Activities to Boost Creative Thinking
Creative thinking is something we usually squash down in corporate America – you get more done if you keep your head down and follow the established path.
But creative thinking is how we come up with new and better ways of doing our work. Here are 3 exercises to enable you to think in more creative ways. You can use them alone or with your team.
✔ 21 What Ifs
Writing is something I do on a daily basis, so writer’s block comes with the territory. When you find yourself blocked or at an impasse in your work, let go of “rules” or “outcomes” and brainstorm 21 What Ifs? It will get your creative juices flowing again and often you’ll find the “answer” you were looking for.
✔ 21 What Ifs?
For example: I am trying to find a descriptive and compelling title for my podcast…
What if it were for children?
What if it were for aliens?
What if it was something grown / farmed?
What if it were a color?
What if people said it to invite someone else to marry them?
What if it were something you could buy at a store?
What if it had a taste?
✔ Explore Analogous Fields
On your way home from work tonight, look at the businesses along your drive / route and just pick one randomly – fast food, nursery, car repair, gym, florist – then go home and write a list of 10 ways this company is just like yours. Then do the reverse - 10 ways it is entirely different from yours. (In a thinking curriculum [with a group], we’d do this in a different way, but this is a great solo activity that gets largely the same results.) We tend to think we are so special, so specialized, that we miss out on great opportunities by NOT looking beyond the end of our nose.
Alternatives of the exercise include:
10 ways your skills could improve the (observed) company
10 ways your skills could put the (observed) company out of business
10 one-to-one comparisons of your skills and the (observed) business, such as: my skill in making cold calls is like a growing plant in that…
✔ Stop Being so Literal
There are many objects in our daily life which we know the function of and that saves us a lot of time and has a lot of utility. We don’t pick up a pen each day and ask “What the heck is this? What does it do?” BUT that focus on the literal can also be a hindrance to our seeing possibilities.
A pen can also be a lever, an easel, a plug for a hole, used as a utensil, and so much more.
As a way to get creative juices going, alone or with your team, randomly choose an object from your desk or surroundings and imagine other uses for it. If you’re working on a new project, stop and ask, “Why are we going down this path? Is there another, alternative, path? Are there dual paths? Once we get to the end, is there more than one way to monetize or utilize that end?”
Examples:
Post it notes were invented as a byproduct of trying to develop a stronger industrial glue.
Slinkys (the toy) were invented as a byproduct of developing industrial springs.
So stop being so literal and look for the possibilities.
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Originally published on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/activities-boost-creative-thinking-nanette-miner-ed-d-/?published=t
Missing Leadership Skill: Conflict Management
One of the things we DON'T teach our future leaders:
✔ Conflict Management
Conflict management is a skill that all up-and-coming leaders should learn. Some research suggests that 25% of a manager’s day is spent managing conflict.
Most people are intimidated by conflict, expecting that it always involves anger and a win-lose outcome. But conflict is an amazingly helpful and enlightening
There are 5 basic conflict management practices, but the
Conflict management skills involved many soft skills including questioning, listening, empathy, assertiveness, problem-solving, creativity, negotiation, and more.
The most succinct piece of conflict management advice is this: Don’t say no. Instead, say: Tell me more, or What can you share to help us understand that?
Remember: “we all want the best outcome.”
Is it Worthwhile to Learn a Useless Skill?
A few months ago I was facilitating a conversation with a group of CLOs (Chief Learning Officers) and two got in to an almost-heated discussion about the "worthiness" of learning to drive a stick-shift vehicle. The conversation started around the premise of the demise of thinking skills and one attendee postulated that society's ability to think for itself has been comprised by things that make life easier and allow us to be on "auto-pilot." The example he gave was of his son who was just learning to drive and refused to learn to drive a stick shift. The son's argument was that it was a useless skill. In fact, he argued that learning to drive at all might be a useless skill given the numerous alternatives (right now limited to on-demand car services, but soon to be enhanced by self-driving and autonomous vehicles).
When my children were in elementary school we lost power one day. My daughter looked at the microwave and stove and finally asked "what time is it?" I slowly and incredulously pointed to the clock on the wall, over my head, and she said "I don't know how to tell time on that." Did she think it was hanging there as decor, I wonder? There is one "level" of utility in knowing it is 2:10, but an entirely different level of utility in knowing where 2:10 occurs in the "space" of a 12-hour time-frame. (And also, how is it possible I didn't teach her to read a clock?!)
