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"deep thought"

Deep Work in Isolation

by Ron Potter April 23, 2020

I seldom do a quick follow up after a recent blog but the next couple of blogs have been triggered by reader feedback.

Recently many readers commented on the blog post titled “Coronavirus and Deep Work”. In that post, I recommended that you not waste this forced time at home. Use some of it to sit quietly and think deep thoughts. We seldom get a chance to do that during our former work life even though it is much needed. I referred to Cal Newton’s book Deep Work where he goes into much more detail.

Isolation Advice

Then today—April 17—I was reading a Wall Street Journal article titled “Coronavirus Lockdown Lessons from Antarctica. The article looks at many of the scientific teams that populate Antarctica during the wintertime and are completely isolated. They focus on one team in particular from Norway that works at the Troll station.

“On a recent evening, Troll’s six-person team put together a list of advice for those struggling with extended lockdowns.

- Give people space…folks have to be allowed time on their own to read books, listen to music, watch television.
- Don’t let problems linger and get bigger—talk about it from the start.
- Stay active, and even if you are in a small place, move furniture and get fit.
- Take a deep breath, this is a time to be curious”

Curiosity

I think curiosity is the foundation piece to deep work. Wikipedia says

Curiosity is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans and other animals. Curiosity is heavily associated with all aspects of human development, in which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill.”

Development and Learning

Notice that curiosity is heavily associated with development and learning. I once had a friend who was fond of saying “as long as you’re like the little kid pulling his wagon up the hill, you’re doing fine. But as soon as you stop exerting the effort to get up that hill and you sit down in your wagon to rest, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the hill”

Reflection

I think the first thing to be curious about is yourself. Socrates is quoted as saying “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” I’ll give Socrates a pass because he was alive about 400 years before Jesus but the Bible says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Even if you don’t hold to the Christian faith, let’s put those two concepts together. What they are really saying is that you must know who you are and how you fit into this life and humanity as a whole. That doesn’t come easily. A complete lack of this reflection is a sign of Psychopathy. Just a few of the symptoms of Psychopathy include: Grandiose sense of self-worth, lack of remorse, guilt, or empathy. Lack of long-term goals. None of these symptoms show signs of self-reflection. Start with yourself.

Notice that not having long-term goals is one of the signs associated with lack of self-reflection. Where are you going? What does the end of your journey look like? What do you want to be remembered for? These issues and others are not part of our busy lives, they are reached only by deep, reflective thought.

Opportunity

You’ve been handed an opportunity. Don’t waste it!

What kind of person do you want to be?
How will you become a great leader?
What will make you an outstanding team member?
What is that thing inside you that you always wanted to learn or explore?

Build it into your routine. Find a quiet place and a quiet time at least several times per week. Force yourself to go quiet and think about these things. You’ll come out the other end a better person.

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Coronavirus and Deep Work

by Ron Potter March 26, 2020

I know, I know, enough of the Coronavirus already. We’ve been self-isolated and at this point have no idea what to believe is true and what is hype. What I do know is the interesting journey I’ve been on in relation to Deep Work.

Deep Work

The COVID-19 virus may be offering the opportunity that you’ve been looking for to stand-out in a crowded world. In his book Deep Work by Cal Newton he makes some great points about Deep Work and the lack of it.

One of the things that Cal says is:

To remain valuable in our economy you must master the art of quickly learning complicated things. This task requires deep work. If you don’t cultivate this ability, you’re likely to fall behind as technology advances.”

“A McKinsey study found that the average knowledge worker now spends more than 60 percent of the workweek engaged in electronic communication and Internet searching, with close to 30 percent of a worker’s time dedicated to reading and answering e-mail alone.

This state of fragmented attention cannot accommodate deep work, which requires long periods of uninterrupted thinking. At the same time, however, modern knowledge workers are not loafing. In fact, they report that they are as busy as ever. What explains the discrepancy? A lot can be explained by another type of effort, which provides a counterpart to the idea of deep work:
Shallow Work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate.”

How not to be replaced by a computer

The “easy to replicate” emphasis is my note. Why did I highlight that particular statement? Because when something is easy to replicate it means that a person who makes less wages can easily to the same work. More importantly, a computer can be taught to do easily replicable work. Your job is in danger of becoming computerized if you don’t shift from shallow work to deep work!

