Protecting Your IQ

‘A study done at the University of London found that constant emailing and text- messaging reduces mental capability by an average of ten points on an IQ test.’ (David Rock, Your Brain at Work)

Smart phones are rapidly becoming the norm and jokes are made about those who still have ‘dumb phones’.  But maybe those of us who have smart phones aren’t so smart after all.  Having 24/7 access to our emails and constant communication, through various apps, means we are ‘always on’.  But it is being discovered that being always on does not equate with productivity and may actually have a cost.

After reading ‘Your Brian at Work’, I’m beginning to wonder what damage I am doing to my brain!  The modern tools of communication and productivity may actually be harming us.  Dr Rock explains that the problem is our brains are forced to be on alert much of the time, which increases our stress hormones and creates an artificial sense of constant crisis.

He goes on to say "the surprise result of being always on is that not only do you get a negative effect on mental performance, but it also tends to increase the total number of emails you get.  People notice you respond to issues quickly, so they send you more issues to respond to.”  And while multitasking is admired in those who can do it well, accuracy goes down when more than one task requires our attention.

While being ‘always on’ can seem productive, the cost on the brain can be significant. Research has repeatedly shown that our performance, either accuracy or quality, is impacted when we try and hold several chunks of information in mind at once, and perform more than one mental task.  Each process uses incredible amounts of energy.  Dr Rock explains that it’s not doing two things at once that is the problem, but doing two mental tasks at once which leads to mental exhaustion and a drop in capacity.  The key is to finish one operation before the next can begin; conscious processes need to be done one at a time.

So what do we need to do in order to preserve our brain’s energy and IQ (and to maintain accuracy and quality in our work)?  Some helpful suggestions given in the book:-

• Catch yourself trying to do two things at once, slow down and focus on one at a time.
• Limit the time you are doing several things at once and then go back to focusing on one thing. Perhaps turn your smartphone off while you do focused work, for example only having it on in the afternoons.  (You may want to let your colleagues know this work strategy.)
• Embed on-going tasks so that they become routines and patterns, which require much less energy for the brain to perform.
• Get decisions and thinking tasks into the right order.  Don’t try and make decisions where the information is not all available. Wait and save energy by not thinking about the same incomplete things on and off, over and over again.

(For more detail on this issue, refer to Your Brian at Work, Scene 3, Dr David Rock)

Question to Ponder:- What working habits do you need to change in order to preserve and maximize your mental energy?

Energy v Time

Recently a friend commented "oh you weren't at the seminar on Saturday, I guess you were busy."  I explained to my friend that I actually did have the time but not the energy.  Two days earlier I had returned from traveling for work and I knew I had an intense week ahead.  In order to restore and reserve my energy I had chosen not to attend the seminar.

Much is written about managing time, boundaries on time, the big rocks etc.  Many of these resources are important and very helpful.  But managing energy is a concept that has only come to my attention in the last few years.  For all of us energy is one of our biggest assets.  Managing our energy is just as important as managing our time.  Wayne Cordeiro writes "How and where I invest my energy may be the most important decision I will make on any given day."

A helpful exercise for me has been to determine what the most strategic use of my energy could be.  Determining the three key areas of where to put my energy has helped guide the daily use of my work time.  How easy it is to squander our energy stores on email and useless activities. 

Not everything in our day takes an equal amount of energy and for all of us our energy is higher at certain times of the day than others.  And depending on how we are wired, certain activities drain us and other things energize us.  Working out what this means for us personally helps us to schedule our day and our energy accordingly.  Important meetings, presentations or vital work should be scheduled when our energy is highest.  Less draining and straight forward tasks can be scheduled when our energy is the lowest.  Allowing yourself to refuel after a time of intense energy output is also important.  This whole area is one that I am still learning in, but I find it incredibly helpful to consider as I plan my week.

We all have the same amount of time, but our energy is limited and finite (and as we get older often ebbing), but we all have the choice of being intentional about how we use the energy we have available. 

Questions to Ponder: What drains and energizes you?  What are the key priorities on your energy?

The Number 1 Indicator of Growth

'The number one indicator that I have found that reveals a person's character is oriented toward growth is the spending of two concrete resources: time and money.' (Henry Cloud, Integrity)

We may indeed have a desire to grow, but do we commit our time and resources to actually making it happen? Do our actions truly reflect a growth mindset? According to Henry Cloud, these two indicators are the litmus test!  Whether it be personally or in our business, the money we commit in our budget, and time set aside in our schedule, indicates the true reality of our growth mindset.

