Dance Toward Insight – Step 4

I often tell my students that “learning never stops and never stop learning”.  This is what step 4, Dance Toward Insight is all about.  There are basic elements that if used, can help people arrive at insights without you telling them what to do and as we know, when an idea comes from us we are more likely to have buy in.   If the conversations we are having with people are succinct, and with intent and we use the pattern of :  gaining permission, properly placing our words within the discussion and use clarifying statements to ensure the meaning is understood then the chance of having someone gain insight on their own is increased. 

As a leader you are responsible for leading people, but that does not mean that you are to do the thinking for them.  If you lead with intent then you will also be training or developing your followers to become better thinkers.  The Four Faces of Insight is a great way to observe what is happening to a person as you have a discussion with them. You can see what they are thinking  by their facial expressions.   David Rock states that he secured a grant so  he could study what was going on in the brain when he was coaching someone. During his research he found that people make similar facial expressions when they are in various states of mind.  These facial expressions are depicted in The Four Face of Insight.  As humans we are always trying to find commonalities or patterns.  When we are presented with a problem for example, our brains begin to look for a solution and this is done by looking for some awareness.

The facial expressions that you may see when you first present a problem to someone is a look of confusion or of being aware that a dilemma exists.  As the mind works to process this new information the face depicts a look of reflection or thought.  When the “aha” moment comes the facial expression is one o insight and illumination, think wide eyes and smiles perhaps with head nodding.  At this point the person will move into motivation which is smile and content look of eagerness at having solved a dilemma and reaching insight.

As a leader you want to see these four facial patterns depicted.  When you do you know you are asking the right questions and providing the right details for the person to “Dance Toward Insight”.

The Value of Mastermind

I am currently a member of two Mastermind Groups.  For those of you that don’t know what a mastermind group is, let me give a brief explanation.  The concept of Mastermind ing has been around for centuries.  However, most people first heard of MM through the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.

Mastermind minds are formed so that like minded people, and by that I mean people that are open, honest, insightful, curious, seek to self-improve and reflect, and want to make a difference in their lives and the lives or others,  gather.   In my case I have a group that I meet with via SKYPE every other week.  This is a global group which adds that dimension of cultural diversity.  The other group is local to my state, but we are a distance away so we are trying the webcam and conference call tactic.

The structure is set up basically the same with each group.  The group size is 6 which is perfect to allow each person to address the group and seek input.  The sessions last 90 minutes.   As we enter the group session we go around and state something that we are grateful for, then each person takes a given amount of time to bring forth a challenge they are having that they would like the group to assist them with.  After explaining their challenge those in the group provide either questions to that person to help them gain further insight or offer  advise and guidance if they have knowledge in the area identified.  The person then ends stating something that they would like the group to hold them accountable for before our next session.

My Mastermind buddies give me energy and help me to release what I know is inside me.  They offer the support and challenge to keep me moving forward.

If you are wondering what my accountability is for the next two weeks, let me tell you.  I am going to visit family and for me that means turning all my attention to them.  However, I have a big proposal that needs to be done by the end of the month as well.  Therefore, I ask that they help hold me accountable to doing some work each day on it rather than feeling the pressure when I get back.

Mastermind… what a great thing!

Critical Thinking Can Make You a Better Manager/Leader

Many of you know that I teach critical thinking skills at the undergraduate level.   There is nothing like taking students through syllogisms, inductive and deductive reasoning.

Critical thinking skills are an attribute that every manager and leader should possess.  They should be developed and fine tuned.  Without  even the basic skills, how can any problems ever be solved?   As a manager/leader the problems that you encounter daily are more than  profit based.

Problems that many business leaders are facing now are those of staff.  How to motivate current staff to gain the best out of their skills, knowledge and abilities.  How to handle rapidly changing work environments as the focus shifts on strategic plans.  Where are the talent pools within your work force that you may have overlooked before?

Remember some of those critical thinking skills you learned in your college courses and put them to use.  Break down your problems to bit size pieces and determine if the problem is really valid or invalid at this particular time.  Don’t waste your time on a problem that isn’t really there.  Use your inductive and deductive reasoning skills.

If you can’t remember the basic of critical thinking, it may be time to take a brush up course!  When we don’t use a skill we lose it!