How do you counter this danger of being replaced by either cheaper labor or a computer? You learn, practice, and become good at and known for your deep work and deep thinking.

Cultivate Deep Work (Thinking)

You can pick up almost any article, magazine, podcast or post that will tell you how to survive working from home. These sources talk about

Get started early (don’t let your day get away from you before it starts)
Act like you’re going to the office (wrong, take advantage of doing things differently)
Have a dedicated workspace (good idea, but focus on making it a non-interruptable workspace)
Go to coffee shops, libraries, public lounges (may not be a bad idea but discipline must tag along as well. You can’t go to a coffee shop just so you can enjoy your favorite drink) And during the pandemic, many of these public places are not even available to us.
Stay off the public media! (great suggestion. Regardless of where your working from, stay off public media.

What you really need is the discipline and focus for deep work.

Living a life of Deep Work and Thought

As Cal Newton closes his book he says

Deep work is way more powerful than most people understand. To leave the distracted masses to join the focused few, I’m arguing, is a transformative experience.
The deep life requires hard work and drastic changes to your habits. For many, there’s a comfort in the artificial busyness of rapid e-mail messaging and social media posturing, while the deep life demands that you leave much of that behind.”

Take advantage of the opportunity being offered

We’re all looking for a silver lining to the isolation caused by our current pandemic. Take advantage of the forced isolation to become a deep worker and deep thinker. It will pay rewards that you can’t even think of at the moment.

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Blog Leadership

Remember the Alamo: Thoughts on Leadership

by Ron October 31, 2016

Creative Commons: Stuart Seeger

A phrase that to this day reminds Americans of selfless courage and heroic sacrifice is “Remember the Alamo.”
The early history of the Alamo did not signal that someday it would become a shrine of freedom. Originally named Misión San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo was used by missionaries for decades before the Spanish seized the site for nonreligious purposes in 1793.

The Alamo thereafter housed a changing guard of military units representing Spanish, Mexican, and rebel forces until December 1835 when Ben Milam led a group of Texan and Tejano volunteers in a siege against Mexican-occupied San Antonio. After several days of intense street fighting, Milam’s warriors drove the Mexicans from the city, and the Texans staked claim to and fortified the Alamo.

The Mexican General Santa Anna decided to teach the upstart rebels—and all Texans—a lesson. On about February 23, 1836, a contingent of thousands from Santa Anna’s army invaded San Antonio, and the battle was on. When the first shots were fired, only about 150 Texans were at the Alamo to mount a defense under the joint command of William B. Travis and Jim Bowie. The day after the battle began, Colonel Travis said: “I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country—victory or death.”¹

Santa Anna’s troops battered the Alamo mercilessly. Travis and Bowie slipped couriers through enemy lines to go plead with residents of nearby communities to send reinforcements to defend San Antonio. On the eighth day of the siege, a small group of thirty-two volunteers from Gonzales finally arrived, bringing the number of defenders to about two hundred.² The battle raged for another five days. As the likelihood of defeat increased, Travis gathered the men and drew a line in the dirt, asking the men willing to stay and fight to the death to step over. All but one did. Among those who stayed was the famous frontiersman David Crockett.

“The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo’s walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed.”³

None of the 189 soldiers defending the Alamo lived. The Mexican attackers lost an estimated sixteen hundred men.⁴ The Texans may have lost the battle at the Alamo, but their sacrifice so enraged and energized others in the territory that just six weeks later the Mexicans were defeated for good at San Jacinto. The rallying cry in that great victory was “Remember the Alamo.”

Colonel Travis was a leader who understood that perseverance for “the cause” is essential. Personal values translate into organizational values, and it takes persistence to communicate those values to everyone in the organization. Every day there are reasons to stray from deep personal values, but great leaders do not easily give them up or modify them in the face of pressure.

This kind of perseverance comes from a deep sense of purpose for life and from trusting in something outside ourselves. Personally, we believe it involves looking beyond ourselves and seeking to trust God for the answers, the vision, and the hope to persevere.

_{1. ‑The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, “The Alamo’s Historic Past.” Found at http://www.thealamo.org/history/historicpast.html.

2. ‑From “Alamo,” The New Columbia Encyclopedia (New York: Columbia University Press, 1975), 46.

