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Awang Ismail bin Awang Hambali Abdul Rani Haji Adenan
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ISSUE 67 I SEPTEMBER 2022
THESE 5 MENTORING MISTAKES TO
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“If you want something done, find a busy person”. There is wisdom in that. One needs only to look around to see the hyper-performers. They work across teams, get fired up with opportunity and are thrilled to be doing something never done before. Besides the experience and skills, they are mavericks of their core profession, understand the industry strategically, are outward-looking and know how to get things done in the complex public service world. From their positions, they leverage on their creativity, passion and love for the civil service brand, which, in time, ends up defining their own personal brand (Josh Bersin, 2014.”
In 2014, Josh Bersin published the article: “The Myth of the Bell Curve: Look for the Hyper-Performers” arguing that top performers are typically a very small number of highly impactful “hyper-performers” who deliver the vast majority of the value for the establishment. The challenge is increasing by the day as we push toward digital transformation. Who can argue that multiple types of hyper-experts, working together and innovating continually, with a high level of empowerment and authority are not what it takes to excel in today’s highly technical, always-on, IT-enabled world?
Researchers say that besides giving them a raise, lateral rotation is another way of motivating hyper-performers. It is a proposition for experienced employees to enlarge their skill set, and further grow in mastery while enjoy doing something new. Imagine this; it is like asking Ronaldo to play goalkeeper for a season so that he does something else for a change. And sell it that he is going to appreciate the experience - when he will get “promoted” coach, one day. What do you think about that?
What if there was a way to reward key achievers without triggering internal matches for the spotlight and lethal competitiveness? It would require a different type of working engagement - as safe and reputable as external referencing but with as much involved as hands-on as intrapreneurship.
BY WILLIAM ARRUDA
Source: Vector image is from storyset.com
As workers continue to seek greener pastures, employers continue to see droves of their talent walking out the door. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2021 researched more than 30,000 people across 31 countries and found that 40% intend to look for another job. According to a McKinsey study, 41% of those who leave do so because of a lack of career development. More professionals are re-evaluating their priorities and identifying what they need and want from their employers.
Microsoft executive Lani Phillips suggests that companies have undervalued mentoring as a talent management practice. She says that (when done properly) it can significantly change an employee’s engagement with their company.
Data backs this up. A 2019 survey showed that 91% of people who have a mentor are satisfied at work. This is important because according to Gallup only 20% of employees globally are actually engaged in their work. Another study revealed retention rates for people who have a mentor can be 50% higher than for those who are not mentored. Mentoring is a proven way to retain employees, and in the current war for talent, no company can grow without keeping people engaged.
Phillips took matters into her own hands to help colleagues looking for support through mentoring. During the pandemic, she noticed the volume of mentoring requests begin to grow, with talent looking to strengthen connections and seeking ways to succeed in this new world of work. She knew that taking on more mentees one-on-one was not possible within the confines of her schedule, but she felt a strong desire to help more people. She decided to modernise her approach and build a solution that scales.
Launching Modern Mentoring with Lani Phillips, a digital talk show on LinkedIn Live, Phillips now shares this wisdom globally, providing access to anyone who wants to thrive in corporate spaces. These monthly discussions allow people to participate in a live conversation and ask questions in real-time. She is now followed by thousands, providing a lifeline for those who don’t have a network of professionals who are willing to share authentically.
“Mentoring has never been more important,” Phillips asserts. “Navigating our new world of work is challenging, and figuring out how to thrive is top of mind for many. Without in-person interaction, it’s a challenge to build relationships with managers, colleagues and stakeholders. And that means it’s more difficult to navigate your career.”
As a mentor and mentee herself, Phillips also knows that mentoring tactics vary widely—and so do the results. Here are her top five don’ts:
Mistake #1. Not investing your time strategically.
