Finding The Advantage in Being Wrong

When was the last time your beliefs or work was challenged? What did you do?

For most of us, our first inclination is to double down on our beliefs or attack the challenger in some way. It is embarrassing to be accused of inaccuracy, and we, therefore, try to protect ourselves by lashing out or cushioning our bruised egos by seeking out data that corroborates our ideas - a phenomenon called confirmation bias.

It is no wonder we act like cornered animals when accused of making a mistake; Our culture often associates precision with morality - inaccuracy is seen as an indication of incompetence or subterfuge, and we are nasty when we think someone is wrong. You need only turn to the comments section of any social media sites for evidence.

However, our fear of being wrong can result in behavior that burns bridges, stunt our growth, and ultimately close the door to greatness.

Information will always move faster than we can consume it, which means that nearly all of us are unknowingly operating under assumptions and statistics that may have been disproven or debunked, even if the original information was backed by facts.

In order to progress in this new reality, we need to flip the script and start to see our mistakes as stepping stones. We need to be open to the idea that we COULD be wrong, and be cautious about assigning absolute truth to the last study/book/podcast/meme we encountered. You don't need to accept every criticism that comes your way, but becoming comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty will jumpstart your path to growth.

This week, think about how you react to mistakes in others and in yourself. What would help you be more open to learning from conflicting evidence? What can you do to inspire your teams to break more eggs?

How To Stop Undercutting Your Own Credibility

No matter what you are up against this week, be sure you are not undercutting your own credibility. Our insecurities have a nasty way of coming out in our speech, actions, and even in how we carry ourselves. As social creatures, we feed off the cues we are given by those we are interacting with, which means that your behavior can quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy of your fears.
This means that if you go to a sales call worried that the client won't like your product, they probably won't. If you worry that your team thinks you are too young or inexperienced to lead them, they probably do. Why? Because YOU are giving them the social cues that lead them to think that way. But within this fault line lies our power to change the future. Take stock of your insecurities, figure out what triggers your self-fulfilling behavior, and MAKE A PLAN for what you will do instead. Social scientists call this creating a MENTAL MODEL, and it is scientifically proven to change the way we think and behave. Your mental models are your superpower this week – change your mind, change your future!

Time Management: Saying "Yes" So You Can Say "No"

What if plowing through your task list was more about who you are than your "time management" methodology?

When presented with unfinished projects and burnt out team members, the instinct is usually to help improve time management skills or offer training in executing goals. In fact, time management and execution are some of the most requested training I encounter with my clients.

I get the logic. If we know HOW to manage our task list, we should be able to do it, right? It's a matter of competency. 

However, despite being armed with the best research-backed methods and state-of-the-art tech, we still struggle with managing our time and attention.

Where is the Disconnect?

One area that can mess up our groove is our inability to say "NO" to things that divert our attention away from our priorities - especially when those things seem urgent or important in their own right. The late Dr. Stephen R. Covey notes that it is a lack of understanding our personal priorities that keep us from filtering out unimportant tasks so we can focus on the important:

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”

What is the "Yes" Burning Inside You?

Although most of us agree with the sentiment that passion drives focus, it can be difficult to identify exactly where our own passion lies. Here are some questions inspired by the 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity to help direct your thinking:

1. Do you know what is most important to you? 

Set aside company goals and looming deadlines for a moment. When was the last time you sat down and really laid out what is important in your life? What do you want to accomplish this year professionally/personally? Where do you want to be in 10 years? How do you get there? What is standing in your way?

Try scheduling in some time quarterly for reflection. This isn't just an exercise for first-year interns or low-level employees. In order to master the art of saying "no," you need to constantly reassess your understanding of what is most important to you - and what isn't. Reminding ourselves of what we care about on a continuing basis is a great way to ensure we remain focused.

2. Do you know what roles you play? 

Many of us play hundreds of roles in our lives. Have you ever taken the time to figure out which of those roles you want to focus on and determine how much time you are spending - or NOT spending - on each of those roles? Take a look at which roles are taking up the majority of your time - whether you intend to or not, you are already prioritizing your time. Are these roles the ones you want to be focusing on? How can you reallocate your time so you spend more on the roles important to you?

You can't consider yourself a stellar "family man" or "volunteer rock-star," if you aren't devoting any time to these ventures and are instead wasting time on other, less important roles. Or more commonly - you are spending your time on things that seem important, but don't have anything to do with those things you are passionate about.

3. Do you know how you fit into the larger picture? 

Once you understand who you are and what you want, ask yourself where that identity fits into the goals of your organization or project. Where are you aligned? What tasks could be delegated to someone else? Not only will this exercise empower you to find greater balance at work, it will also help you to become more of an asset to the organization by completing more of the projects you are assigned and creating more opportunities for team members to add value at all levels:

• Positively impact your subordinates: Think of it this way...If you never delegate tasks to team members, they will never have a chance to shine and progress their own careers. Plus, by delegating, you are able to commit to less and therefore get more done - A win win! By narrowing your focus, you may be turning down projects, but the fewer projects you have on your plate, the more likely you are to complete them - especially if they are ones you are passionate about. 
• Keep your rapport with superiors: Keeping yourself aligned with your organization's goals also makes it easier to push back when other priorities threaten to derail you. It is far easier to say no to a superior if you are doing so in order to execute on the more important goals they have already tasked you with. Don't forget - superiors are under the same stresses you are and are just as likely to forget where the real priority lies.

Seek Results, Not Busy Work

A few years ago I was working for a supervisor notorious for landing people with urgent tasks, only to burst into your office with other tasks that completely disrupted your flow. On one such occasion, I was working on a project he had assigned me that was critical to our larger initiative and had to be done that day. When he burst into my office with an urgent but obviously less important task, I reminded him of the importance of what I was doing and asked him if he preferred I set my task aside for the new one. Needless to say, he found someone else to help with the less important task.

If you understand your highest priorities as a person, you can better determine what unimportant goals, tasks, notifications, etc. can be set aside to focus on what is truly important. Time management skills can come later - If you really want to manage your time better in 2018, start by taking some time to first figure out what "yes" is burning inside you.

Want to learn more tips on time management? CLICK HERE to explore The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity.