Category: K.E.E.N. skills

Why You Need to Beware of Second-Hand Stress

Second-hand stress has become a commonly recognized issue in the workplace and life in general (with an interesting parallel with second-hand smoke). Many papers are written on the subject even in the Harvard Business Review (‘Make Yourself Immune to Secondhand Stress‘).

stressed employee
No stress at work!

Emotional contagion in the workplace results in the dissemination of stress in the office: “if someone in your visual field is anxious and highly expressive — either verbally or non-verbally — there’s a high likelihood you’ll experience those emotions as well, negatively impacting your brain’s performance“. The HBR paper even goes as far that one can be influenced by sight, sounds and even smell!

The recommendation to fight second-hand stress is simple. It involves quite some self-awareness, and building defenses (counter-acting stress episodes with compensating thoughts and situations, and defending oneself against the spread by resolutely taking some distance from the events at hand).

Be aware about the negative effects of second-hand stress! Build your defense system and minimize the impact of any residual second-hand stress on yourself. Remember, in most cases it’s not worth it!

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How We Increasingly Discover the Importance of the Vagus Nerve

I am struck to see in more and more papers and articles mention of the “vagus nerve“, a lesser known nervous system that runs parallel to the best known spinal system and concentrates on linking our internal organs to the brain.

vagus_nerve_overviewThis comes in parallel to an increasing awareness of the importance of “gut feelings” in decision-making. Gut feelings are mainly transmitted by the vagus nerve system. See for example this article: ‘Science says your “gut feeling” isn’t a metaphor‘ (which even goes to link our guts’ microbial condition to our brain capabilities).

In general it appears that a lot of deep emotional reactions are triggered or conveyed by the vagus nerve and that it plays an essential role in our overall behavior. This of course goes against some theories about the role of certain other nerves and brain parts. We still have a lot to learn on our bodies!

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Why You Need to Get Better at the Skill of Asking Dumb Questions

Dumb questions can be very effective. And asking pointed dumb question is an art that I try to perfect.

dumb_question_sandbergI am not alone. “An important tenet of action learning is to create a structure and environment in which people are encouraged to ask what they might think of as “dumb” questions. Often it is the “dumb” question that is really the great “fresh” question that ultimately solves the problem and perhaps saves the company” writes Michael Marquardt in the book ‘Optimizing the Power of Action Learning‘.

Of course, it is harder to ask dumb questions on a topic that you know very well so unfortunately I realize that I get much less effective the more I know about something. That’s why it is always useful in a facilitated session to have someone there that does not know too much about the subject at hand and can ask the effective dumb question.

Are you also working on this essential skill?

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How to Benefit of Reality Distortion Fields While Avoiding Total Disconnect

Reality Distortion Fields are essential for visionary leaders like Steve Jobs, but they can also be dangerous if too strong – reality often catches up rather quickly when ignored for too long. This is in particular the case for distortions of time (the most common maybe).

distortion in timeThere is thus a fine balance to be maintained so as to allow visionary jump forward while at the same time, retaining sufficient connection with reality.

It is very possible to keep a moderate reality distortion field, which most people do even if unaware, and sufficient realism too. The issue is when the distortion strength becomes significant.

It is then easier to have this balance maintained by a team rather by a single individual. The visionary leader with his distorted vision of reality must then be paired with a down-to-earth realistic counterpart, and sufficient trust must exist between those individuals, which must rely on mutual respect. Sometimes leaders themselves must try to maintain this balance, but this often leads to unease and sometimes to accidents.

Strong reality distortion fields are essential for creativity and for leaps forward. They need to be managed and counterbalanced for a healthy progression.

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How a Reality Distortion Field is Essential for Visionary Leaders

I was struck how Steve Job’s “reality distortion field” was repeatedly highlighted in the Walter Isaacson biography. In several instances this drove actions that were at odds with acknowledged possibilities. It was definitely a major source of creativity. This capability also influenced significantly people around him.

Steve_JobsThis particular capability was quoted as a strength that allowed leaps of faith and moving teams to achieve impossible feats. It was also identified as a weakness as Steve Jobs was unable to process information that was contradictory to his intent or position (sometimes indeed, reality did not bend to his will!).