One of my own favorite articles is one I wrote a few years ago about the over-reliance (in my opinion) on GPS devises and how they not only can get you in to trouble (go ahead and Google "GPS Fail") but also how they are a great example of how people are developing an inability to think. Personally, I have a certain level of self-confidence because I can read a map but... do they make maps anymore? And if yes, why? Maps have gone the way of the Encyclopedia Britannica, have they not? By the time they are published they are obsolete, and they don't provide the "added value" of alerting you to a traffic-jam up ahead. So perhaps the key word here is obsolete.
"Useless" might be a matter of personal need but obsolete changes the need to learn. Recently I was talking with another consultant about this idea and he suggested that a skill is not useless if the learning is transferable. He offered up the example of learning Latin - even though no one speaks it - as helpful in understanding grammar and other languages. So perhaps learning to drive a stick-shift is important in understanding how an engine works, and reading a map is useful in understanding space and time and distance. But parallel parking will become obsolete soon (some vehicle manufacturers are already making cars that can do the job for you) as will thousands of other skills replaced by technology or artificial intelligence.
So I'm putting it out there for discussion: Is it worthwhile to learn a skill that is useless at face-value but may hold the key to deeper understanding in other areas?
Are you smarter than a six year old? Maybe not.
are you smarter than a six year old?
When my daughter was six years old, she was railing against me for some reason or another and, in conclusion, she proclaimed that she was smarter than me. My mother-in-law, who was with us, chuckled and said, "I don't think so, honey." Well, it turns out the six year old may have been right!
Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence
According to the Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence, intelligence is composed of different abilities that work together to produce overall individual intelligence.
Gf - known as fluid intelligence, is characterized as the ability to deal with novel intellectual problems - which is something that children are particularly good at, since everything is new to them.
Gc - known as crystallized intelligence, is the ability to use things you already know, to solve for things you haven't previously encountered - something that adults can do with their years of experience and learning.
The ability to "reason" is considered to be a characteristic of fluid intelligence because reasoning can be applied to (almost) any problem. You would think it would be characteristic of crystallized intelligence because one is capable of reasoning due to the quantities of "known information" one can relate the new dilemma to. But you would be wrong. Fluid intelligence helps us to be capable of reasoning, analyzing and solving problems precisely because we cannot rely on preexisting knowledge (a 'la children). We have to "think it through.
"Warning!Fluid intelligence diminishes as we get older. This is probably why grandparents always think their grandchildren are "so smart!" It's because the young'un is using their reasoning skills to figure out new things every day. That is an amazing thing to see happen right before your eyes.
On the other hand, crystallized intelligence continues to grow as we get older and have a broader range of experiences and learning opportunities to draw upon. Crystallized intelligence is a measure of the knowledge, understanding, and abilities we have already acquired. Which is why, by the time we are in our 20's, we never run with scissors (most of us, anyway).
Fluid and crystallized intelligence can work together to help you be a better thinker. Together they give you the breadth of knowledge you need, as well as the open-mindedness required to decipher complex and unknown situations.
To achieve "optimal thinking ability," you have to keep nurturing your fluid intelligence as you get older. According to author Mike Clayton, "It takes wisdom to understand how to deal with situations where the rules no longer apply, in complex, evolving domains, where the patterns are subtle and new;" and to grow wisdom you need to maintain your fluid intelligence.
So, in fact, your six year old may be smarter than you are (today).
Thinking Skills and Teaming Skills go Hand-in-Hand
The sheer complexity of business today means that no one person can know it all or be in command of it all. With the global marketplace, the importance and reliance on technology, and the imperative for innovation, cross-functional teams are the only way to develop viable business solutions. Learning to be a contributing member of a team is so critical that Carter Cast, former CEO of Walmart.com, deems it one of only two reasons for career derailment - the other being a lack of self-awareness.
There is a misguided assumption that teaming comes naturally.
Oftentimes organizations provide team building events, such as experiential activities (rope climbing) or retreats (three days off-site) which are designed to enhance interpersonal relationships. But these types of events are not related to the work itself.
Teaching individuals how to work together as a team is a different outcome (see Team Capabilities, below) and requires learning team skills in the context of conducting team work. Being a contributing member of a team is as much about the personal contribution of one's role, as the functional role.
The capabilities listed below don't come together overnight. They require multiple exposures to team assignments and projects, and to be truly successful they require an understanding of the various functions of a business and how each contributes to the overall organization. This is just a short list - you can find the full list in the Future-Proofing book. Collaboration and Cooperation - knowing how your work fits in to the larger-whole means you make decisions based on the impact to others / the organization.
