How to think and act differently
If you asked us to state the key driver for our talent development programme, Putting Your Talent to Work, we would say it is to encourage leaders to think, feel and act differently about the challenges they face in the workplace.
I recently worked with a group of senior executives who talked about the need for diversity of thought in the workplace and the need to encourage it, however, their actions and behaviour were at odds with what they were saying, not an uncommon challenge for leadership development interventions. There is much research to support the argument that developing the capacity to think in a balanced way, using both intuition and logic appropriately differentiates successful leaders from average leaders.
In a recent study conducted by Kahneman, Lovallo and Sibony they refer to intuitive thinking and rational thinking as System One and System two thinking. Their evidence suggests that when problem-solving and decision-making, particularly when weighing up recommendations that you are being asked to endorse, it is important to be aware of your cognitive biases. http://hbr.org/2011/06/the-big-idea-before-you-make-that-big-decision/ar/3
Below is a summary of 12 questions you can ask yourself when faced with having to approve a recommendation or decision made by others which requires your support or approval. (Kahneman et al, 2011)
1. Is there any reason to suspect motivated errors or errors driven by the self-interest of the team?
2. Have the people making the recommendation fallen in love with it? (Minimising the risks and exaggerating the benefits)
3. Were there dissenting opinions within the recommending team (Avoid groupthink)
4. Could the diagnosis of the situation be overly influenced by salient analogies (Repeating success from past experiences but avoiding whether these experiences are relevant to this instance)
5. Have credible alternatives been considered (Are there more options on the table?)
6. If making the decision in 1 year from now what information would you want and can you get it now?
7. Do you know where the numbers came from (credibility of data)
8. Is there a halo effect? Is the ‘story’ simpler and more coherent than it really is?
9. Are the people making the recommendation overly attached to past decisions?
10. Is the base case overly optimistic?
11. Is the worst case bad enough?
12. Is the recommending team overly cautious?
For more info about Putting Your Talent to Work, contact us at www.level7live.com