3. ‑The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, “The Alamo’s Historic Past.” Found at http://www.thealamo.org/history/historicpast.html.}

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Blog Culture

The Most Important Asset in Your Life

by Ron Potter November 26, 2020

“The Most Important Asset in Your Life” is an article by Zat Rana. I find it a well thought out and researched article.

One of the first quotes that may strike you (at least it did me) is that “Money is a means, not an end.” All too often, people think that if they just make enough money (an end), they’ll be happy. There is way too much research and general observation to get caught in that trap anymore (although many people still do).

Research shows that money is not a motivator that keeps people in jobs. People don’t leave jobs because of money! Nor do they stay in jobs for the money.

Interviews with entrepreneurs that have become very rich indicate that it was the work, trying something new, working on something they loved that kept them going. None of them spoke of the desire to get rich, that was a by-product of doing something they loved. Of course, they also didn’t talk about being dirt poor just so they could follow their dream. The point is, money didn’t enter the interview either good or bad.

But the real zinger comes when Zat says, “The most important asset in your life isn’t time, but attention. The quality of the experiences in your life doesn’t depend on how many hours there are in the day, but how the hours have been used”.

Attention

That is the key! We still have a limited amount of time in our lives and everyone has the same 24 hours per day. It’s not how much we do or don’t have, it’s how we use it. Where do we put our attention?

Today’s world is against us

I’ve written previous blogs on the need for deep thought. Today’s world is designed to keep us from the process of deep thought. The Googles, Twitters, Facebooks, etc. that fill today’s world are designed to capture our attention and keep it as long as possible. This diverts our thinking and pulls us away from deep thought on our desired topic. They are very good at what they do and are getting better (or worse) every day.

Zat mentions three things that help us focus and keep our attention on what is important:

Mindfulness

This is what helps us from getting distracted by what the world attacks us with and helps get us into and keeps us in deep thought. Zat says “By forcing yourself to focus your mind on one thing, you train your brain to develop a sense of control over your attention.” The world (high tech) wants to distract us and keep our attention on its ecosystem.

Ruthless Single-Tasking

Studies that I came across years ago said that only fighter pilots can multi-task and only because they are highly trained to multi-task because their life depends upon that ability. Zat says that single-tasking with deep focus (thought) for extended periods helps fight the adverse side-effects that are actually harmful to the brain.

Routine Detachment

Zat says that “Every time you pull out your phone to scan your social media accounts, and every time a 10-minute internet break turns into an hour-long binge, your brain is building a habit loop that reinforces itself to encourage such behavior.”

I’m not the best at some of this but there are a few things that have worked for me:

• I stopped watching TV news over a decade ago. It’s focused on the immediate and controversial. I’m interested in the long-term and unity. All TV, be it weather, financial, or whatever category, is entertainment. Once again, it’s designed to capture your attention and keep you away from deep thought.
• I get away. I’m writing this blog today in a cabin in the northern woods. There is almost nothing here to distract me. It helps me get into deep thought.

Find what gives you routine detachment. Everyone has a different approach but it’s important that you find what your’s is and do whatever you can to make your detachment (from the distractions of the world) into a routine. Routine means you do it on a regular basis. Don’t just assume that you’ll somehow work it into your life. Make it a routine and discipline yourself to follow that routine.

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How to Remember What You Read

by Ron Potter November 19, 2020

How much do you read? I guess by most standards I read quite a bit. I read almost everything on my Amazon Kindle. Every year Amazon sends me statistics on how much I read in a particular year. In my most prolific year, I read 50 books. That’s an average of a book per week. I guess I do indeed read quite a bit.

How do I remember

So how do I remember what I read? I highlight what I read and then I write up my highlights. I started that practice when I was reading hardcover books. I would highlight with a yellow marker than when I was finished, I would go back through the book page by page and type all of my highlights into a Word document. Very time-intensive.

I love the fact that Kindle keeps track of all my highlights and puts them in one location. Now I go to that app once I’ve finished a book and simply copy all of my highlights into a Word document. Very time-efficient. However, because I don’t type my highlights, I find that I don’t remember as much as I used to remember when I was typing.

So when Shane Parrish of fs.blog wrote an article about remembering what you read, I was very interested.

I believe Shane is one of the best bloggers in the business. He reads an abundance of books. He interviews people who are influential in may topics. He has deep thoughts and has an interesting perspective on those thoughts. He does not get caught up in the daily news or social media. They are short team. He is interested in the long term.

