Your Teams Are Not Just Data Processors.
I have been creating drawings with the intent of being able to present my daughters with a simple model for how they process their environment, sensing all the way through to resultant behaviour.
I explored all sorts of resources with many different concepts and opinions. There is no correct or in-correct, there is no joined up, scientifically agreed, societally accepted approach to this. This is why I was so fascinated to see so many authors reminding me that, of the little that we do know, we know that humans process data or information in unique and complex ways.
The temptation to solve productivity issues, perceived teamwork problems with process can be overpowering, I know. For years, as a young leader in the military, I was exposed to trickle-down leadership by written order, I didn’t see another way for years. Only when it came to being a part of complex, social, emotive problems did I start to see this method fail. I started to hold very strong feelings and emotions, became depressed for the first time, and hoped for a better leadership philosophy.
When I was six years-old, my parents bought me a book on electronics for Christmas. It was an educational book, with cartoon illustrations of ‘little robots’ acting as the flow within a given digital process. It was responsible for my still strongly held belief that electricity flows like a liquid would through wires……I know!….I know! The analogy that our brains process things just like computers might be an interesting functional conversation starter, it shouldn’t lead to the view that we can become re-programmed as a line of computer code would be amended.
Humans cannot be effectively led as high functioning teams by ones and zeros. We’ve all had that leader who ‘leads by numbers’ or ‘needs every bit of information before they act’ or live life like a linear process, no matter what is actually happening in your reality.
We need to hold that mirror up again. I’ve been a low-functioning leader throughout my life. I’ve been that guy that just wanted everyone to stick to my plan and had absolutely no idea what to do when the plan lasted twenty five seconds. We have to go through those situations so that we can reflect and learn about ourselves.
We have to understand ourselves before we can lead at the higher levels effectively and we need to banish the shame that we are conditioned to hold on to when things don’t go to plan.
How do You Process Your Environment?
Reach out and speak to a coach about exploring how YOU process data and information. You might be surprised to find out that it is so fundamental to who you are, how you behave and therefore interact with others and your environment. If you can unlock these doors, and be at peace with yourself, your potential to lead others is limitless.
Question: At what point to you become aware of context to a situation at work, and how do you apply that context emotionally?
If you are prone to rapid, full-on emotional responses that require everyone else in the room to duck for cover, reach out, lets explore this.
If you are a deep reflector who quickly sees context, applies filters of memory, beliefs and values through to full cognition and a solution, reach out, lets explore how your environment reacts to this.
We are all complex, yet society like to box us into simplicity and labels. Learn who you are, fearlessly learn to accept who you are and unlock the ability to understand others.