Communication - expressing ideas as well as feelings AND being open to receiving communication demonstrates the ability to "make sense" of information and people.
Sharing credit - being able to share credit demonstrates an ability to see one's role in perspective and demonstrates leadership.
Promoting understanding - being open to new or conflicting ideas, asking for more information, allowing "unpopular" sentiment to be heard and valued all stretch one's thinking abilities,
Appreciating diversity - well-developed thinkers appreciate that almost everything can be seen from multiple angles and that more diverse ideas bring about better outcomes.
Moderating conflict - the ability to resolve conflict without anger or resentment demonstrates a mature thought process and commitment to the greater good.
Putting a group of people together does not make them "a team." Teaming skills are developed through the give and take of team-related work over the course of months and sometimes years.
Mentoring as a Leadership Development Tool
Too often companies see mentoring as a “program” that takes away from the “business” of making money. It’s another thing “to do” on one’s already packed list of action items. BUT when done as a normal course of business, it’s not onerous and pays back exponentially.
In fact, a recent study found that 58% of new-hires who had been assigned mentors felt valued by their immediate manager and 68% felt more valued by the organization.
It’s natural to assume that the mentee gains the most benefit from the mentoring relationship since they are the recipient of new knowledge and skills, but in fact benefits abound - to the mentee, the mentor, and the organization itself.
Mentees
Mentees benefit immediately from higher performance and productivity, increased job satisfaction, higher morale, increased visibility with people in higher levels and more insight into a career path. In the long-term, the mentee benefits from having a non-judgmental and unbiased champion in their corner. They get candid feedback without repercussions, insight in to the workings of the organization, and personalized guidance regarding the skills they should develop or the choices they could make to further their career.
Mentors
Mentors also report increased job satisfaction because they feel valued and are able to give back to their organization. Additionally a mentor benefits from fresh perspectives due to new relationships and develops their own leadership skills.
The Organization
Benefits to the organization include enhanced teamwork, communication across vertical and horizontal boundaries, an efficient transmission of knowledge and skills, stronger organizational culture, and being seen as an employer of choice.
Here is an idea for establishing an
absolutely free
mentoring program at your company:
A mentor asks high-gain questions, gives constructive feedback, and helps the more junior associate to recognize and capitalize on their strengths and weaknesses - that's a pretty simple “task” to accomplish over lunch.
Why not monthly mentor lunches? Instead of sitting with one’s normal group of friends at lunch, at least once a month a junior person and more senior person meet up in the cafeteria for lunch. (Twice a month would be ideal.)
Maybe once a year the company can buy the lunch as a reward for those pairs that have continued their relationship throughout the year. A public “mentor appreciation day” will get attention from those not participating - and encourage more participation!
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By building relationships and networks within the organization, mentoring strongly impacts retention. An organization that utilizes mentoring is preparing for the future of its people as well as the organization as a whole.
FREE Developmental Assessments
Self Management is Key to Leadership Development
One of the hallmarks of a good leader is the ability to "manage" oneself. In other words - stay grounded, communicate well, use emotion in a positive way, etc. Unfortunately most folks learn self management skills through trial and error - sometimes through life changing and career ending moves, such as Carter Cast's. But it doesn't have to be that way. Developing self awareness can be achieved through various assessments to help one to identify their values, their tendencies and their strengths - in order to mitigate or improve upon them. Here are a few FREE assessments to get you started.
Managing Stress and Burnout
Gretchen Rubin researches what makes people tick, and is a prolific author of her findings. Her assessment The 4 Tendencies helps individuals to understand how they respond to expectations. It explains why we act and why we don't act; and is helpful in managing stress and burnout.
Capitalize on Your Strengths
The High5Test is part Clifton Strengths (formerly Strengths Finder) and part Values in Action. Both assessments, as well as the High5, seek to determine what one is good at and then lead individuals to capitalize on and develop what it is they do well, rather than struggle trying to improve in areas they are weak.
What are your Character Strengths?
Developed by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman in 2004, the Values in Action assessment (VIA) seeks to identify one's character strengths. You'll see results in domains such as Wisdom, Tenacity, Courage, Temperance, and more.It is one of the most well-researched personality assessments holding validity over time, cultures and scientific peer review. The website offers two assessments - one personal, to develop self-knowledge and introspection, and one professional, to help you to bring out the best in others.