I cannot remember the books I have read

Shane starts his article with a wonderful quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I cannot remember the books I have read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” (Italics are mine)

If you are actively engaged in the books you read, they will make you. It’s not what you read, it’s how you read.

Here are a few highlights from the points Shane makes in his blog. I hope they change how you read.

Quality matters more than quantity. Reading a bad book doesn’t add much to your life or understanding. I used to think that if I started a book, I should finish it. Google says there are somewhere between 600,000 and a million books published per year in the US alone. Believe me, they can’t all be good.
Speedreading is bulls**t. The only way to read faster is to read more.
Book summary services miss the point. Even as I’ve thought about providing me readers with more in-depth notes from the books I’ve read, I realize that the highlights are from my perspective. So are the summary services but I believe they’re written from an even more elementary perspective.
Don’t read stuff you find as boring and finishing a book is optional. See note #1 above.

Filter your reading

This isn’t school as Shane says. Focus on some combination of books that:

Stand the test of time
Pique you interest
Resonate with your current situation

Intelligent Skimming

I’m really bad at this aspect. I just don’t seem to gain any knowledge or understanding by skimming the index or other lists of subject-matter. I don’t see myself getting much better with this one.

Know your why

Shane encourages us to understand why are you reading this book?

Entertainment?
To understand something or someone you don’t know?
To get better at your job?
To improve your health?
To learn a skill?
To help build a business?

Any one of these reasons are valid. In fact I’ve had the experience multiple times where I’ll read something that will help me get better at my job, only to see the same subject in an entertainment book, only to see an article in WSJ or Forbes or some other source. But none of that happens if you don’t read.

Notes for remembering more

Shane finishes his blog with seven things that will help you remember what you read.

Take Notes
Stay Focused
Mark up the book
Build a vivid mental picture
Make mental links
Keep Mental Models in mind
Stop when bored

As I said at the start, I believe Share Parrish is one of the best bloggers in the business. But there is one major piece of advice for remembering what you read. That advice is to start reading!

If you feel like you need to improve your life or environment, start reading.

Read for your life!

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Are you happy with your career?

by Ron Potter June 4, 2020

During this time of lock-down when we have the opportunity for some deep thoughts, now may be the best time to ask yourself if you’re happy with your career choices or happy in the career you find yourself in.

People can get stuck in jobs that reflect what they’re good at rather than what they’re happy with.

One of the Best

I was working with a client that was very good at what they were doing. They worked in the finance department and were constantly noticed by bosses and peers as one of the best. Because of this deserved reputation, they had been promoted on a regular basis and were making a salary that was beyond what they dreamed they would be making at this point in their career.

We were having a one-on-one session when they said something almost shocking. “I hate what I’m doing!” They knew they had been treated fairly, were compensated well for what they did, and even experienced satisfaction when they accomplished the tasks that were expected of them. But this is not what they wanted to be doing! Given their preference they would be much happier working with people instead of numbers. They wished that had made different career choices earlier. Now they felt trapped by the position and salary.

One Career may not last

I worked in three very different industries—engineering/construction, computers, consulting—over my career. I enjoyed working in each of the three but found myself searching for something new and different in each assignment. When I got to the point where I needed to change, I often found that I had been working toward the new industry for about ten years. At that point, it was a matter of pulling the trigger to move on. I don’t want to give the idea that any of those changes were easy. I’ve gone broke a couple of times. I’ve spent several years on the bottom rung of a new position before feeling proficient at what I was doing. It always impacted my family every time I changed!

But I did it! It wasn’t easy but I did it.

Adam Kurtz in his book Things are What you Make of Them lists 7 steps you can take to be happier with your career.

Don’t look back in anger
Check your pulse
Do your research
Update your skillset
Hold yourself accountable
Step away and take a moment for yourself
Just go for it

Don’t Look Back in Anger

The client I mentioned earlier seemed angry at the career they found themselves “trapped” in. We all make decisions with the best information we have at the time. That information may even include personal and family needs; college tuition, aging parents, single provider, debts, etc. Don’t second guess. Make the best decision at the time. Now may or may not be the best time to make a new decision.

Check your Pulse

A high pulse is NOT a good thing. If your work is providing you with a high pulse on a regular base, make a new decision.

Do Your Research

After I wrote my book Trust Me a family member told me they had read the book. After thanking them, I asked if it provided any insight. Their response was “Yes, I quit my job!” That wasn’t quite what I expected so I asked them what triggered that response.

Reading your book helped me realize that the company I had joined had changed over the years and I hadn’t noticed. All the aspects of good leadership written about in the book were why I had gone to work for the company in the first place. But, over the years that had all disappeared and I hadn’t noticed. I didn’t want to work there anymore. I wanted to work someplace where I would be happy.

Update Your Skillset

Every position requires a slightly different skillset. Find out what the new ones are. Learn about them. Read. Educate. Practice. Get better.

Hold Yourself Accountable

If you’re not happy with your career, there is only one person responsible. You!

This goes along with the first piece of advice about not looking back in anger. You’re responsible. Make the decision that’s right for you. Don’t look back. Especially don’t look back with anger. It was your decision. Do you need to make a new one? As the last point recognizes, make it.

Step Away and Take a Moment for Yourself

This is being forced on us by this lock-down portion of the pandemic we’re dealing with. Use the time wisely

Just Go for It

I’m not a big Nike fan but just do it. It means your happiness and likely your health. If it’s right for you, just go for it.

Go for Happiness

The world tells us to go for the big bucks. Be in a position of power. Be seen as possessing the best skill set. However, if you talk with people (and you should) who are at the end of their career or even approaching the end of their life, they’ll tell you to go for happiness.

When people are approaching the end of their life, their best memories are of the relationships they developed over the years.

When I was recovering from open-heart surgery and subsequent infection a few years ago, different friends would visit me almost every day. Finally, the day nurse asked if I was part of a large family. When I said no, she was surprised because she thought that my “brothers” had been visiting me every day. I explained to her that “yes, they were my brothers” but they were not family. She was envious. They all seemed so close and concerned about me, she thought they were family.

Each of my “brothers” had been a part of the different careers. I had chosen happiness. It made me happy.

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Blog Culture

The Power of Positive Feedback

by Ron Potter April 30, 2020

I received a note a couple of days ago telling me how one of my posts had positively affected a person’s life. They mentioned a post I had written nine years ago. Was I really writing blog posts nine years ago? That surprised me. My second response was that I didn’t remember that blog. I had to go back and read it.

We were never allowed to be Victims.

That blog ends with a quote from Condoleezza Rice explaining how she made it from being a young girl of color in the South to being Secretary of State of the United States. The headline above is her quote. She was calm, confident and yet very humble. She was an amazing person.

Easy to become Victims

In this pandemic that we’re all experiencing, it’s easy to feel like the victim. It’s interesting to note that we’re already seeing the results of feeling like victims. Our obesity levels and alcohol rates are already climbing. We’re looking for an escape from feeling like victims.

As that blog noted from nearly ten years ago, the opposite of the victim is creativity.

Be Creative

Almost everyone I’ve talked with recently speaks to how lethargic they’re feeling. They just can’t seem to get motivated. I’ve experienced the same issues. But as I mentioned in my last post, deep thought and creativity are the paths to feeling better under trying circumstances. Just like exercise, which has tremendous benefits if you’ll just spend about 30-60 minutes at least three times per week, spending at least an hour in deep thought and reflection three times per week will increase your creativity. You’ll feel so much better and think about your circumstances so differently, you’ll come out the other end being a much better and maybe totally different person.

This pandemic is very victimizing. Don’t let it get you down. Be creative. Spend some time in deep thought and self-reflection every week. View this as an opportunity that seldom happens more than once in anyone’s lifetime.

Positive Feedback

So what does this have to do with positive feedback? Reading that comment about how my blog made a positive difference in one person’s life motivates me! I was having difficulty keeping up with my blog. I just couldn’t find the motivation. And then that comment arrived. I’ve been writing blogs almost every day since that feedback.

Positive feedback made a difference. It only takes one. In the nine years since I wrote that blog, I’ve written somewhere between 400 and 500 blog posts. Did they all make a difference? Probably not. Did I hear some positive feedback on many of them? No. Did positive feedback on less than one percent of the bogs I’ve written make a difference? Absolutely!

Pass on some positive feedback today. It may be to that neighbor who just happened to wave “hi”. It may be to someone at work where you’re trying to conduct virtual business.

Just give some positive feedback. It makes a difference.

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Blog Culture

Are you fit enough to think?

by Ron January 11, 2018

I have a confession to make. I’m not fit. I’ve never been very fit. It’s just never been a priority for me.

I admire people who are fit. I don’t admire the people who have turned fitness into their religion but I do indeed admire fit people.

I’ve used many excuses through the years for not putting in the effort required to be fit. Today I’m going to share one of them.

I’ve always had a desire for learning and understanding. I’m realizing that I can do a great deal of learning but that doesn’t necessarily result in understanding. That will have to be another blog topic.

For this blog post, I’m confessing that I use my quest for learning as an excuse for not being fit. In the morning, I would rather read than exercise. When I have a moment during the day I’ll spend those spare moments reading or writing or thinking.

Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Then I noticed a picture of Rodin’s The Thinker. I’m familiar with the sculpture. I have the image in my mind of the man leaning forward, head resting on his hand, in deep thought. But I never looked closely. I know his position but I never noticed his back, his arms, his thighs, his abs. That sculpture may be one of the fittest men I have ever seen. The Thinker was fit! Incredibility fit.

I’m not going to make a resolution. I’m just not that sure of myself. But I have been inspired. The Thinker was fit. I enjoy being a thinker but I think I would enjoy being a fit thinker even more.

Hope is not a strategy. Inspiration is not a plan. At this point, I only have the inspiration. But inspirations are a required first step in meaningful changes.

What is inspiring you today? Nothing? That’s a problem. Something? Turn it into an action plan. Do something about it.

Let’s share some stories. I’ll keep you informed on mine.

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Blog Culture

Can you Ignore the Obvious?

by Ron June 8, 2017

A 19^th-century Russian author challenged his brother “Don’t think about a polar bear right now.” Our modern version might be:

Don’t think about:

That email right now
Your next meeting right now
The project that’s due on Monday right now
Any other obvious thing that occupies your mind right now

The point is, it’s very difficult to clear our mind of the many present and urgent things so that we can get into deep thinking and deep work. Interruptions, mental and otherwise get in the way.

I’ve written a few blog posts about the technology and “always connected” habits that we’ve gotten into that deplete our ability to think deeply about important issues. But, even if we eliminate the technology of the day (our Russian lived over 100 years before an internet browser existed) we still have difficulty avoiding the distractions of the moment.

I’ve been working at understanding my own distractions and how I can avoid them long enough to do some deep thinking. One model that comes to mind is the Kubler-Ross stages of grief.

I’ve used these stages as a model for dealing with difficult feedback. Maybe they can help us with distractions as well.

Stage 1: Denial

I can handle this.
It will only take a minute.
It doesn’t really distract me.
I can get back to my thoughts immediately.

The first stage is to get real about the impact of the distraction. Study after study tells us that if we divert our mind to another topic, it takes a great deal of time to get reoriented and back on track. Don’t kid yourself. Distractions are costly.

Stage 2: Emotion

With the Kubler-Ross model, we’re usually thinking about anger. But it’s not just anger, it’s any emotion. I think the distracting emotion here is elation.

It will be fun to just check Facebook for a minute.
I just want to see what last night’s scores were.
Connecting with my friend cheers me up.

Caving into your emotions is costly.

Stage 3: Bargaining

It’s only a few seconds.
This won’t take long.
I need the fix to keep my energy up.

You can bargain all you want but it’s still a distraction. Even the time it takes to bargain is costly.

Stage 4: Depression

What’s the point, I’ll never get good at this anyway.
What makes me think I could generate a good result simply by avoiding distractions.
I’m just not that good.

Avoiding time for deep thought for any reason is costly. Convincing yourself that you’re not good enough even if you give yourself the time becomes self-fulfilling.

Stage 5: Acceptance

I can get better at this.
I may stumble to start with but I’ll get better over time.
Each time I avoid the distractions helps me get better at doing it again next time.

Believing that you can do this and accomplish it in small steps is rewarding and avoids the cost.

Stage 6: Action

Once you get into the habit of avoiding the distractions you’ll be amazed at the productivity and joy it provides.

Kubler-Ross tells us that we go through all of these stages when it comes to grief. It’s just that each person goes through them at a different pace.

You’ll never avoid them but if you get good at speeding through them you get better. Just to make myself clear, speeding through them doesn’t mean caving into the distractions quicker. It means to get beyond the temptation of each stage quicker.

God speed.