If growth really is a priority, then it will not wait until we are 'less busy' and have 'more time', we will make time!  We will plan training and build growth structures into our lives.  This is a challenge for me personally.  I do create growth structures in my life but not as intentionally and as planned as would be beneficial. 

Recently I met a leader of an NGO who was given the responsibility when his boss unexpectedly stood down.  He felt ill-equipped, but he decided to create a plan to read 6 of the top leadership books within his first 6 months on the job.  He stated that it was one of the best growth periods of his life.

Question to Ponder: What action do you need to take to truly invest in growth? How much time and money are you willing to commit?

Fixed v Growth Mindset

This week I listened to a fascinating lecture by Dr David Rock from the Neuro Leadership Group.  In relation to performance management, he talked about the importance of organizations moving from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Let me explain!

A fixed mindset in one in which we believe we are born smart (or not) and that we have a certain amount of talent.  Therefore we cannot change or improve and any additional effort makes no difference.  Feedback is not helpful and there is no need to pay attention to what you can do better. 

A growth mindset, on the other hand, is where we believe we are born to learn and that we can change.  Therefore effort is central, feedback is helpful and stretching goals are a good thing.

Research has shown that 90% of performance management systems are a failure.  Dr David Rock believes this is because our current performance management systems prime people for a fixed mindset.  They are backward looking and the emphasis is on rating and ranking people, telling them they are a certain way.

We need a change in philosophy, to that of a growth mindset, with an emphasis on learning and growing.  It is foundational that we have the right mindset for performance.  One that moves from ranking to co-developing areas for growth.  Does your organization remind people that they can grow and that change is possible?  Do you recognize and celebrate how change has occurred in the past?

Dr Rock believes we should move from performance ratings to a coaching conversation, which is based on a growth mindset.  A quality coaching conversation involves people changing habits.  But the active ingredient in a quality conversation is insights.  Insights matter significantly!  When insights are gained, learning is easily recalled, engagement is created, and new insights stick to the brain.  Learning to have a conversation to get people to see things for themselves, creates insights, which result in action, and the development of new habits.

A growth mindset thinks in terms of a continuum, a journey, rather than a ranking.  Rather than thinking in terms of evaluations, lets think in terms of growth.  Think about how you could use these growth mindset questions in your organization this week.

How have you grown in this area?

How are you looking to grow further?

How can we help?

Question to Ponder:- Do you have a fixed or growth mindset?  What is the mindset within your organization?  What could you do to move to a growth mindset?

Effective Learning

Repeated research has shown, and confirmed, that when people learn by being 'told', they can recall 70% of the information after 3 weeks, but only 10% after 3 months.

When people are 'told' and 'shown' they can recall 72% after 3 weeks and 32% after 3 months.

Training that involves 'telling', 'showing' and 'experiencing' has an 85% recall after 3 weeks and a significantly increased 65% after 3 months.

The results speak for themselves!  When people are actively involved in the learning process their retention, and therefore effectiveness, is significantly greater. Effective adult education and learning includes interaction and participation. This requires a radical shift in how we plan and conduct our training programs. To achieve an effective return on the time and money invested, training within our organizations needs to include telling, showing and experiencing.

Question to Ponder:- How effective, 3 months down the track, is the training your organization is investing in people?

What You Create & What You Allow

'Ultimately leadership is about turning a vision into reality; it's about producing real results in the real world.  And that is only done through people doing what it takes to make it happen'... writes Henry Cloud in Boundaries for Leaders.   A great plan needs people to make it work, and leaders need to be able to invest time and energy into people in order to get results and create thriving teams.

Cloud suggests that 'when leaders lead in ways that people's brains can follow, good results follow as well.'  He states that two essential components of leading people relate to the boundaries of 'what you create' and 'what you allow'.  As leaders we create direction, vision, goals and strategy, which help establish healthy guidelines and clarity for people work within.  People work better when they understand the parameters and focus.

For me personally, the concept of 'what we allow' in relation to leading people has been a helpful and very timely reminder.  It is an obvious concept when it comes to children and parenting.  For example, no we don't allow tantrums when little Johnny doesn't get his own way.  Yet in the workplace we allow negative behavior to take place, that goes against our stated values, without addressing it.  If our organization has a certain culture or negative behavior we don't like, it is because we as leaders have allowed it to develop without dealing with the related issues. 

It is very empowering to be reminded that as a leader we get what we create and allow.  We don't need to allow behavior, or a culture, that is destructive or goes against what is important to us, our team, or our organizations values.

Question to Ponder - What kind of team or organizational culture have you created or allowed?  What needs to be different?