Core Values / How You View the World
The Core Values Index (CVI) from Taylor Protocols helps individuals to understand the unique perspective from which they view the world. From that they are able to extrapolate how they will respond to life's challenges. Directed inward, the CVI helps an individual to make choices that align with their core values - leading to a sense of mission, purpose, and self-confidence.
Who "Gets" Leadership Development?
Why Not Everyone?
A question we are frequently asked - and frequently wrestle with in conjunction with new clients is - who "gets" to attend thinking skills / leadership development? It's a tough question to answer because on the one hand, the logical answer is "everyone." Why wouldn't you want everyone in the organization to work smarter, make good decisions, understand the vision and mission of your organization, etc.? On the other hand, unless you are a small company of 150 people or less, that would be a prohibitively expensive endeavor. So the tough question is - how do we make the cut? Who makes the cut? Here are some "arguments" - none is "the best."
Argument #1
As stated in the headline - why not everyone? Simple things - not full blown curriculums - could be enmeshed in everyday work responsibilities (much like Google's now defunct 20% time). Sending a business / industry article out each week via email, or leaving copies of it on the lunch tables, can help to ensure everyone has the same industry knowledge. By leaving articles on the lunch tables, spontaneous discussions can begin about the content and merits of the article. Managers can hold short, 20 minute, meetings two days after the articles are issued asking for feedback or questions about the article.
To help managers, the department that issues the article can include 3 or 4 discussion questions they'd like the employees to focus on. This article sharing can be rotated throughout the organization. Much like "it's your week for carpool," it could be "your week for article sharing."
Let's say your company works in manufacturing or healthcare - while there are plenty of articles about the industry itself, there are department-specific articles as well - manufacturing operations, healthcare marketing, etc.
This is just one small and easily do-able activity that can be rolled out throughout the organization. Why not increase the knowledge and capabilities of all your employees?
Argument #2
Focus on leaders in the organization. We've spent so many years making individuals experts (through training) in their fields that they often don't have a big picture view of their organization or their role. Sales Managers often don't appreciate the need for profitability which is a finance-department focus. Charge nurses often don't appreciate customer service which is an operations (and accreditation) focus. By directly impacting the thinking skills and thereby the leadership skills of leaders in an organization there will be an immediate and beneficial impact on the departments that they run and the individuals that they manage.
Argument #3
Include all new hires - starting now. If everyone who joins your organization is indoctrinated into a thinking curriculum from day one, they will grow in to your (smartest) future leaders. Over a planned development process of 3 years, 5 years, or 20 years, you will have an organization chock-full of individuals who not only understand how the organization is run (because they will have had linear exposure to the organization), but they will also be knowledgeable and skilled in critical business topics such as communication, teamwork, risk management, continuous improvement, fiscal management and much, much more.
Because they have been brought-up in cohorts (The Training Doctor's branded design), they will have relationships and the ability to communicate with other departments and individuals in other disciplines.
The choice for every individual company will be different. Increase everyone's skills just a little bit? Deep dive for leaders who will return the most immediate ROI? Or plan a long-tail approach to enmesh employees in "lifetime" development to create a leadership pipeline?
Got 5 minutes for professional development? Here are 3 resources.
Would you like to be in charge of your own professional development rather than waiting for a formal training process to be offered (and without even having to sign up for one!). Here are 3 easy, free, and GREAT ideas:
Your local library (radical, right?)
If you haven't been to your local library since high school, it's time for a visit. Believe me, it's probably more up-to-date than the training department in your company. My favorite part of the library are the LIBRARIANS. They are a fount of information and know where to look for information if they don't know it themselves. They can point you in the right direction, request resources for you, pull reading lists, and more. I use one particular librarian as my personal research department; she is awesome and she loves the work because she doesn't have many customers asking her for corporate research.
Deep dive in to podcasts
Would you like to be "better educated"? Find a podcast on an "academic" topic (finance, economics, astronomy). You'll be surprised at how much a topic you knew nothing about informs your present-day life.Maybe you'd like to increase your business acumen. Look for podcasts that focus on engineering, logistics, marketing, human resources, etc. Give yourself a bigger perspective on the work that you do, or the industry that you are in.
One of my favorite podcasts is Freakanomics, because, it turns out, economics plays a role in everything; and it can be fun! I especially like that this podcast has a transcript of all the shows on its website. Earlier this year they did a series on the "Secret life of a CEO" and had hour-long interviews with Jack Welch, Satya Nadella, Mark Zuckerberg, and Indra Nooyi, among others.
Look at LinkedIn
One of the things I love about LinkedIn Learning is that you can filter for exactly what you want. You can choose an industry, and then a field, and then the type of learning (video, full blown course), what level of knowledge you are looking for (beginner, intermediate, advanced), and finally how long it takes to complete. Often, when I get that :15 minute reminder that I have a meeting coming up, I have time to fill. I love looking up 5 minute or less nuggets to expand my knowledge on all sorts of topics. How can you not spare 5 minutes to expand your thinking?
(Note: If you are a paid member, LinkedIn Learning is free AND if you scroll down the right side of your "home" page, you'll find a new suggestion for a course, every day. It learns your preferences and will start to suggest shorter lessons in topical areas you've shown an interest in.)
Happy Learning!
Mea Culpa - Is it really better to ask for forgiveness?
The number of “apology ads” I’ve seen on TV in the last month is astounding. It’s caused me to wonder – as a company, is it really better to ask for forgiveness from your customers than to do the right thing, or behave the right way, to begin with? Is the message we are learning “do your own thing, until you get caught, and then apologize and carry on as usual?”
Wells Fargo is apologizing for violating our trust by opening over 2 million fake accounts in order to hit their sales goals. One of their ads (seen here) begins by saying “We know the value of trust…” later in the commercial they promise they are “holding ourselves accountable to find and fix issues proactively…” Finally, they declare that they are halting the business process (sales goals for branches) that caused the bad-behavior in the first place.
Facebook apologized for unknowingly allowing the personal information of tens of millions of users to be leaked and/or manipulated by advertising; possibly impacting the 2016 US elections. In their apology ads the company says it will do “more” to make you feel safe and protect your privacy.”
In Uber’s apology ad, the new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi , looks straight in to the camera and says “we have new leadership and a new culture.” He states that as a company, “one of our values is to always do the right thing.” Is that a new thing, which started with you, Dara? Or was that always in place but now you’ll take it seriously?
Apologies that Miss the Mark
Wells Fargo stating it has ended the business process that caused the “problem” is simply addressing the symptom – what is the root cause of an organization that is unethical, views cheating as necessary to maintain one’s job, and has little regard for its customers?
In the case of Facebook and Uber, their ads don’t even really claim responsibility; they simply say “Oops, something went south. We’ll fix it.” And Uber’s “responsible CEO” made no appearance at all – they sent out the new guy to apologize for past transgressions.
Here’s Rolling Stone’s take on the limp apologies:
Hi, America. We were awesome for a long time. Here are some culturally representative shots of people like you smiling and enjoying our services. After repeated denials, we recently had to admit to violating your trust, but the unelucidated bad thing doesn’t have to come between us. We promise: we fixed [all] that. You will now wake up feeling refreshed in 3,2,1…
The Burning Question
What role did leadership play in creating these damages in the first place? And what role could leadership development play to get these companies back on track? Teaching individuals to be better leaders after the fact is not the best approach; what about the future leaders of these companies? When does their development begin? And more broadly, of course, the future leaders of any company, because a scandal or business transgression could indeed happen to any company.
Go Forward
A multi-faceted leadership development curriculum – offered over the long-term, to everyone in the organization – would benefit from a groundswell of workers who understand ethics, risk, team work, communication, self-management and more. If companies are not solely reliant on leaders to set the course, then everyone is a leader. That’s what we need going forward.
Case Study - Malls of America - a Vanishing Behemoth
Malls used to be THE gathering place. You could shop, dine, go to the movies - even ride a roller coaster (at Mall of America) - now they are sitting vacant and decaying. What happened?
Was it online shopping (why go shopping when you can order merchandise to come to YOU)?
Myspace and Facebook (why leave the comfort of your couch to meet-up with friends)?
Were the retailers responsible for bringing traffic to the mall? Or the mall responsible for bringing traffic to the retailers?
Examine these and other weighty questions that focus on:
- Finance
- Competition
- Risk
- Forecasting
Download the handout here and put it to use in your next leadership meeting or workshop.
If you'd like other case studies, just filter for "case study" in the lower right of this page.
UPDATE: As of the end of the first quarter of 2019, six-thousand retail locations were set to (or already had) closed in America - more than in ALL of 2018.
Ways to Ensure Reading Comprehension
Reading is probably the #1 thinking skill, yet it has become a lost art. The ability to read and comprehend is so important for getting ahead in the business world, yet we never receive any formal training in it. If you can read – and comprehend – you pretty much have the key to success.
BUT reading has to be done correctly. Print materials are best. There is a significant difference in comprehension and retention between reading on screen (poor) and reading in print (best). It has to do with neuroscience and the ability to make references and associations between paragraphs, pages, etc.
Here are 5 Tactics for Reading Comprehension
(We will assume you are reading a professional piece such as in a trade journal, newspaper, or text.)
Read the headings first, to get the main points – think of them as a road map for the readin
Look at pictures and figures and their explanatory text – they are there to illustrate the points of the text and help you to better comprehend
There are two benefits to highlighting 1) it means that you were able to separate out the important stuff from the filler and 2) when you need to review and summarize, you’ll be able to skim for the highlighted parts
Use the margins to give yourself clues to the context, such as: stars for key points, question marks for things you don’t understand or want to look up elsewhere, exclamation points for things that resonate with you (think of it as giving a virtual high-five to the author)
Write a summary. If you have comprehended what you read, you should be able to write a 3 – 5 sentence summary of the text or explain it to a friend
When you get REALLY good at comprehension, you’ll be able to evaluate and synthesize what you’ve read and integrate it with your own opinions, experiences, or research. (Hello Adult Learning and Bloom's Taxonomy) Try these tips this week and see if you don’t feel smarter immediately.
Case Study: Teavana - wrong market? wrong time? wrong selling strategy?
In 2017 Starbucks announced it was closing all of its US based Teavana(R) retail locations (close to 400). It sounds like a product / brand in trouble - but is it? Read and discuss our Case Study look at Teavana which addresses numerous business factors such as #strategy, #risk, #socialtrends and more.
Why Testing is Detrimental to Thinking
We all know that just because you've passed a test, you haven't really learned anything (when I passed the test to get my motorcycle permit, I had never even ridden a motorcycle!).
But did you know that testing processes can actually INHIBIT your thinking and learning ability? Read on to learn more...
Do you remember the Scantron bubble sheet from your school days? It's the familiar number-two-pencil- fill-in-the-circle-which-corresponds-to-the-answer-you-have-chosen test. The filled-in card is then run through a computer which compares your bubbles to the correct answers and scoreds your test in mere seconds. When it was first introduced in the 1930's, the Scantron bubble sheet was extremely helpful to teachers and administrators as class sizes grew and record keeping became more stringent.
Unfortunately this technological wonder has been quite detrimental to developing the ability to think for two reasons:
1 Lack of teacher involvement in grading.
Prior to a machine grading tests, teachers had to read each response, giving the answer critical thought. Very often they would add commentary to the grade, rather than simply marking an answer wrong. They might remind the student where the correct information was found or help them to remember how the concept they got wrong was similar to what they were thinking. Sometimes they would give partial credit if the student was on the right track but then veered off before their final summation (this is the only way I passed geometry, believe me). Prior to a machine grading tests, even when a student got an answer wrong - they were learning. They had coaching, correction and refinement from their teacher based on how the teacher graded the test.
Once the Scantron bubble sheet became de rigueur in public school education, students simply received a grade; rarely did you get the bubble sheet back. And, let's be honest, there is no youngster motivated enough to follow through on a wrong answer and figure out why they got it wrong.
2 Everything became a multiple choice test.
The only way for the bubble sheet to work is if every question has only one right answer. Not only did this focus make learning seem easy (just look for the right answer) but it eliminated an individual's need to put any critical thought in to the answer. Essays went by the wayside. “Explain your answer," was no longer the final instruction of a test question. Once the "outcome" only had to be one right answer, it was much easier to look for an answer you could recognize than to pull one up from memory or reason it through.
More complex questions, such as "Using your knowledge of bees and migration, how would you explain the Hylaeus bee species on the island of Hawaii?" became impossible.
You can learn more about the demise of thinking skills - and more importantly, how to solve it - here.
Continuous Improvement Teaches Thinking
Continuous Improvement is an ongoing effort to improve. The improvement might be to a product or service, or in one's own abilities. Improvement can be incremental or come rapidly in a "breakthrough."
Not only is continuous improvement an important skill to work at, but it is an important life skill. It teaches one to look critically and analytically at the "present state" and imagine it being done a different way - more quickly, more cheaply, more accurately, etc. AI and robotics aside, at some point someone looked at the laborious process of hand-processed transactions - such as in banks or at airport check-in desks and asked "Does someone physically have to do this job?"
In many instances the answer is no... so what are alternative methods of completing the same transactions? I was recently at an airport where I printed my own luggage tag and affixed it to my own bag! (Very poorly, I might add. There is a skill in lining all the sticky-stuff up correctly.)
Being skilled at continuous improvement also means you can take things "apart" and see them for their component parts. Oftentimes when we analyze various components of the whole, we see a potential incremental improvement. Health conscious individuals like to cook at home - but that requires various other processes such as planning, shopping and prepping. Companies such as Blue Apron and Hello Fresh identified those various component parts and then asked "How can we eliminate one or two of these for the home-cook?" Voila! Entirely new business models were born.
One of the "instead of" / "try thinking" statements on the image is this: I'm not good at this vs What am I missing? That's a great way to identify incremental improvements that can be achieved on an individual level.
Personally, I try to incrementally improve my work each year. In the past I've spent a year learning more about neuroscience and how the brain works in order to be a better designer of learning. I've also taken courses, read books, and analyzed graphic design in print materials and online in order to create content in a more visual (and thereby more easily understood) way for the learner. In fact, here is a recently released report, by Salesforce, regarding the appeal of colors in our visuals and how they contribute to understanding. It may inform the way you make your slides and job aids for training purposes.
Continuous improvement helps to develop thinking skills because it forces one to not accept the status quo and instead to look at things from a new perspective. When we think about things differently we often do things differently - to the benefit of both ourselves and our companies.
If you'd like to try a continuous improvement activity with your learners, try this Re-imagining the Hotel Experience exercise you can find on our website. It's generic and familiar enough for any group to use and really helps the learner to separate the experience in to pieces.
Future-Proofing just released!
We are happy to announce that Future-Proofing Your Organization by Teaching Thinking Skills has finally arrived! 
And.... it was just featured in the list of Top 21 Self-Published Business Books You Need to Read. (Currently in 14th place, but you can help "up" that by up-voting the synopsis.)If you'd like to learn more about the book, download a free chapter, or purchase a copy. Click here.
Developing the Solid 70
When your organization decides who gets training – who gets chosen? In terms of performance, employees can be classified as A players, B players and C players.
A players are your superstars – and make up only 20% of the typical staff. C players – those whose performance is passable but not great – make up another 10%.
The bulk of employees are B players – the solid 70. B players are the heart and soul of organizations. They do consistently good work. They represent your company – and your success. When a customer has an interaction with your company there is a 70% chance they are dealing with a B player. You want your B players to be the best they can be. Too often companies have such limited availability of training that it goes to the A players.
If you’d like to develop your solid 70, you can find a number of suggestions in this earlier posting. But it doesn’t have to be your responsibility to figure it out! During the next round of performance reviews (assuming your company still does them) ask individuals what they are interested in, what they would like to attempt or test, and what skills they would like to develop.
No matter how good your A players are, they will never make up for the “solid citizen” B players. And the more you can incrementally increase the B player’s skills, the more your organization will benefit.
Can You Develop Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EI) is one of those “sciences” that might be the key to success., or it might be a bunch of hooey. Who’s to know? While it might be hard to define emotional intelligence (although I have below, keep reading) we definitely know when it isn’t being exhibited. A three year old lying on the floor screaming “Nooo” lacks emotional intelligence. So does the forty year old who says “You can’t fire me because I quit!”
In today’s fast paced and tumultuous business climate, emotional intelligence is an important skill to have. We need to be able to accept challenges and frustrations, work with others cooperatively, accomplish assignments independently, participate in activities we might rather not, and so much more.
Talent Smart has been able to equate high performance in the workplace with high EI (and likewise poor performance with low EI [also known as EQ]). John Mayer, professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire, is one of those who thinks that claim is hooey. But let’s assume that emotional intelligence IS a definable and measurable skill and that we’d like to develop it in our workforce.
Emotional Intelligence Defined
There are five “domains” or competencies of emotional intelligence:
Self-awareness (recognizing emotion and its effect, knowing one’s strengths and limitations)
Self-regulation (conscientiousness, adaptability, comfort with ambiguity)
Self-motivation (goal setting, commitment, optimism)
Social awareness (interest in others, empathy, understanding power relationships)
Social skill (communication, conflict management, leadership, etc.)
