetables or go to your room!"
"Either do your homework now or you can't watch TV!"
 
When you say it and hear it, doesn't it sound like a door slamming shut? Well, it is. It's the door to our minds closing out the possibilities of finding common ground, creating better solutions, exploring new and better options, bridging formerly insurmountable differences and ultimately making better choices.
 
What would it be like if we evolved from the Era of Either/Or and advanced into the Age of And? What would that sound like? What kind of leader would that make you? What kind of engagement would you get from your staff? How could that make life different for you right now?

The Boiled Frog

You may have heard of this term. I know it conjures up an image you might find on a menu in a strange land but it is actually a well known analogy having to do with how small gradual changes can accumulate and sneak up on us. Before we know it we're asking ourselves, "How did I get here?" The lesson of the Boiled Frog is this: If you put a frog in warm water it will jump out because it still has the strength in its legs to do so. If, however, you put the frog in warm water and s-l-o-w-l-y turn up the heat, its leg muscles will grow too weak to save itself.

In their book, Executive Stamina, father and son team Marty and Joshua Seldman discuss the traps, and ways to avoid or get out of them, that face executives. Many of them echo the theme of my past articles in that it is about how executives think about their responsibilities, their priorities, their values, etc. that drives them to make choices that can slowly over time boil their strength and endurance until they can no longer get themselves out of that state let alone deal effectively while in it.
 
But where does one begin when you feel the heat rising? When you don't feel like you have the strength to jump out of the boiling water? You begin where it always begins...with your values. What do you care about? The idea here is to achieve alignment and congruency between your personal values and life and your professional values and life. When there is a disconnect, priorities of family, relationships and commitments start to slide off the plate and you find yourself apologizing more and more and the receivers of your apologies find that it means less and less.
 
Pick up this book and do yourself, your family, your career, your team and your organization a favor and go through it. Don't wait until you are feeling the temperature rising...get ahead of it. Take the time to reflect on what your priorities are in all facets of your life and how you can give appropriate time to them by thinking differently about how to do so. For example, how about bundling them together? Do you wish you exercised more, hung out with your kids and your spouse, spent more time in that beautiful park down the street? Grab your bikes and make a family outing--exercise, family time and seeing the park all in one shot. They also address how to advance your career, protect your calendar and how important it is to get clarity around what is expected of you in all areas of your life. This helps you with the "I can do that" syndrome which can end up as "How am I gonna do that?"
 
One of the walls executives also run into is taking on more than they can do. This requires a reality check. One thing humans are very poor at doing is accurately assessing how much time something they say yes to is going to take. "Could you please be a coach of the soccer team?" Sure! "We would love to have you serve on our board of directors?" Would love to! Couple that with not knowing how to say a positive no or delegate and you are on your way to creating a span of time during which your kids will have no recollection of you in their lives when they think back. Blank. Nada. Zip.  I know. This happened with my father and I. (I am glad to report that he made a massive career change in his mid-40's because of this growing chasm in our family, and was able to be more present as well as more satisfied in his job. Today, we have a very close and abiding relationship.) You don't have to leave your job, but you do have to get your priorities straight, know when and how to say no and make definitive decisions you stick to.
 
Another area that the Seldmans talk about how to get from where you are to a better place. They talk about setting minimums. These are goals that you know you can commit to and meet. Many people, and you know who you are, set these fantastic goals and expect to go from never doing something to doing it 4 times a week. Take getting home on time, for example. You make a bold statement and drive a stake in the ground declaring, "I'm going to be home and eat with my family 4 nights a week and turn my blackberry off." Right, how many times have you done that in the last year? Uh, zero? Let's get real. Start small. You can always do more but seek to consistently meet your minimums first for 30 consecutive days. Then adjust up. Remember you're going to be setting minimums in several areas of your life so make sure you can follow through. This teaches the brain to build new neural connections as you make decisions throughout the day that will support your ability to keep to your commitments. Most importantly, it will make you (and others) feel good that you are keeping your commitments.
 
At this point, you also need to be aware of what Joshua and Marty call "shifts and drifts". These are flags that tell you when you're slowly moving away from your goals (drifts-think boiled frog) and when things around you-events, relationships, industry- shift. This requires you to respond and think about how these changes are potentially going to impact your values and priorities and what you choose to do about them.
 
The idea behind what I'm saying here, and so are the Seldmans, is to build a reliable framework to use to help you sort out life and all the things that come with it. To help you maintain that alignment, authenticity and quality. It's not a one and done thing either. Just like business owners must create a business plan that doesn't mean they don't keep revisiting it to see if it's still relevant and working for them or if it require some tweaks. Our external world and internal experiences of dealing with that world are always in flux and therefore it is a great idea to have a way to pull off the road once in a while and see if all systems are still functioning well or are we beginning to overheat. Check out this book and let me know what you think.


First Follower: The Person Every Leader Needs To Build Engagement & Momentum

If you're like most leaders, you are facing the prospect of having to keep up with an economy and competitive landscape that's volatile, uncertain, complex and in motion. Not only that, you also are tasked with finding the right solutions and implementing them to keep your boss and/or shareholders happy, key talent in place and your career on track. Sometimes, you start to think it would take you doing something really whacky to make that happen...to ignite a fire underneath your people who seem frozen in place by learned helplessness. But you start to worry about putting yourself out there...and if you start to think about actually acting on that crazy idea you've been nurturing for the last 6 months, this voice begins to whisper a chilling possibility in your mind....

"What if no one follows you?" (Cue the primal scream)

Now stop reading and go to this link and listen to this 3 minute video. Then come on back...go on, I'll wait.

Okay, so what did you learn? Did you notice that the key is the first follower who turns someone who others think is two clicks left of center into someone worth following? Now, of course, the kinds of decisions you have to face as an executive will not be solved by doing a goofy dance in the middle of a park, (if only it were that simple and fun). However, if the situation, urgency and conditions are ripe to start a movement that will drive people toward a necessary goal or shift a culture, here are some thoughts about getting people moving in the direction you want:
(Psst! Some of this concept is spoken about in the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so.)

1. You need to be or find a leader who has the courage to stand by an idea and a plan that may be, shall we say, "non-traditional" and put it out there even if it means you are alone for a while. That alone takes guts, commitment... and a Plan B if it doesn't work out. Only kidding about the Plan B...sort of.

2. You need a first follower or even followers. These people are key, as the speaker explains. The most critical piece of these first followers is how you treat them. Derek Sivers said, "You must embrace them as equals.", as our dancing leader in the video did. This is the person who says, "Hey, it's okay, come on and join us." This is the person who influences others to contribute actively. You can see how he waves them into the crowd. And you can see how it takes off from there. That's because the first followers do something critical to influence the thinking of the people on the sidelines: They lower the risk of loss and danger in standing out. First followers make it safer to take a shot at greatness, doing something never done before.

First followers are what can potentially turn you, who is at first seen as a "candidate for a long vacation", into a visionary worth following and helping to achieve their goal. It can help to talk to those who you believe will join you and step up quickly after you initiate or announce your idea or plan. You may also get some good ideas from them that will help get needed engagement and momentum.

3. You need to be or find a leader who is willing to let go... to turn over the leadership to the first followers because they will determine largely how subsequent followers behave. Did you hear this idea of treating the first followers as equals? Interesting. Did you notice how the leader "disappeared" but you can be sure he was still dancing. It didn't matter that others took over and did some new moves. The leader let the momentum keep going and building. Soon it was uncool to not be with the in-crowd contributing to the experience.

As Derek Sivers says, leadership can be given more credit than its due sometimes and this can be true. While leaders usually get the credit for making something positive happen (because they will get the blame when it doesn't) it is in fact the first followers and those who follow them who often get others' buy-in and tactical traction that turns a radical idea into an actual implemented solution.

This is not to minimize the necessity or value of leaders...this is a timeless cautionary tale however: Too much control can lead the best ideas onto the rocks where they splinter apart. Leadership has many layers and to be most masterful you need to know when to have your hands on the wheel directing the course and when to hand it over and to whom, always making sure you stay engaged to help the team weather the rough seas and stay on course...pull this off well and people will consider that joining you in your goofy dance was one of the best decisions they made.

Is there a movement you want to start?


I Can('t) See Clearly Now (April 2010)

You know you've had this experience. You're asked by someone how to do something that you have done successfully yourself. You explain: Well first you have to do this, then follow it up with that, then just finish it up by doing this. It'll work like a charm. The person then thanks you and makes their attempt at the first step and then can't make it to step two. What happened? You told them how to do it didn't you? ....or did you merely tell them what to do?

