Change | The Fourth Revolution Blog

Why We Should be Learners Rather Than Experts

“In times of change, the Learners will inherit the world while the Knowers will remain well-prepared for a world that no longer exists.” writes Eric Hoffer. Just right – and as we are now constantly in a time of change, this should apply universally.

‘Experts’ or ‘Knowers’ derive their views from an analysis of the past. Furthermore, in instances where the past is complex such as in history or economics, they add a layer of rationalization on these observations (such as correlations or implied causations).

The thing is, the future is not going to be a repeat of the past. And even more as time tends to accelerate. Even if is useful to study history to grab how random events create huge consequences, it can be disastrous to use this knowledge in the field of forecasting.

The observers, the ‘learners’, are those that will keep an open mind to new developments and will more quickly adapt. Be a Learner. Don’t seek to be a Knower.

Why Leaders Need to Be Authentic

“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult” – Warren Bennis.

I am increasingly convinced that authenticity is required to be successful in all our creative endeavors – and this includes leadership. It is quite strange because showing restraint and self-control is rather what has been inculcated to us. However, authenticity and the associated emotional messages are essential to move people, and to create change.

Depending on our education and the circumstances, it can be tough to authentic, and it needs to be dosed right and be timely. Still I have found that every time I was authentic and connected to my feelings, something happened that hastened progress.

Become yourself and be authentic. It is the secret of great leaders.

Why You Always Need to Look for the Real Underlying Problem

It is now well known in consulting that the issue which you are called in to solve is rarely the real issue at stake. Most of the time, there is some underlying problem which is much more serious and that needs to be addressed heads on.

Do you see the problem? If you don't see the lion look at the problem from further! — Do you see the problem? If you don’t see the lion look at the problem from further!

This issue is explained for example in Peter Block’s ‘Flawless consulting‘ book.

And quite often as consultants, as we are not infallible, we start addressing some surface problem first before realizing what the main issue really is.

Also, the real issue is often more difficult to tackle because it is generally a much deeper issue related to governance and people’s behavior.

When called in to resolve an issue, always take a deep breath and some time to figure out whether there would not be a deeper underlying problem that would better need to be resolved. It is generally the case, and your intervention will be much more powerful.

How We Have Increased Dramatically our Feedback to all Services We Use

Following up on our post ‘How Social Ratings Determine Our Choices‘, let’s add how much more often we are asked to rate, and we do rate services.

I am amazed at how often I am prompted to give my feedback now. In all situations: when using a website or a service on internet; when visiting a hotel on the reservation platform; when downloading or using an app; when reading a book on my Kindle; and even when visiting the toilet at the airport!

And when we don’t do it consciously, the machine does infer some ratings: for example, how much and quick I read my book on Kindle certainly creates some rating in Amazon.

When we put this situation together with the fact that this forces the system to behave like a complex systems, reinforcing the popularity of the popular services and diminishing greatly the popularity to the others, we can see how our world is increasingly transforming in all spaces to a “winner takes all” situation, or that everything will be increasingly governed by the famous long tail distribution.

Welcome to the Collaborative Age!

By the way: how do you rate this post? 🙂

Why You Should Use Powerful Questions More Often

Questions have great power. They can create real shifts in our thinking. It is a tool I use a lot in coaching. Action Learning is a cousin, where problems are being managed by diverse teams of people using questions.

“Requiring people to think in terms of “questions first” transforms the dynamics of the group. The natural impulse to make statements and judgments gives way to listening and reflecting” writes Michael Marquardt in the book ‘Optimizing the Power of Action Learning’.

In business meetings I observe that people too often proceed with making statements. It would be much more effective to ask questions. The best leaders actually do that, and it is quite easy to identify leadership with the ability to ask questions rather than making statements.

Next time, when you’re about to make a statement, ask yourself whether it would not be better to ask a powerful question instead. It will change the dynamics of the group!

Why Integrating New Experiences in Our Life is an Essential Skill

“The ability to process new experiences, to find their meaning and to integrate them into one’s life, is the signature skill of leaders and, indeed, of anyone who finds ways to live fully and well.” —William Bennis

I find this quote very much to the point. What is implied requires two skills:

the ability to venture beyond one’s comfort zone and be open to new experiences,
and the ability to process this new experience and change oneself

Both can be challenging to people. For example, I do easily venture outside my comfort, but I am not completely sure I take advantage of all this experience to change quickly enough.

In addition, I like the relationship that Warren Bennis makes between the ability to change and leadership. A leader must be able to entice followers to come, she must also be able to recognize the need to change herself. This might not always be easy to do both.

How able do you find yourself going beyond your comfort zone, and to process the experience to change yourself?

How We Are Becoming Much More Intelligent With Each Generation

I discovered recently the Flynn Effect, the fact that our average intelligence (as measured by the IQ test) has increased dramatically in the last decades in developed countries.

The IQ test is periodically calibrated to have an average of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 points. In many developed countries, the average IQ has increased by 20-30 points over the 20th century: measured as of today, our ancestors one century ago would have been considered mentally retarded (and so possibly also our grandparents).