Each of these can be further broken down. For instance, conscientiousness can be further defined as keeping promises, fulfilling commitments, and holding oneself accountable.If we believe Talent Smart’s claims, these would be nifty markers on a performance evaluation, don’t you think? Do we assess people on their ability to complete their work correctly and in a timely fashion or are they really being assessed on their conscientiousness? Correcting poor performance would be quite different depending on whether you were assessing the visible output or the EI that underlies it.
Developing Emotional Intelligence
If we want to develop better performers in the workplace, it behooves us to examine whether we can develop emotional intelligence. Many of the things that we do when Teaching Thinking naturally align with increasing emotional intelligence. For instance. being open to and examining different perspectives. Let’s assume your company announced that there will be no bonuses this year. People with poor EI will think “that’s not fair!” while people with higher EI will realize the business climate has changed and the company acted accordingly.
To “teach” this skill we can include higher-order, open-ended questions in our training. Coaching and mentoring also help to develop emotional intelligence because coaches and mentors ask open-ended questions aimed at getting people to self-examine. Questions such as, What would you do differently next time? Who could be an ally? and What did you learn from this? get at examining and developing self-awareness – an important EI skill.
Another way to develop EI is to turn the coaching / mentoring idea around and have your trainees act as a coach / mentor. This assignment requires social awareness and the ability to empathize with others. The coach / mentor doesn’t have to be an expert. For example, providing feedback about an upcoming presentation requires the coach / mentor to consider the developmental needs of the presenter, frame feedback in a constructive way – taking in to consideration the emotions of the other person, and provide emotional support (you can do this!) – all EI skills. These are all great leadership skills too… but I digress.
So whether EI can be developed in others or not may be nebulous, the skills that lead to EI can and should be incorporated in to many aspects of the workplace (training, managing, performance reviews, and more).If you’d like to assess your own Emotional Intelligence, check out this short, on-line assessment.
Can You Teach Someone to Be Happy? Yale does...
Recently the New York Times ran an article titled Yale's Most Popular Class Ever Teaches Students How to be Happy.
More than 25% of undergrads have signed up for the class this semester. From the article: The course focuses both on positive psychology - the characteristics that allow humans to flourish... and behavioral change, or how to live by those lessons in real life. It teaches habits such as procrastinating less and being grateful.
Titled Psychology and the Good Life, this course has me wondering: Isn't this really a course in "self-management?"
What is Self-Management?
Self-management is the capacity and ability to assess and manage one's reaction to situations and people. It is very akin to EQ or Emotional Intelligence. Self-management leads to higher levels of overall happiness (in both personal and business life) and less anxiety, stress and depression - all things that this Yale course purports to teach.
In 1999 Peter Drucker wrote an extensive Harvard Business Review article titled Managing Oneself. He saw self-management as critical to success at work. In the article he asks the reader to consider questions such as What are my values? What are my strengths? How do I prefer to work?
There is no magical formula for happiness - as I presume the Yale students are looking for - but rather a process for managing how one approaches life and its events. Can the process be taught? I think so. It's part of our Thinking Curriculum in a big way. It starts with self-assessments in order to gain insight in to the things that Drucker spoke of.
Once someone has an objective self-awareness they can begin to build skills in the types of things that lead to better self-management, such as communication skills, appreciating differences, accepting feedback and more. Better self-management then leads to better relationships, more confidence, and leadership ability.
It's an Important Topic
The structure of organizations has changed dramatically in the last few decades. The ratio of manager-to-worker has shrunk, virtual workers exist in fields you wouldn't even think possible, and individual autonomy has increased. It is predicted that these changes will continue and that more "organizational" decisions will be made by teams (rather than top-down) and that "leadership" will be an expectation of everyone - which means self-management skills will be critical in all roles in an organization.
Call it happiness, the good life, or self-management - it's a necessary skill that all business people must possess.
Case Study - Uber - 2017 Whiplash
Periodically, The Training Doctor releases case studies used in our Teaching Thinking Curriculum. Since we want everyone to improve their thinking skills - not just those who are enabled to do so through their employer-sponsored training - we offer these case studies for use in your personal development, corporate or higher-ed classrooms.
This case study examines a few short months in 2017 when Uber hit all-time highs and lows. The discussion questions at the end will help you to examine:
The importance of strong - and trustworthy - leadership at the top of an organization
The role media plays in a company's success
How social media can affect a company's strategy
Fast growth vs. manageable growth
and more....Download the case study here - free to use for training / educational purposes.