MODERN THINKING
“why” is the driver to our thinking
and decision-making. It’s because
it connects us at a deeper level, to
the emotional hook that gives us
meaning.
Be Curious
You may not be Curious George
but your innate sense of curiosity
helps you to question why we do
things a certain way, which opens
up the way to exploring other
possibilities. If your workplace is
stuck in the “That’s the way we
do things around here” mentality,
get inquisitive. While tradition and
protocol play a valuable role in
conformity - too much can stymie
improvements. Your 20-year-old
grey woolen cardigan might still
be very comfortable, but would a
wardrobe update help freshen up
your appearance? Being seen as
being contemporary and relevant is
essential to business growth (and
survival).
Get innovative
New ideas are often lurking just
below the surface. Tapping into
the mental capital of your team
by making innovation a safe place
to be can lead to great new ideas
being shared and discussed. When
Atlassian introduced ‘ShipIt’ days,
a 24-hour period for all employees
to work on any project they liked,
they unleashed a torrent of new
ideas, some of which translated
into significant new products for the
company. Feeling excited, inspired
and taking ownership of new ideas
makes them far more acceptable
and easy to implement.
Be inclusive
Not everyone will ‘get’ your brilliant
new idea or want to buy into it.
Being inclusive is about involving
all stakeholders in the game of
change. It’s especially important
for those with doubts or fears to
get heard. They may not like the
proposed changes, but if given a
voice they will be more accepting of
them.
Change your perspective
Our reality is the one we create.
No two brains are alike, which
means no one else of the 7.3
billion other people on the planet
share the share neural architecture
as you. Being unique, means
there will always be more than
one perspective. Acknowledging
diversity of thought or beliefs and
celebrating the differences opens
up the conversation that takes in
other points of view. Check in with
your language. Your self-talk reveals
what you really think. With around
89 cognitive biases to choose from,
are we ever as open-minded as we
like to think we are?
Carol Dweck from Stanford reveals
we have either a fixed or a growth
mindset. A fixed mindset sees
intelligence as being innate, that
failure is seen as a bad thing and
best avoided. A growth mindset
believes that effort and practice is
what brings success and that we
can always learn from our mistakes
to do better next time. Developing
change agility – embracing change
more easily is all about choosing
an open mindset where failing to
initiate change is far worse than
trying out different ways of doing.
As Edison, the inventor of the light
bulb said “ I have not failed, I’ve just
found ten thousand ways that didn’t
work.
Create a raving fan base
Change doesn’t happen in isolation
and it’s hard for one person alone to
bring it about. Talking about change
means painting a picture that is BIG
and BOLD and helps everyone to
understand your vision of change.
If others share your vision they
will be the ones driving the wheel
of momentum to make it happen.
Barack Obama in his first U.S.
presidential campaign did this very
successfully by tapping into the vibe
for change that people connected
to. This created a tidal wave of
support for his message of “Time
for Change” and “Yes we can”.
Maintain the continuum.
As initiating