“One of the barriers to a robust mentoring relationship is that too many leaders are not willing to invest the time in mentoring, saying they don’t have time. The truth is that mentoring is our responsibility as a leader to coach and support others who are looking to be successful and advance their careers,” says Phillips. Time is definitely a precious commodity, but mentoring should be approached as an investment, not an expense. And this investment is wise when you look at the costs involved in recruiting and training new talent. When evaluating mentoring relationships, build in the necessary time to get it right, including preparing and supporting the mentee. Make it an important part of your job, integrated into your monthly or quarterly rhythm, and watch your personal brand soar as you build a reputation for developing talent and modernising your company’s leadership strategies.
The traditional model for mentoring is a series of oneon-one meetings. This model has not evolved to meet employees where they are today and to take advantage of all the powerful mentoring resources available. Leaders can share mock assignments, activities, books, podcasts, videos, TED talks and articles that include powerful career advice. These digital assets represent a growing trend Phillips refers to as a digital mentoring, and that’s a role she plays with her digital talk show. Mentees should understand that development can come from a variety of sources, and a good mentor helps them form the habit of seeking professional development and inspiration on a regular basis.
Mentors need to adopt proven best practices for mentoring, using techniques like these from Yale Mentors should start every relationship with a mentoring agreement that outlines mentee goals, duration and frequency of connection, expectations and mentee commitment. Phillips says that clarity in this initial agreement will result in better results because expectations are agreed upon up front. Checking in with one another throughout the relationship will increase success as you track progress toward goals or adjust expectations as needed.
“Mentoring is a two-way street, and mentors should look at what they can learn from their mentees,” says Phillips. Look for a mentee who has experiences or skills you’d like to learn more about. Reverse mentoring can be powerful bonus for both parties. Phillips was not comfortable with social media when she started Modern Mentoring and was mentored by someone at an earlier career stage about how to boost those skills.
Make it clear to mentees that it’s up to them to drive the conversation and come prepared to each meeting, share updates, report on progress toward goals, schedule meetings and send an agenda in advance to give the mentor time to think about what advice and or examples to bring to the discussion. “It’s a dialogue, not a monologue, so encourage your mentee to use time wisely so you can have time for discussion,” observes Phillips.
Mentoring can be a rewarding experience for both mentors and mentees alike, and if it’s done correctly, it’s a valuable—and efficient—way to engage and retain talent. And while you’re creating a more rewarding work experience for others, you’re creating long-term growth for your team, your company, and your personal brand.
This article was originally published in Forbes.com.
William Arruda is the bestselling author of the definitive books on personal branding: Digital YOU, Career Distinction and Ditch. Dare. Do! And he’s the creative energy behind Reach Personal Branding and CareerBlast.TV – two groundbreaking organizations committed to expanding the visibility, availability, and value of personal branding across the globe.
Infographics by Leaderonomics: Mentoring Mistakes to Avoid.When your team or supervisor thinks of you as a negative person, you’re less likely to be invited to conversations where you would have valuable contributions to make. You’re less likely to receive recognition for your work and your odds of promotion go down. If you often hear that you’re too negative, learning how to be less negative is a critical skill to master—and fast.
That might not feel fair—after all, Eeyore was still invited to all the goings on in the Hundred Acre Woods and appreciated for his loyalty. But unless Winnie the Pooh and Tigger are on your team, shifting that perception of negativity will help you have more influence and contribute your expertise.
The good news is that there are easy shifts you can make that don’t require you to change your personality – It’s not about changing who you are. And these shifts will help you bring your best qualities to every team and conversation.
Vector image by jcomp on freepik.com•
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“Don’t be so negative” can be incredibly frustrating feedback when you don’t think of yourself as negative.
I know because I’ve heard this feedback many times in my career and relationships. What made it so frustrating is that in almost every one of those circumstances, I would not have told you I was being negative.
Most of the time, from my perspective, I was engaging with an idea, answering questions I thought I’d been asked, or trying to prevent problems.
But the reality, as Marshall Goldsmith says, is that “In leadership, it doesn’t matter what we said. All that matters is what they think they heard.”
One of the most common reasons people get a ‘negative’ label is because of how they respond to ideas. See if this sounds familiar:
During a leadership meeting, your boss proposes an idea that has a shiny, attractive quality. Let’s say they want to hire a contractor because it looks like it will save money, save time, and solve a problem.