I have personally observed that visionary leaders do generally possess this reality distortion field capability (and the related influencing capabilities). It is often the only way to move the team. And it is often a visible distinction between the “bureaucrat” leader that remains withing the current reality and the “visionary” leader that can jump in new reality fields.

And it is sometimes difficult to withstand the attraction of the reality distortion field when one is around a strong one.

Measuring the strength of the reality distortion field of those people around you is indeed a good way to measure whether people are visionary.

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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.

power_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!

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How Creativity and Productivity Are Seasonal

“Remember that creativity and peak productivity are seasonal: there’s a time to plant and a time to harvest” writes Robin Sharma.

seasonsI think it is true that it is quite impossible to stay hyper creative and productive all time; we need downtime and resourcing. We also need to consciously take time for reflection and refocus.

Contrary to natural seasons, the seasons hinted at by Robin Sharma develop along different timeframes – and intermingle. The most important timeframes are:

  • intra-day,
  • in our weekly rhythm, between week-days and week-end,
  • and finally over months or years.

And as Robin Sharma reminds us, we also need to be able to plant today to hope for reaping later. Investment in creativity and production is sometimes tough and costly, and remains necessary.

Do you give yourself time for downtime, reflection, and planting seeds that could eventually grow into full fledged harvest?

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Why We Should Limit our Usage of Instant Messengers

As you know, I am quite keen on new communication technology and I love the possibilities brought to us by the Fourth Revolution. At the same time, minimizing attention-disturbing interruptions is essential for productive work. As a result, I find myself taking an increasingly strong position against all sorts of Instant Messaging Apps, in particular on the phone.

instant_message
These are all attention killing, important work avoidance beasts. Learn to tame them!

For example lately I had an argument with an acquaintance because I did not want to install on my phone a widely known chat app. Of course it makes communication easy, free and instantaneous. My point was that I did not want to be interrupted constantly, and that I try to keep significant chunks of time available for focus. Therefore, I prefer asynchronous communication means such as email, and limit drastically instant messaging tools. I keep old-fashioned SMS for emergencies, because it’s harder and it costs a bit of money – so that people think twice before using it!

Have you ever tried to focus on meaningful work while responding to Instant Messages? I can’t. As a result I tend to lose time or do things of minor importance in the meantime. Instant Messenger is supposedly designed to save time, but it distracts us from doing the important stuff.

I thus minimize those tools, remove all sorts of notifications on my phone, and for those that are unavoidable, I use the functions that allow to be undisturbed while I do important work.

Discipline is required for instant messaging tools. What is your’s?

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How Mindfulness is a Reaction to Stimuli Overload

The last years have seen a tremendous development of mindfulness, including on the workplace where it becomes mainstream. It happens at the same time where our attention is increasingly diverted through various devices, notifications and information availability. This is not chance – I believe it is the symptom of a deep struggle. And it is a major issue that we need to deal with as we enter deeper into the Fourth Revolution.

meditationMany mindfulness programs are based on the premise of mindfulness training whereby we take some pauses, cutting ourselves off from the demands of modern life for a few minutes for example by meditating. This regular exercise reinforces our ability to focus and manage our thoughts.

The question is whether this practice is sufficient, or whether it just reflects the need to find some balance. Shouldn’t we learn to manage our attention on a continuous basis, not just by taking some pauses off? Mindfulness should thus become an ongoing practice, and this will need to become ingrained in our way of life.

A major issue is that our children do not learn so much at school today how to deal with their focus and attention when faced with the multiplying stimuli of modern life.

Mindfulness is a clear symptom of a societal issue, and the question remains open if the current practices resolve it fully. I believe that more progress will have to be made to define how to deal with modern stimuli overload and find the practices that will be required by all in the Collaborative Age.

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Why Mastering the Flinch is Vital in Today’s World

I read a very interesting short book called The Flinch, by Julien Smith (available only on Kindle at this stage apparently). The concept is simple. “It’s about an instinct— the flinch— and why mastering it is vital. The book is about how to stop flinching. It’s about facing pain.”

boxing
Boxing, a sport where overcoming the flinch is essential for success

A flinch is ‘to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus‘ (Wiktionary definition). The concept of the book is that this reflex is what beats us in a variety of situations in our current life.