In a great article written by Michael E. Raynor, who collaborated with Clayton Christensen on the book, "The Innovator's Dilemma", the fine but distinctive line that separates what from how is explored. Understanding the elements of each and how they are different is to hold in your hands the keys to unlocking the mystery of what keeps people from doing what you want them to do by transfering the how effectively.

Many times, we explain our version of how which only ends up sounding like a what to others because we are making our way through the steps as someone who already knows how to complete the task. We may also possess higher or different abilities than the recipient of the instruction which enables us to connect the dots of how to get the job done. Without consideration for the other person's experience and skills, your direction would be as helpful to them as trying to teach a trumpeter how to play a cello by explaining the nuances of bowing. The trumpeter is talented to be sure but not on the cello. He has no frame of skill reference for the basics let alone the nuance of bowing.

This is a mistake leaders (and most people) make over and over. We make assumptions that just because someone has been promoted to a very high position that they must get it, be a quick study, and can come up to speed with little instruciton. All they need is a cursory explanation when that is not always the case. And just imagine the anxiety it produces in that person when the "boss" has explained something and the receiver doesn't get it. I mean really, who can they ask? I can't tell you how many executives I've talked to that would rather drag their body over broken glass than ask their superior to explain it again or more clearly. There is so much that is assumed and left for interpretation or completely left out. Then, of course, the person tries to get it done and either spends so much time figuring it out, does it wrong or delays it that the superior gets angry. Same thing happens with teachers, parents, children and spouses...all the time.

As Mr. Raynor explained in his article, a way to look at this is, "when you have explained to people how to do something they are able to do it." Seems obvious doesn't it. If we watch a cooking show that says the chef is going to teach you how to fillet a fish, you should be able to do so after the show. But how morphs into what when your explanation runs headlong into the limits of the receiver's skill set to apply that direction to get the job done. 

A story from my disco dancing days (Don't hold that against me.) illustrates this point.  I had this idea back at the height of the Disco craze that my friend and I would teach people in the privacy of their own homes how to dance to the disco beat. So, we put together a routine and, with our vinyl LPs spinning on the turntable, taught it to all our clients. This one couple wanted to learn how to do a dip. So as they danced, we talked them through a few steps leading up to the dip and then said to them: "Okay John, now just support Janet as she bends backwards." Well, what happened next was quite the scene which resulted in Janet picking carpet fibers out of her hair and tending to a rug burn. See, we told them what to do not how to do it...(an actual demonstration of the maneuver would have helped too.)

My point is, everything is easy...when you know how to do it. 

I run into this all the time when I'm learning new technology and speaking to customer/tech support or reading instructions in the Help section of a site.  The conversation sounds something like this:

Me: "How do I get this audio file to do such and such.?" 
Tech: "Just convert it to downloadable file or an MP3." (He thinks he's just told me how...I only heard what I'm supposed to do because my knowledge is limited. I don't know how to convert things into a downloadable file or MP3. I don't have that skill.)
Me: Great! How do I do that? (See? I'm still asking how...to me, it hasn't been answered yet.) 
Tech: <withering sigh followed by more tech speak and what direction.>
Me: (I am now shut down and ticked off due to his impatient response. Customer/ Tech support is perhaps a topic for another time...)

So, when answering the question as to how to do something, be aware of this phenomena and give your instruction in the context of the receiver and their abilities. Make it safe for them to ask you to clarify or for them to ask for more direction or detail. Remember that it takes courage for many people, especially those at the executive level, to ask for help or to admit they don't know. It leaves them a bit vulnerable. So if you are approached, understand that making someone feel "stupid" for not knowing or for needing more clarification will only backfire on you. What you teach them is that you are not approachable, trustworthy or reliable. You become a threat to them thus you teach them to hide things from you and appear to undersand what you want when they don't. That is a recipe for future disaster. Be the leader that invites curiosity, who teaches, mentors, and most of all builds better thinking in your team in a collaborative non-judgmental way. By doing so, you will truly be helping them (and yourself) and the path will be clear for people to deliver what you want more often than not. 

And as a bonus, you build a very important skill as a more masterful mentor and leader.


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