DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Misleading experiences, misleading prejudgements, inappropriate self-interest and inappropriate attachments are four root causes of errors in thinking that lead to bad decisions.

Do you make good decisions?  What influencers affect your decision making?  What happens in the brain when we make a decision?

Our brains use two processes that enable us to cope with the complexities we face: pattern recognition and emotional tagging.  Both help us to make excellent decisions most of the time, but in certain conditions they can mislead us.

Pattern Recognition helps us to assess inputs we receive.  An integrated function then takes the signals about what matches have been found, makes assumptions about missing bits of information and arrives at a point of view.

If we are faced with unfamiliar inputs - especially if the unfamiliar inputs appear familiar - we can think we recognize something when we don not.  We refer to this as the problem of misleading experiences.  Our brains may contain memories of past experiences that connect with inputs we are receiving.  Unfortunately, the past experiences are not a good match with the current situation and hence mislead us.

Another exception is when our thinking has been primed before we receive the inputs, by, for example, previous judgements or decisions we have made that connect with the current situation.  If these judgements are inappropriate for the current situation, they disrupt our pattern recognition processes, causing us to misjudge the information we are receiving.  We refer to these as misleading prejudgements.

In other words, our pattern recognition process is fallible.

The second process that helps us cope with complexity is emotional tagging.  These tags, when triggered by a pattern recognition match, tell us whether to pay attention to something or ignore it, and they give us an action orientation.  Emotional tags can be a problem for us in four ways.  The first two are about misleading experiences and misleading prejudgements: emotions attached to these experiences or prejudgements can give them more prominence in our thinking than is appropriate.

The third and fourth ways emotional tags can disrupt our thinking are through inappropriate attachments, such as the attachment we might feel to colleagues when considering whether to cut costs, and the much more familiar inappropriate self interest, which lies behind the attention managers give to aligning incentives.

The leader must employ processes to mitigate red flags.  Stay tuned for decision checklist and framework.

THE FACES OF DJ BLACK COFFEE

I love house music!  I was recently put onto DJ Black Coffee and his incredible talents.  A Transformational House DJ like BC takes a crowd of individuals and connects them into a massive inspired the tribal rhythms, drums and soulful vocals. 

However, it's the DJ Black Coffee Foundation that got me excited enough to blog about him. Black Coffee has moved to serve a new group of followers off the dance floor.  BC will serve and inspire disable children in South Africa through the DJ Black Coffee Foundation.  We hope that BCs efforts to serve and transform inspire others in the industry elevate the conditions of the less fortunate.   Black Coffee is creating his own movement of social responsibility in the world of DJing.  

My question to you is, who do you serve?

THE LAST LESSON

We went to the final class of my son’s Salamander swim lesson’s last week.  Usually the pool is a buzz with four to five classes of different levels going on simultaneously, effectively using all the space in the pool.  On this day easily two-thirds of the swimmers were absent.  Instead of 30 swimmers in the pool there might have been 10.  It amazes me how few people attend the final class of a session of swim lessons.  Only two of four participants showed up for my son’s class. 

Swimmers find out if they pass (and can move on to the next level) or whether they must repeat the level 2 classes before the end of the session.  Repeating levels, especially at younger ages is quite common as it is critical that swimmers demonstrate competency before they are moved to the next level.  It is interesting to see who is there to learn and who is there to be rewarded for their effort.  I understand that external rewards are motivators, but parents have a responsibility to help kids understand the value of learning so that kid’ motivation for participation is intrinsic.  Progress and learning vs. performance. 

I’ve observed the “last class” phenomenon for 2 years now and it concerns me every time.  Funny thing is that the children will learn from their parents to only do things when there is a reward associated.  Parents must have clarity on why they are enrolling kids in learning programs.  If it is indeed to learn then why would you deprive your child of one-tenth of their learning experience?  If the instructor cancelled a class people would want a refund for the class or for there to be a class added.  But nothing when the parent chooses to do it.  Interesting paradox. 

TARGET GAMES

The father in me will always enjoy spending time with my children.  The learning facilitator in me also enjoys this time.  If left on their own in the right environment, kids will create, innovate and modify their own games.

The other day we spent 45 mins playing a medley of sports in the backyard.  I went to set the table for dinner.  My 4 year old son Tobias chose to play outside by himself until dinner was ready.  After setting the table, I checked up on my son to see how he was doing in the backyard.  I looked out the window and saw Tobias standing over a puddle.  I went outside fearing that he was splashing around in puddle.  Once outside I asked what he was up to.  He hid both hands behind his back and looked at me with that "cat that ate the canary" look in his eyes.  "What's in your hands" I asked.  He showed me two stones that were in his hands and explained the game he was playing.  He had created his own target game of throwing stones into a small puddle from about 20 feet away.  He asked "You wanna play daddy?"  I said "For sure!!" It was awesome to play a game that my son had created, that develops his physical literacy and cognitive abilities.

On Canada Day, I took my son and daughter to the schoolyard to play with the soccer ball.  We played what my son calls "Soccer Fights", which is basically soccer where him and I push, clutch, grab, hold while trying to maintain control of the ball.  After "Soccer Fights" I set up an obstacle course.  I used Tobias' bike, bike helmet, his sisters push car and the top of a water bottle we found at the park to create our obstacle course.  We used the items as pylons.  I recommended to Tobias that we dribble the soccer ball through and around the makeshift pylons to work on our ball handling.  After a few minutes of ball handling Tobias modified the game.  He explained to me that we should now use the "pylons" as targets and that from a distance of 10 feet we were to hit each target.  Once we hit each target it would be the other persons turn.  The learning facilitator in me was delighted by his modification of my exercise from ball handling to striking and a target game.

I get excited when I see my 4 year old son create games and modify activities.  There is significant cognitive value, physical literacy and leadership involved in this process.  It's great to see what kids can come up with if you give them the freedom to explore and create.  It's great to see the joy in their faces when you actively participate in the games and activities they create.

THE THINGS YOU REMEMBER

My dentist Dr. Montague (coolest Dentist in Toronto) pointed out the "THINGS WE REMEMBER" to me at a recent appointment.  I had a crown lengthening procedure done to prepare a tooth and the gums around a tooth for a crown.  Dr. Lenga performed the procedure.  I didn't remember the discomfort, the stitches in my mouth, not being able to chew on my right side. What I did remember was that Dr. Lenga phoned me at 8pm the evening of the procedure to see how I was feeling.

I've been frequenting the neighborhood Starbucks regularly over the past 4 weeks since I started my Master's studies.  This morning I didn't have to communicate my order, the pleasant coffee technician who makes my beverage of choice with care and precision, called out my order once I stepped in line. 

Think about the things you remember about experiences.  Then compare that to what you spend time focussing on in your daily life.  Is there a connection?  Are they in line?

10 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING

How well do you listen? 

Listening involves the skill of grasping and interpreting a message's genuine meaning.  Remember that message reception is a vital link in the communication process. 

1. Listen Actively - Ask questions; paraphrase what is said
2. Find areas of interest - Look for opportunities, new learning
3. Resist distractions - Fight distractions; tolerated bad habits; know how to concentrate
4. Capitalize on the fact that thought is faster than speech - Challenge, anticipate, summarize; listen between lines to tone of voice
5. Be responsive - Nod; show interest, positive feedback
6. Judge content, not delivery - Judge content; skip over delivery a errors
7. Hold one's fire - Does not judge until comprehension is complete
8. Listen for ideas - Listens to sentral themes
9. Work at listening - Work hard; exhibit active body state, eye contact
10. Exercise one's mind - Use heavier material as exercise for the mind

Source: Adapted from Sherman Okum, "How to Be a Better Listener", Nation's Business (August 1975)

LEADER: A COMMUNICATION CHAMPION

Leaders need to be a communication champion who enable followers to "live" the vision in their day-to-day activities.

A blind man was brought to the hospital.  He was both depressed and seriously ill.  He shared a room with another man and one day asked, "What is going on outside?"  The man in the other bed explained in some detail about the sunshine, the gusty winds, and the people walking along the sidewalk. 

The next day, the blind man again asked, "Please tell me what is going on outside today."  The roommate responded with a story about the activities in a park across the way, the ducks on the pond and the people feeding them. 

The third day and each day thereafter for two weeks, the blind man asked about the world outside and the other man answer, describing a different scene.  The blind man enjoyed these talks, and he grew happier learning about the world seen through the windo.

Then the blind man's roommate was discharged from the hospital.  A new roommate was wheeled in, a tough-minded businessman who felt terrible, but wanted to get work done.  The next morning, the blind man said, "Will you please tell me what is going on outside?" The businessman didn't feel well and de didn't want to be bothered to tell stories to a blind man.  So he responded assertively, "What do you mean? I can't see outside.  There is no window here.  It's only a wall."

The blind man again became depressed and a few days later he took a turn for the worse and was moved to intensive care.

Source:  The Leadership Experience, Richard L. Daft 5e