The Power of Blink

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book entitled Blink which begins with a story about an art gallery that is offered what appears to be authentic paintings. The curator suspects the pieces might be forgeries but he's then filled with hope that he's wrong. To be safe, he hires appraisal experts to make their recommendations.

They confirmed authenticity and the gallery purchased the pieces which turned out to be fakes. The curator wanted the pieces to be real even with doubt in his mind. And he may have convinced the experts to ignore their doubts as well.

The Gut Complex

We have the chance everyday to make a quick decision or belabor for a potentially better outcome. That is why we spend endless hours in meetings pondering the pros and cons of every decision. It’s the reason economic realities cloud our judgement. It’s at the base of demands from prospective customers and clients for positive results before the work begins. Return is expected before investment.

Leadership is about making decisions and producing results but every move we make is a risk. There are no guarantees. But if we always wait for the perfect time to do anything, it will never arrive. That doesn't mean we buy fake art or ignore our instincts but the guarantee we seek can be a fabrication we have created for the sole purpose of not making the call.

We don't want to blink too long and miss it.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

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Changing the Narrative

We love stories. They give our lives perspective. They help give context to concepts we share. If we can present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. But if I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation.

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game.

It’s the way we do it around here

If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict.

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. And it gets even trickier when you have culture comprised of people from different demographics, psychographics, or points of view. This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas.

Turning the camera around

We work with teams all over the world and it becomes blatantly clear, for instance, that adopting a North American management viewpoint with leaders in Asia Pacific can create undue stress. If you have a belief embedded deep inside you, it will require enormous energy for me to first convince you another stance and then share my view. Multiple that dynamic by hundreds or thousands in an organization and you can quickly see how the power of story can morph into complication. But if we accept our differing points of view, we both win.

The stories we embrace can also get in our way.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

istock

Less More Better

Fulfil more. Take less. Focus more. Talk less. Start more. Eat less. Laugh more. Work less. Give more. Regret less. See more. Ignore less. Progress more. Criticize less. Invent more. Renounce less. Embrace more. Spend less. Share more. Measure less.

Move more. Envy less. Sing more. Cling less. Accomplish more. Show less. Complain less. Live more. Compare less. Contribute more. Annoy less. Enjoy more. Worry less.

Listen more. Waste less. Smile more. Own less. Learn more. Say less. Help more. Use less. Connect more. Stop less. Play more. Hope less. Communicate more. Skim less.

Thank more. Fret less. View more. Reflect less. Originate more. Copy less.

Collaborate more. Upset less. Dream more. Irritate less. Write more. Doubt less. Read more. Whine less. Accomplish more. Drink less. Love more. Meet less. Do more.

More or Less
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

northshoreneon

Happy Dad Day

Today is Father’s Day. I know a lot of great fathers, good men who love and care for their kids. My dad is still rocking and rolling. He would admit he made a million mistakes. He isn't perfect and I accept him for him. I was one of the lucky ones; my parents encouraged me (and still do) to do what makes me happy.

Like being a mom, there are no manuals to being a dad. There are countless books and websites that can give you opinions and ideas, but nothing helps you in real life.

When I was a kid, my dad built the nets and would play road hockey with us. He was – and still is – always good for a story. He made great fried egg and peanut butter sandwiches (hey, don’t judge until you try one!), and he’s still good for a long deep chat about life. We’ll have one today. Thanks Dad!

DNA doesn't make you a dad. Money doesn't make you a father. Love does.

Some others’ perspective on fatherhood

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. Mark Twain

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.
Johann Friedrich von Schiller

I found out that I'm a pretty bad father. I make a lot of mistakes and I don’t know what I'm doing. But my kids love me. Go figure. Louis CK

It is much easier to become a father than to be one.
Kent Nerburn

Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.
Jon Stewart

Whoever does not have a good father should procure one.
Friedrich Nietzsche

My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do.
Michael Jordan

By the time a man realizes his father was right, he has a son who thinks he’s wrong.
Charles Wadsworth

Having a kid is like falling in love for the first time when you’re 12, but every day.
Mike Myers

Nobody ever asks a father how he manages to combine marriage and a career.
Sam Ewing

It's an ongoing joy being a dad.
Liam Neeson

When my father didn't have my hand, he had my back.
Linda Poindexter

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give; he believed in me.
Jim Valvano

It is a wise father that knows his own child.
William Shakespeare

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.
Ruth Renkel
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

shutterstock

What Do We Really Need?

Look around your house. Look around your office. Check out all the options on your car. Do you need all that stuff? There are a billion people who won't eat today yet we complain about not having the latest gadget or toy. And we spend our waking hours going from meeting to meeting filling time with tasks so we try and reach a goal to then be unsatisfied and set another one.

I'm not trying to be cynical but perhaps it's time we slow down and figure out what we really need in our lives. I overheard a couple at a coffee shop last week having a heated argument over the fact he didn't have the latest smartphone. Louis CK has a great rant about this. We have the patience of an infant and we can't wait two seconds for an email to send. I love his line; "Is the speed of light to slow for you?"

The Bottom Line isn't Money

If we focus solely on a financial or material gain, I think we're missing the point. Sure, life isn't free, we need money to buy things and eat, but are we chasing the wrong goal? Are we truly focused on what we actually need rather than what we think we need to fit in with others?

In our quest to succeed and grow, perhaps we need keep close to mind what we really need or we'll never stop long enough to enjoy the ride. I can assure you, that new smartphone or leather wrapped steering wheel isn't the answer.

Some thoughts as you identify what you really need.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

bajadock

You Are Not Fine

I was chatting with a former colleague this week. We were catching up on each other’s lives since we last did a project together about a decade ago. She’s not doing well. She has some struggles. We discussed what she's up against and some of what I've been up to lately. We talked about the hard work it takes to keep at it.

A good friend of mine kicked my excuse laden backside two days ago. So I thought it was time to pay it forward and gave my colleague a challenge.

It reminded me of this wonderful talk from Mel Robbins.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Mel Robbins

Smile for the World

How often do you smile? How important is smiling? How inviting are others when they frown? It may sound like a superficial discussion. But it can affect our success, lifespan, and quality of our very existence.

Ron Gutman explains.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Ron Gutman