There are many reasons proposed for this change, the most convincing being better formal education. Also, we now know that IQ only measures one kind of intelligence, and there are other forms which are as important for predicting success and social abilities.

Some recent observations would tend to show rather a stagnation of even a diminution of the average IQ in the last decade, still to be confirmed, and still to be linked with the kind of questions that are asked in the IQ test which only measure a partial side of intelligence. Still, 20th century schooling has shown a dramatic ability to improve the capability it intended to improve!

Anyway, what I find very interesting here is that it appears that our modern habits of mind and education seem to have made us much more adapted to dealing with certain kind of problems that require abstract thinking. What is amazing is the magnitude of the change over 2 generations!

For more information, watch the TED talk by James Flynn on YouTube

How to Improve the Effectiveness of Complex Problem-Solving Teams

We’ve already established in this blog that an effective team is the best way to tackle complexity. There appears to be one additional condition: the team must be complete when it meets to resolve a situation.

According to Michael Marquardt in the book ‘Optimizing the Power of Action Learning’, “Putnam (2000) notes that the most complex problems can be solved only by a group that has developed a strong social bonding. Therefore, it is much better that the group meets fewer times when everyone is present than more times when one or more of the members may be absent”

I have observed that when people are missing it certainly influences the effectiveness of the process. This warning also implies that problem-solving teams be of a limited size so as to make it workable.

Increase definitely the effectiveness of complex problem solving by insisting on the attendance of everybody in the problem-solving team!

Why Computer Hardware Investment Leads to Significant Business Improvement

“For every dollar of investment in computer hardware, companies need to invest up to another nine dollars in software, training, and business process redesign” – according to a study by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee quoted in ‘The Second Machine Age‘.

This looks first as a warning to budget adequately when buying computer hardware! In reality, it is a measure of the leverage into business improvement that is provided by computer capabilities.

And it is true that investment in new hardware or software always leads to business and process investment, and eventually to business improvement (which is required to justify the investment in the first place). Even if process improvements are not immediate due to change management considerations, it will happen eventually when the organization’s contributors will realize the capabilities that are now available to them. I believe it is typical in professional business software implementation to see professional fees to be up to 3 or 4 times the license investment; and obviously the leverage ratio is even higher on hardware investment.

Investment in computing capabilities always leads, sooner or later, to business improvement. It is one of the main driving forces of today’s productivity improvements that will make the Collaborative Age much more efficient.

Why We Need to Choose the Lessons from Tough Experiences

Following on our previous post ‘Why you Need to Carry the Scars of the Lessons You Learnt‘, it is essential to learn the right lessons from the events from which you carry the scars.

When you go through a tough patch, the situation will leave a deep imprint in your mind in all cases. However, what this imprint is actually is your choice. The same situation will be traumatizing for some people, and exhilarating for others. The lessons we learn will depend on the individual.

By going real and testing, by getting burnt and getting scars, we create our memories. We build ourselves. Still we need to choose what exactly we learn from these situations. It is not always adequate to conclude that it is better to stay far from it; it might be better to conclude that it would be better to approach the issue from another way.

The memories and new reactions you build from the tough event are choices you need to make consciously. If possible, try to avoid falling into the trauma side which may consume you. Consider, if needed with the help of others, what good is to learn from the experience and move from there in building a better yourself.

Do get burnt and get scars, and manage your risks to survive in all cases. Then make sure you take the time to overcome the trauma and build constructive lessons from the experience.

Why you Need to Carry the Scars of the Lessons You Learnt

“The lessons you learn best are those you get burned by, without the scar, there’s no evidence or strong memory” writes Julien Smith in a very interesting short book called The Flinch.

He continues, “The event didn’t actually happen or imprint itself on your brain— you just trusted those who know better. Adults know what’s safe, so you listen. Over a lifetime, those who listen too much build a habit of trust and conformity. Unfortunately, as time goes on, that habit becomes unbreakable“.

Reflecting on my own experience, it is true that those experiences that really created pain are those that are the most present. They inform the way I deal with certain situations.

The point of Julien Smith is that it is not enough to hear or read about situations, it is essential to live through them. Action is key, together with risk, and scars are proof of experience. They are needed, and there is no way you can gain experience without. Go for it!

Why Antagonism Will Kill Any Attempt at Influencing

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time” wrote John Knox long ago. The art of influencing requires the right approach to the person you wish to influence, or you run the risk of rejection.

I observe often that antagonism is a clear major impediment to influence; and it can predate the influencing attempt, or even be based on the reputation of the influencer. Too often however, people try to influence in spite of a pre-existing antagonism.

There is no way you can manage to influence someone if there is any possibility of antagonism. Either you need to delegate to someone else, or you need to find a way to be seen positively by the person you want to influence.

This in turn requires establishing and nurturing a connection, and developing trust.

Don’t waste your energy trying to influence someone that might see you as an antagonist. Find another way!

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30