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Blog Culture

Are you a Fighter Pilot?

by Ron April 27, 2017

There are many outstanding characteristics associated with fighter pilots: Confidence, Intelligence, Assertiveness, Self-Discipline, Trustworthiness, Decisiveness, Dedication and others. But, the one characteristic that appears only on the list of fighter pilots is multitasking. Notice that I said “only” on the list of fighter pilots.

Many studies have confirmed that the only group of people who are good at multitasking are highly trained and skilled fighter pilots. And it’s not really the skill that makes the difference, it’s the highly-trained component. Through hours of dedicated and focused training, pilots learn to multitask effectively. The rest of us never put in the time, training and effort to become good at multitasking. But that doesn’t seem to stop us from trying.

A recent study by researchers at Stanford attempted to identify why the current generation of college students seemed to be better at multitasking than previous generations. Researchers are thrilled when their studies identify a single prominent reason for their complex research question. This study concluded with one of those Eureka moments.

What is the clear reason for current student’s ability to multitask better? They don’t! They suck at it. They’re actually promoting damaging effects.

The finding: Their ability to multitask diminishes over time. They also lose ground on other abilities. Multitasking leads to stupidity. That’s not what the study concluded but it seems like a logical conclusion to me.

Research seems to be flying at us from all directions to stop the multitasking. It doesn’t help us think. It doesn’t help us be productive. It doesn’t help us keep on top of things. It diminishes our ability to do all those things and more.

Deep work. Times of silence. Shut out the world. Get into deep thought. These are the things that help us be more productive and happier. But these take discipline, grit, determination, resolve.

Are you a fighter pilot? Are you trying to multitask like one? If so, your hurting your chances for success.

Carve out that time. Get away from the activity. Turn off the electronics (or at least stick them under a pillow or in a drawer). Get into some deep thought. If you haven’t thought about it (really thought about it) you’re not allowed to express an opinion. Our world is being buffeted by thoughtless opinions. The more multitasking we do the more thoughtless the opinions. Stop and think.

“Did you stop to think?” was a question I often heard from my parents. As a teenager, I thought that was just the stock response for when I did something stupid. I didn’t realize at the time it was a recipe to avoid being stupid as an adult.

Stop multitasking. Stop to think!

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Blog

2020: The top 10 REVIEW, part 2

by Ron Potter January 14, 2021

Last week we looked at the Top 10 most popular posts from 2020, specifically #10-6. This week, we’ll finish the list by looking at the Top 5.

#5 – Culture: Involvement – Adaptability

Adaptability and Involvement are the two quadrants that make up the left side of the Denison Culture Chart. This side of the chart identifies “Flexible” cultures. Cultures that adapt well. Cultures that respond quickly to customers and markets… continue

#4 – Character vs Competence

Bob Quinn in his book Deep Change introduced us to the concept of the “Tyranny of Competence.” This is a person that is so good at the skills of their job, leaders will tend to overlook their other flaws in character… continue

#3 – Being Humble is Being Down to Earth

It doesn’t seem to make much sense, but truly great leaders are humble.

The problem comes with how the word is normally used: Humble is thought to mean shy, retiring, unobtrusive, quiet, unassuming. Being humble can seem weak or, horrors, even borrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnngggggg… continue

#2 – Opposite of Victim

Some people I’ve worked with have what we might think of as that victim mentality. The Leadership Style instrument I use (LSI from Human Synergistics) measures two areas titled Dependent and Avoidance that collectively describe a style that starts with the assumption that they are the victim in most circumstances… continue

#1 — Performance vs Trust

Those are not my words. Those were spoken by Simon Sinek. If you have not discovered Mr. Sinek, look up his website. I read him and Share Parrish more than any other blog writers out there… continue

And now we’re ready to begin to learn more about teams, leadership, and cultures in 2021. Thanks for reading my blog in 2020.

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Blog Team

Riding it Out or Reinventing

by Ron Potter August 27, 2020

“U.S. Companies Lose Hope for Quick Rebound From Covid-19” This was a headline in the Wall Street Journal the other day. Buried in the body of the article was the statement, “Executives who were bracing for a months-long disruption are now thinking in terms of years. Their job has changed from riding it out to reinventing.” On the same day (unrelated to the WSJ article) this cartoon appeared

I thought the cartoon was very appropriate because I’ve seen so many companies in my consulting career say they’re innovative but act like the cartoon.