You hear the idea and immediately see three critical problems:
The person they want to bring in to help doesn’t have the experience with a critical function
• While the initial cost is lower, managing the contractor and bringing them up to speed will cost more time and money, plus any extension of the contract would cost more money than the current situation
The function is mission-critical, and the contractor has no redundancy. If they get sick, the team’s out of luck or will have to work harder to make up the difference.
What do you do?
Well, if you’re often labeled as negative, you probably say something like, “I see a couple of challenges here…” and then list them.
Are you wrong?
You Might Be Right, But…
Let’s assume you are one hundred percent correct in your analysis. And you care about the outcomes, the team’s welfare, and saving the business time and money. You’re justifiably concerned about the future of the team, the business, and your customers.
You care. You’re correct. And yet, you’re called negative. Why?
The problem is that for many personality types, jumping straight to problems and challenges isn’t effective. For the “get things done” crowd, the roadblocks are frustrating—they want to see action. For the idea people, they want to explore and build on ideas, not have their creativity and energy crushed before their ideas can breathe. And for relationship people, jumping straight to problems feels harsh and disrespectful.
Roadblocks…crushed…harsh…disrespectful. What do all these words have in common?
They are negative.
And that’s how your supervisor or colleagues perceive your attempt to head off problems.
And that’s assuming you’re always correct in your analysis. Which of course, you’re not. There are often opportunities to build on ideas and explore possibilities you can miss.
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The problem isn’t your analysis. The team needs you to help think through ideas and ensure the solutions you implement together are as sound as they can be.
Here are three shifts you can make in how you respond to ideas that will help you have more influence:
This step will help your idea people feel heard and relationship people feel connected. Find something interesting, fun, or positive about the idea and say that first. For example, you might say,
• “That’s a creative way of looking at this.”
• “A third party could bring a fresh perspective.”
• “Wow, that’s interesting, I hadn’t looked at it that way.”
“I appreciate you thinking about how we can save money here.”
(We once worked with a very literal-minded engineer who had a reputation as a caustic teammate. As he worked to “First, Affirm” his starting effort was, “Oh, that’s an idea.” It was as much of an affirmation as he could muster when confronted with what he saw as wrong-headed thinking—but his team still appreciated the effort.)
This step is critical. You will still share your challenges or concerns. But instead of stating them as problems, package them as solutions or opportunities.
For example, “That’s a great idea, here are three things we can do to make sure it succeeds. First, let’s ensure the contractor has experience in this technology. Then, if we can find someone at this price point without an extension penalty and who has a team to back them up, this could really work.”
Presenting your analysis as “ways to make this work” is magical. First, people’s perception totally shifts. Your concerns don’t come across as obstacles. You’re contributing to the idea’s success.
Second, when people hear what it will take to “make their idea work,” they will form their own conclusions about viability or solutions. They may propose follow-up solutions. Or, you’ll hear them say, “That’s a good point, I don’t think this is the best idea, let’s keep looking.” You didn’t negate their idea, you supported it in a way that they could do the analysis.
This final shift is about managing yourself.
When I am tired, frustrated, or have lots of problems vying for attention and someone presents an idea, I am most likely to forget steps 1 and 2. Or, I may do them, but my tone is tired, whiny, or negative.
When you find yourself in a conversation about ideas or where you would typically be told you are negative, pause and “take your temperature.” How do you feel? If you’re tired, frustrated, or tied in knots with other problems, can you pause and not respond right away?
For example, “I appreciate you bringing this up—and, I am exhausted and trying to solve three things at once right now. I want to make sure I give your idea the positive attention it warrants. Can we talk tomorrow morning?”
Most people will appreciate that you cared enough to be honest and valued their suggestion enough to give it a proper hearing. Sometimes, they’ll even say, “Oh, it’s okay, I was just brainstorming and it can wait.”
Taking responsibility for your state of mind and tone when you respond will help avoid the times you’re most likely to come across as negative.
You’re not changing who you are – you’re choosing to be your most effective self with others.
These suggestions about how to be less negative are written to help if you are otherwise feeling healthy and constructive. They are not intended to address depression or other mental health challenges.
If you find yourself in a state of negative thinking where everything seems dark, gloomy, or hopeless for many weeks, I invite you to be kind to yourself and talk with a counselor or mental health professional (just as you would talk to your dentist for a persistent toothache).
This article was originally published on Let’s Grow Leaders.
David’s flair for bringing clarity to complex topics is rooted in decades of experience as an executive and elected official. His Live Leadership Development programs, Leadership Without Losing Your Soul podcast, and four books provide practical plans for human-centered leadership.
A selfless leader will always put others’ needs before their own. A leader with values will often demonstrate accountability in whatever they do. Therefore, leadership based on these values will create a friendly and conducive working environment. Remember to always bring out the best in others.
The Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg Premier of Sarawak | 7 September 2022
As a leader, having all your team members in the office was ideal. It made it easier for you to connect with them and for them to connect with each other. And it allowed for those impromptu moments that add a lot more value to business relationships than we ever knew. When things went 100% virtual and everyone was working from home, it created a humanity deficit, with cohesion plummeting alongside it. How could we even be called a team if we were working by ourselves? Well, one benefit was that at least everyone was having the same, albeit isolated, experience. The shared pivot was our common ground.
As we enter the new hybrid model, also known as work from anywhere (WFA), we’ll be experiencing
a strange combination, and it’s already feeling as if we won’t be able to stick together anymore. Each week brings some of what we experienced in the real world and some of what we felt during all-virtual environment—making human connection and team cohesion more complex and convoluted.
For team leaders, the job of inspiring, supporting, educating, motivating and coaching your staff is now significantly more challenging, requiring a lot more finesse and taking deliberate actions to create an environment that includes everyone. A recent study by Deloitte found that a third of employees are struggling with fatigue and mental health challenges, with a significant dichotomy between perception and reality. “Only 56% of employees believe their company’s executives care about their well-being, while 90% of execs think their employees believe they’re cared about.”
Source: Vector image is from freepik.com by studiogstockHere are four antidotes that bridge the gap and bring the humanity back to the office—no matter where those offices are. Show your people you care and create a truly engaging experience in the WFA environment with these approaches.
When the conference room became the Zoom room overnight, we all learned that virtual meetings are more challenging, exhausting and often less satisfying than their in-person counterpart. In-person meetings allow us to have those real, visceral moments with colleagues in a shared space, but they’re sharing the zone with virtual attendees now. To create a more consistent experience, make the hybrid meeting fun, with as much opportunity for personal interaction as possible:
• Send meeting prep materials (the stuff that doesn’t require interaction) to everyone in advance. Then office and remote members can experience your fundamentals the same way.
• Make the live meeting all about interaction. Be deliberate about calling on those who are participating remotely. Make the first slide of your presentation deck a photo of the whole team (see below). Off-site colleagues need more attention. They also have a lot more temptation to multitask, because they’re participating on the same device that houses all the other work they can be doing. During the meeting, use online polls and games that each person can interact with on their phone. This way, local and remote participants interact in the same way.
Whether it’s a team meeting where everyone files into the auditorium or a focused professional development retreat, heavily emphasize relationship building at in-person events. Look at your agenda and make sure it is heavy on engagement and fun and light on individual work. Use the fact that you have everyone together to get a team photo. Send physical copies of the team photo to each member after the event as a reminder of the fun you had, providing each member with a tangible reminder pinned to their home office wall.
You may not be able to have everyone in your office at the same time, and maybe some of your team will rarely or never visit the office. But you can still have them there all at once. Create a team wall with headshots of everyone in the group. Those who are in the office will be reminded of their remote teammates, even though they don’t get to see them regularly, every time they pass the wall. Remote team members will see pictures of the group in your background.
Managers of WFA teams need help, too. According to Gallup, team managers and project leaders are experiencing stress to a greater degree than the members of their teams. This is in part due to increased demands on their time communicating with team members—especially if WFA means widely varied time zones. To reduce the demand and build one more opportunity to foster a consistent experience for everyone, distribute weekly video updates. Try to keep the update to 1-2 minutes max. You don’t want your people to groan when they see it in their inbox. One of my clients produces her video updates at home and sends them to her people every Sunday evening. She includes:
• The big happening of the previous week
• Kudos and acknowledgement of team member wins
• An inspirational or focused thought for the coming week
WFA is making leaders’ lives more challenging and stressful. To reduce the stress, be deliberate about creating positive connections as consistently as possible. Remind them—and yourself—that no matter where you are, you’re all working together.
This article was originally published in Forbes.
William Arruda is the bestselling author of the definitive books on personal branding: Digital YOU, Career Distinction and Ditch. Dare. Do! And he’s the creative energy behind Reach Personal Branding and CareerBlast.TV – two groundbreaking organizations committed to expanding the visibility, availability, and value of personal branding across the globe.
“Smile, you’re on Candid Camera” is a jingle you may be able to hum even if you never watched the show. But if you’re anywhere close to getting a discount at the movies (or a fan of classic TV), you may recall with unique fondness the experience of seeing people from every walk of life being utterly themselves in the most innocent but revealing moments. Showing this realness was a special knack my father developed in the army.
Source: Vector image is from storyset.com
Dad was a second lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps, stationed in Muskogee, Oklahoma, during World War II. He was assigned the task of recording messages from soldiers to their loved ones. But he had a problem. The rehearsal of the message always went well, but when the red recording light came on, the GIs became nervous and tongue-tied. The recording disks were expensive and couldn’t be reused, so Dad decided to disconnect the red light and record the practice run without them knowing it. On these takes, all the soldiers’ earnest feelings came through. That core idea of recording without others knowing grew into Candid Microphone, then Candid Camera, and eventually into the entire genre of reality television.
When my father interviewed kids for Candid Camera, his favorite part of his work, he faced a challenge. How could he quickly break through the intimidation children feel toward a big unknown adult? He did so by lighting a match and feigning difficulty blowing it out. Balanced on the edge of a preschool-size chair, he would huff and puff with theatrical overacting, turning finally to the youngster and saying, “Can you help me?” And they would. Moments later, my dad and his new friend would be chatting about guardian angels, the wonders of spaghetti, money, and a host of other delightful topics.
The gap my father was closing is called the “power distance,” a concept developed by Professor Geert Hofstede. This phenomenon can cause people to avoid or defer to those they feel are more powerful and, in doing so, shut down channels of honest communication. By asking for help, my father broke the power distance and opened a gateway to closeness with each and every match blower.
If you lead at least a few people, this message is for you. And in order to develop the closeness needed to build a tight-knit and high-performing team, you’ll need to address the same lopsided dynamics as my father. You must ask for help, step out of having all the answers, and truly enlist a wide spectrum of input to make the changes you want. Speak to people about their needs, desires, and enthusiasms. And make it more than a gesture; authentically be open to using the ideas that spring from these conversations.
I’ve met many leaders who are blind to the power distance. They are always so surprised that employees a rung or two down from them don’t have the confidence to do the things they do. Don’t be one of these leaders. Ask yourself and really consider what it must feel like to have limited power, have authority that can quickly be overruled, and always be a little afraid that the wrong statement or an honest mistake could throw a wrench into your progress toward your goals. Open your empathy stores and imagine what this would be like. And then do some inner work.
Here are some questions you can use to close the power distance between you and those who work for you: five for you and five for them.
Questions to ask yourself as a leader:
• Is fear one of the ways that I gain compliance or deference from my team?
• Do I make vulnerable admissions that allow my team to see my softer side?
• Do I pretend to listen and then turn a decision my way, or do I really take in others’ viewpoints?
• What did I feel toward the boss in my first or early jobs?
• How is the power distance limiting the way that smart people can make my company better?
Questions to ask your team members directly or in writing:
• Do you experience a sense of psychological safety around the leaders of our company?
• Do you feel comfortable disagreeing with me or other leaders in this company?
• Do you feel able to say no to work that does not add value to this company?
• Are there any important opinions about our process that you hold back or feel afraid to share?
• Is there a piece of feedback on my leadership you would like to share?
The power distance between you and others may not melt as quickly or as magically as did for my father and his tiny compatriots. But it can lessen and even at times evaporate if we raise our empathy, show our humanity, and pay attention.
This article was also published on Juliet Funt’s LinkedIn
Juliet Funt is the founder and CEO at JFG (Juliet Funt Group), which is a consulting and training firm built upon the popular teaching of CEO Juliet Funt, author of A Minute to Think.
Source: Vector created by storyset on freepik.com
BY JULIET FUNT
When most people begin adding open, strategic pauses into their work and lives, they first focus on time for rest. Of course, this is needed—and critical—especially now. But it’s usually over time that a second wave of appreciation arises for the generative aspect of pausing. In quiet and unfilled moments, we experience the kind of white space that forms a healthy vacuum where creativity can blossom. It’s a place to hatch and nurture ideas, and one where lightbulb moments have room to arrive. This kind of pause is where we make things in our minds. Here lives time for growth, innovation, and problem-solving. We call it a constructive pause.
What’s especially rewarding about this type of pause is the nonlinearity of thinking that comes with it—less like a greyhound dashing in a straight line to the finish and more like a butterfly stopping at unpredictable
places before eventually returning with nectar. The process may be fluid and may involve weaving in and out of the topic at hand.
This flexibility is essential to the desired outcome. When we’re stuck on a problem we often keep running through the same associations and options to no avail. By stepping away we engage other mental faculties and experience what are called “incubation periods,” unconscious mental processes that aid in creative problem-solving. Scientists also describe this as “beneficial forgetting.” We can allow ourselves to rewire our thinking, disconnect from unhelpful associations, and replace them with new, unique solutions, which is exactly what we want.
A version of this truth was summed up by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the man who wrote Flow and who is the unrivaled granddaddy of applied creativity. He writes, “In terms of using mental energy creatively, perhaps the most fundamental difference between people consists in how much uncommitted attention they have left over to deal with novelty.”
The legendary John Cleese, cofounder of Monty Python, is the man who brought us the joys of the “Fish Slapping Dance” and “The Argument Clinic” sketches and the antics of Basil Fawlty. I had the honor to speak to him about his use of white space, which fascinated me because not only is he an idol of mine, but he also taught businesses and executives for years with a message that overlapped with mine.
He says there are two types of work, the “open mode” (creative, flowing, unstructured) and the “closed mode” (executing, doing). Cleese believes one must step into the open mode (what we would call a constructive pause) for a healthy chunk of time—ideally ninety minutes—in order for your mind to sift through the first flurry of distractions and then clear the ground for play.
But he also taught me a constructive tool that has been the single most influential for me in my own creative practice ever since. There’s a story that he tells about him and the other Pythons during the rich early days of their creative process. One of the other performers, who he would keep nameless, was someone Cleese noticed had trouble coming up with the same level of ideas that he did. The difference was in their process. When this other performer would come up with an idea, if it was a good, solid idea he would go for it. Not so with Cleese. He noticed that when he came up with a good idea, he would note it, set it aside, and keep exploring. If another idea came, he would note it, set it aside, and keep exploring. As a person who has an itchy trigger finger for deploying my ideas, I’ve found this set-aside process instrumental in my own creative pursuits since I first heard it.
Steve Jobs echoed this instruction through a different lens. He often said that it’s pretty easy to kill bad ideas. But killing the good ones is what’s hard. People are proud of good ideas, and good ideas are tempting to grab onto, but they are not the same as great ideas, and they often take a huge amount of time and bandwidth that prevent the latter from ever manifesting.
In practical use the “set-aside” technique goes like this:
• I am tasked to solve a problem.
• A possible solution appears to me.
• I have a desire/inclination to grasp the first solution and act on it. (This moment of restraint is the key to the whole process.)
• I pause, set it aside, and keep exploring.
• I let an hour, a day, or a week pass and choose the best direction. Or I may decide to pause altogether to see if this is the best place to put my time, energy, and creativity.
This process not only changes the timing of acting on ideas but the intensity of my allegiance to them. They begin to appear less perfect and concrete to me, more like drafts than final products. And it slows me down, opening my mind to the number of options possible for every problem.
You can try the “set-aside” process alone or with a team. In group settings, it’s a great way to make space for the quieter members of a workgroup to voice their thoughts before the first idea runs the show.
Set aside your next good thought and see if a great one follows.
This article was also published on Juliet Funt’s LinkedIn.
Juliet Funt is the founder and CEO at JFG (Juliet Funt Group), which is a consulting and training firm built upon the popular teaching of CEO Juliet Funt, author of A Minute to Think.
The world is awash with predictions, forecasts and expectations about the stock market, economy, politics, world affairs and society (to name a few).
For example, Forrester’s research suggests that automation will strip out approximately 1.5m jobs from the local economy. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2020 report concluded that technology-driven job creation would outpace job destruction (over the next five years).
Yet as history has proven many times, it’s hard to predict the future. At one point, cars and electricity were considered a fad. Predictions about the stock market, economy, and community trends have frequently been spectacularly wrong.
This AFR article reported on a memo to investors at Oaktree Capital by Wall Street investor Howard Marks. He wrote “…these days, it seems as if investors hang on every forecaster’s word, macro event, and twitch on the part of the [Federal Reserve]”.
Our brain craves certainty. It wants to know what to do. Consequently, clinging to predictions and believing we know what will happen in the future (and even control the future) provides comfort. Yet, all predictions are based on perspectives, models and often bias, which means they may be unhelpful and even misleading. It’s impossible to control the future.
Source: Vector image is from freepik.com by @storysetThe only sure thing is that change is inevitable and that humans are, as researcher Dan Ariely said, “Predictably irrational”. His book, of the same title, explains how we believe we make decisions rationally. However, our decisions are driven by assumptions, heuristics and past experience.
Much of our decision-making is based on emotions we can’t quite explain. And feelings can arise when they aren’t expected.
A perfect example…
Upon hearing the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, I was immediately sad. And, to be frank, almost weepy. This reaction surprised me, and if someone had said to me the day before that I would react this way emotionally, I would have scoffed. I couldn’t predict my emotional reaction. It was a reaction, not a response because it was immediate and without conscious processing.
We react to so many things around us. There are signs and interactions that we react to and signals we need to tune into to help us better understand ourselves, others and society.
In 2009, Paul Shoemaker and George Day, writing for MIT Sloan Management Review, highlighted the criticality of making sense of weak signals. This is one of my all-time favourite articles. It’s not about predicting the future; it’s about improving your ability to understand what could happen by improving your peripheral vision, elevating self-awareness and minimising bias. It’s making sense of weak signals. They define a weak signal as “A seemingly random or disconnected piece of information that at first appears to be background noise but can be recognised as part of a significant pattern by viewing it through a different frame or connecting it with other pieces of information”.
Shoemaker and Day outline three phases: scanning, sense-making, and probing and acting. In the first phase, you actively surface any weak signals by tapping into information sources, expanding your network and seeking out data. In the second phase, you test hypotheses, canvass wisdom from a range of people and develop diverse scenarios. Diversity of thought and participation is crucial. Lastly, in the third phase, you probe further and clarify what could happen. In this phase, you confront the reality of the situation and encourage constructive dialogue.
For all of this to happen, you need space to reflect and think, and time to generate insights and make sense of what is happening.
Finding that time doesn’t happen by accident. It takes deliberate planning and conscious thought. It’s recognising the value that stems from what can appear like ‘doing nothing’ on the outside. You also need to be willing to challenge yourself and the assumptions that underpin how you think and decide.
You can’t predict the future. However, you can plan for it! Essential to planning is the willingness to be flexible, resilient and adaptable, so you and your workforce are best prepared for whatever comes next, even when that future is unpredictable.
Republished with courtesy from michellegibbings.com
Michelle Gibbings is a workplace expert and the award-winning author of three books. Her latest book is ‘Bad Boss: What to do if you work for one, manage one or are one’.
