A couple of weeks ago I was working with a large multi-national on a development programme for their senior leaders from around the world. It was specifically focused on dealing with a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous world - the world we all seem to be faced with these days! What we worked on were essentially the three thinking practices that I have recommended for many years to the executives I coach - and I realise I have never posted about them before. So here they are:
1. Focus attention on the inner world. This means looking at the assumptions, beliefs, biases and blind spots which distort our perception, and hence constrain our thinking and our actions. It means paying attention not only to your own inner world, but also to that of others you interact with, and to the the collective inner world of the organisation. This allows you to be more aware of habitual patterns of thinking or action, giving you the option of interrupting automatic processes and making more intentional decisions.
2. Take another's perspective. We all believe we do this all the time, but actually it is harder than we think. Often we get stuck in our own heads, and simply project our thinking onto others - so we don't really look from their perspective, we imagine they are seeing things as we do. I find I need the explicit help of dialogue with other people, or specific thinking tools, to really shift my point of view.
3. Use the power of the non-rational. I would usually combine this with both 1 and 2. I am talking here about listening to what your body is telling you, and using pictures, imagery, and metaphor to understand (and communicate) complexity. In complex situations the non-rational right brain often understands much more than the rational left brain can cope with.
All these ways of thinking (practices) are things we can get better at by repetition (practice). With practice they take less effort and you become more fluent and effective in their use. So don't let them be one-off experiences on a programme. Practice, practice, practice.
