You're Excluding Half of Your Team and Probably Don't Even Know It

Make this one change to the way you brainstorm in your next meeting, and you will see greater engagement, more efficient use of time and double the number of good ideas.  Typical brainstorming techniques require participants to quickly generate ideas that get captured on either a whiteboard or by a meeting scribe.  Often the ideas come fast and furious, but usually from the same one or two people.  How do these dynamos do it, meeting after meeting generating lists of ideas while others seem to sit idly by?

The answer can be found in the science of personality typing: extroverts versus introverts.  Someone with extrovert tendencies has their dopamine reward system wired to novel and fast-paced situations, while introverts tend more towards observation and internal debate before speaking.  It isn't hard to see why extroverts thrive and introverts languish in brainstorming sessions, and why you could be unknowingly silencing some of the best ideas, all in the name of better collaboration.

The fix is easy.  The next time you schedule a meeting, ask participants to generate a few ideas ahead of time.  Appoint someone to collect everyone's ideas and then list them for discussion during the meeting.  Bonus:  If you want to not only positively impact your brainstorming, but also buy yourself some insurance against group think, try employing a technique on independent judgement.  Prior to discussing an issue of importance, ask participants to jot down a short summary of their own position.

Cast Off the Work Life Balance Chains

There is no such thing as a work life balance. When we think in terms of either or, we create a stressful imbalance that cannot find equilibrium. When you are working you realize that you are mindfully choosing to ignore other life issues, while when you are not working you feel overwhelmed when you think about all the tasks piling up and requiring attention. What we need is mindfulness and perspective to help our brains cope. 

Regardless of the task, whether work or life related, stop for a moment to appreciate it and consider the positive impact it is making.  Remind yourself that this is the most important thing you could be doing right now.  Once you learn to be mindful the weight of cognitive dissonance will no longer ballast your thinking.

"For there is nothing either good or

bad, but thinking makes it so." Hamlet, Act 2, Sc. 2

Biases, I've Got a Few: WYSIATI and Action Bias

Use the fact that you have an automatic bias thinking system hard wired into your brain to make better decisions.  Whether you call it gut instinct or confirmation bias, there is an important part of your decision making process that is necessary to your continued existence: jumping to conclusions based on what you see (WYS) immediately in front of you.  Do you really need to debate with yourself about jumping out of the way of the oncoming car as you cross the street?

You can't help yourself.  The brain considers all before it as if that is all there is (IATI).  Knowing this bias, you have a huge advantage to countermand your brain's What You See Is All There Is thinking.  In "Thinking, Fast and Slow", Daniel Kahneman demonstrates WYSIATI thinking with a practical example.  If someone asks you what type of leader your boss is, good or bad leader, you can probably give a quick response.  You likely did this without first considering what traits make a good boss, didn't you?

When you take on a new project, it's common to start getting things done right away, before you consider what a good outcome really looks like.  The progress you make initially soon wanes as you quickly move from autopilot to more detailed tasks, and now the end goal somehow feels farther away than when you started.  Similarly to WYSIATI, our bias to action is perfect for simple tasks and helpful in creating a sense of urgency, but impedes us in long term, quality decision making.

What can you do about your biases?  Absolutely nothing.  Instead, work to recognize these forces in your brain are at work and take the next step to actively consider if the task requires longer reflection or not.  After all, jumping out of the way of an oncoming car is usually the right decision.

The Economics of Attitude

It's the first Monday of 2015, so let's start the new year off with a clean slate. Social psychologists talk of an emotional bank account that we build with each other. Perhaps someone you know has overdrawn with you. Rather than stamping insufficient funds, consider them paid in full and wipe their debt away today. Don't just do this with debtors. Take today to start fresh with everyone, including yourself. #mondaymover