Of course, the flinch was a useful survival reflex in the wild, but in today’s society, it becomes an impediment in a variety of situations. The split second hesitation or pull back leads to being overwhelmed by others or even creates dangerous situations for the self. An example developed in the book is boxing, where training is a lot about overcoming the flinching reflex so as to be able to push into the opponent.

According to Julien Smith, “The flinch is your real opponent, and information won’t help you fight it. […] It’s why the monolithic company gets wiped out by a lean startup— because the big company culture avoids the hard questions. It’s the reason you make the wrong decision, even though you may know what the right one is.”

The flinch is what prevents us from taking risks and from responding quickly to new situations. We need to be able to overcome the reflex in many situations. And it can only be learnt by practicing. When do you start?

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How to Avoid the Comfort Zone Fallacy

Continuing on the previous post ‘Why Avoid the Organizational Comfort Zone Retreat Fallacy‘, let us now consider stress and the tendency to retreat to our comfort zone on a personal level, in particular when we stretch out and we happen to encounter a storm.

Freaking out? Beware of the comfort zone fallacy!
Freaking out? Beware of the comfort zone fallacy!

Our comfort zone is a zone where we have been successful, possibly recognized. It is a zone where we think we are protected. Hence our tendency to try to revert to it when things go bad.

A common, personal example: I have been raised to think that salaried employment is a safe zone, whereas being on one’s own is a dangerous adventure. Thus when things go stormy I tend to think I should revert to salaried employment as soon as possible. I know that it is an obsolete concept, I observe around me that employees are no safer, but I still can’t help to have these thoughts – so much I was conditioned into this idea of the Industrial Age about being an employee.

We all need to have safe havens, where we feel supported. It is typically our family circle. It is not the same as our comfort zone; actually part of our families might not be overly supportive of some efforts we make to stretch out. Yet we can count on our safe haven. This should be the support we need to overcome the natural tendency to run back to our ‘comfort zone’ when things go bad.

The more I think about it, I think that if you’ve stretched sufficiently outside of your comfort zone, you should rather try to go even further. Because:

  • that is what will make a significant difference with 99% of the people who freak out and flee back to comfort,
  • that’s the moment to maintain the maximum flexibility and adaptability – not to enclose oneself in a closed, defensive location.

When the storm comes, create the difference. Leverage on your safe haven to stretch even more out of your comfort zone. Remain flexible, and find your way in the storm.

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How to Deal With Experts’ Arrogance

I am always struck by how experts can easily become arrogant and ego-driven, and how widespread this issue is, in particular among scientists. It is actually quite rare to find experts that remain sufficiently open-minded to consider potentially contradicting evidence without trying first to dismiss it based on their expertise.

This is a significant hurdle in a number of practical situations and needs to be overcome (without creating screams and damaging egos).

arroganceAt the start of my professional career I toyed with the idea of going into scientific research. So I took the opportunity to work in an applied research lab. What struck me quickly was how arrogant most of the senior scientists were. It was the arrogance born out of expertise in an area. They thought they knew. As it happened that I brought in some novel ideas in a certain field, the debate was not scientific about ideas but immediately became ego-driven. And emotionally loaded it was! People screamed and finger-pointed on the basis of a detail in a remote scientific field.

Of course, this attitude is not scientific; in science a theory only holds until someone finds contradictory evidence, and at that point a new, a better theory must be developed.

This expert arrogance is a significant hurdle for multidisciplinary work, and also for improving science. It needs to be dealt with forcefully at times to enable discussion and progress.

I find the best approach with those arrogant experts is to show to them that the problem at stake is not fully contained in their field, but maybe only touching, or at least that their opinion is not going to be questioned in the narrow field of their expertise. Hence you need first to determine on what exact limits the expert considers himself to know everything; and then make sure that your problem goes beyond. You will be able to get the recommendation of the expert, and adapt or dismiss it without creating an ego issue, because the problem is in an other area! If you have several experts in different fields it works the same. This gives the freedom to aggregate all those expert opinions.

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