Leaders Support Innovation

Leaders are not usually the innovators! Good leaders support the innovators on their teams.

Let’s take a look at how innovation happens from a Team Leadership Culture framework.

Team Innovation

Team innovation can be the most difficult to pull off but at the same time the most rewarding as well. However, it does take a few prerequisites for it to work.

Team Size

Many studies have determined that the best size of a decision-making team is seven, plus or minus two.

Once you get above nine people on a team, the ability to reach commitment on any given topic is greatly diminished. There are just too many factions possible with 10+ people.

If you have fewer than five team members, it’s too easy for the team to form factions of three people vs. one person. Even though that one person may have the most innovative idea, they will feel outnumbered and it’s too easy for the faction of three to treat them as an outlier or put pressure on them to go along with the majority.

Either way, the dynamics may be killing the innovation.

Keep decision-making teams to seven people, plus or minus two.

Team Attributes

TREC is the outline that brings the right attributes to an innovative team.

Truth. Being able to speak the truth to each other without fear of reprisal is necessary for innovative teams.

Respect. Each team member must be self-aware enough to know that their perspective is only a perspective. It is not “the truth”. It is not the only way of looking at an issue. It’s only their perspective and each member has a valid perspective. If the team trusts that all perspectives are valid, innovation is more likely to happen.

Elegance. Coming up with an innovative solution that is also elegant (simple, understandable, actionable) is the best solution.

Commitment. If the team is able to share the truth with respect, commitment can happen. Even if your perspective was different (or even opposing) to the final direction, commitment means that no matter what, you express your commitment to the solution. You’re able to do this because you were a member of the team that took all the perspectives into account and “committed” to a team solution.

Team Dynamics

If innovation is the goal, team dynamics becomes extremely important. Teams have been conditioned to come together for a given amount of time (usually an hour), encouraged to follow the agenda, and finally, make decisions depending on the discussion or reports. This feels very structured and efficient. It’s just not good for innovation.

Innovative teams have a different dynamic.

They will start as a whole team to discuss the areas of possible innovation.
All the perspectives are shared, at least in an outline form.
The team then breaks up into smaller teams. These can be as small as two individuals but should never be larger than three.
Deep Work is required. Deep Work requires spending distraction-free time on the topic, pushing your cognitive capabilities to the limit.
Return to the full team with this new Deep Work perspective to hear what we’re learning and then discuss directions we could possibly head.
Rinse and Repeat. Continue this large team, small team (maybe different small teams with each iteration) dynamics until the team begins to zero in on an innovative approach.

Team Decisions

Remember that the word “decide” means that you narrow your options down to a small number of choices (preferably two) and then you put one of those options to death. You kill it. You eliminate it. You stop spending resources on it. The commitment to the team direction should be powerful enough to put all of your resources towards the chosen innovative approach.

A Culture of Innovation

Moving the culture of an organization towards innovation usually centers around one word.

Decide!

As we’ve talked about the word “decide” lately, I hope it has become clear that the word decide means that you put one option to death in order to put your resources toward a different option.

Leaders and leadership teams will often decide on a direction but neglect to let the organization below them know that they’ve decided not to spend resources on other options.

Organizations are full of people who love the security of their job. They’ve spent years learning the job, getting better at the job, and feeling secure that they can go to work every day and do the job. They’re “secure.”

But, if you are now saying to them, “We’re heading in a different direction and we don’t know yet where it will all lead.” They can often feel scared or at least insecure. They may or may not mention this insecurity but they will wonder

Do I have the skill set to do the new job?
Will my job, group, division be eliminated?
Will I be asked to relocate to a different department or location?
Am I back to ground zero in terms of my skills and worth to the company?

Without any clarity on these and other topics, people will tend to come to work every day and continue to do what they’ve always done. They’ll seek security in doing the known rather than be lost in the unknown!

Open, Transparent, Humble

In times like these (which means now, in our current environment) it’s important that leadership is open with the organization. Let them know everything that you know.

Be Transparent. If people feel like they’re not getting the whole story, they’ll either go back to what they’ve always done or abandon ship. Your best people, the ones you need the most will abandon the ship first.

Be humble. Don’t give them the impression that you have all the answers when you don’t. Let them know that you and the team are doing their best with uncertain circumstances. Taking this approach will also bring forth more innovative ideas that you wouldn’t otherwise hear.

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