Breakthrough Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 2

Breakthrough Newsletter

Volume II, Issue 2 February 2010

PITAGORSKY
CONSULTING

In This Issue

Is Optimal Performance a principal goal of yours?

This program weaves together the critical skills for optimal performance, across weeks or months to enable measurable improvement. It consists of six segments that stand alone as well as build on each other.

More about the Program

Breakthrough

"Productive insight; clear (often sudden) understanding of a complex situation." Free Dictionary

Pop the bubble of conditioned thinking and emerge into the creative realm of "no absolutes," continuous change, uncertainty and unlimited possibilities.

Then, there can be innovation, adaptation and optimal performance.

Performance & Open-minded Mindfulness:

Open-minded: questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty.

Mindful: consciously aware; concentrated.

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.

This Newsletter

Our aim is to stimulate the kind of thinking, dialogue and understanding that leads to optimal performance.

Let us know what you think. Email Breakthrough

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Changing Beliefs and Mental Models
By George Pitagorsky

"Mental models are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action."
~ Peter Senge wisdom

"Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true." ~ The Buddha [paraphrased]

Beliefs are any ideas held as true. Mental models are conscious or unconscious beliefs. Peter Senge defines them as "deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action."

They are created from our experiences and once they are formed they drive our behavior. They often blind us to reality because they are natural defense mechanisms that keep us from exploring and open to ideas that are contrary to our beliefs.

"There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking." ~ Alfred Korzybski

"Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true." ~ Demosthenes

Can you question everything? Even your most dearly held beliefs. If you cannot, then you are unlikely to achieve optimal behavior. You will perhaps make things easier in the moment, but in the long run you will waste a tremendous amount of energy trying to force reality into your belief system. If you are a person in power, you will probably make others miserable as you try to foster your beliefs on them.

Note that we are not suggesting that all beliefs or mental models be eliminated. They are an important part of the way we operate. They enable us to optimize our behavior. What we do suggest is that you make your beliefs and mental models conscious, evaluate their effectiveness and then reject or modify the ones that do not add value. More and more seek to operate in the present without reliance on the beliefs that "save us from thinking".

How does one make their beliefs conscious? We practice mindfulness, become aware of our actions even before they become actions and their source (our mental models) and upon an evaluation choose to keep those that are skillful and drop those that are not. Some we will keep for a lifetime. Others will drop away as they are found to be unnecessary. In the end they will all drop away as we address our lives in the moment without preconceived ideas.

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Making Weakness a Strength
By George Pitagorsky

Paradox: The strongest individuals can admit to their weaknesses. The weak deny them and by doing so perpetuate them.

Recently I led a course on Organizational Competency Management in Singapore. In the course the SWOT method for assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats were explored as a means for individuals, teams and organizations to improve their performance.

Some of the participants raised the issue of an aversion to admitting any weaknesses. Euphemisms like "opportunities for improvement" are used as a way to get around this aversion.

Aside from the fact that trading "weaknesses" for "opportunities for improvement" ruins a lovely acronym (SWOT becomes something like SOFIOT or SOOT), it avoids a useful confrontation. Let's confront mental models that view weaknesses as something we need to hide.

What is so bad about admitting weakness?
There is strong argument to the effect of, admitting to or accepting that there is weakness is a first step in building strength. In fact it is a sign of strength. Think about a bridge that has a structural flaw or a space exploration rocket that has a design flaw. If these are discovered but not addressed we have disaster. If they are discovered, acknowledged and addressed, then disaster is avoided.

The whole idea behind the W in SWOT is to identify weaknesses so that they can become the focus of remedial action. Remedial action seeks to eliminate weaknesses or to reduce their negative effects. It recognizes the need for clearly acknowledging that there is a problem, identifying its nature and cause, identifying potential solutions, choosing one and acting upon the choice.

What is behind the aversion to admitting to weakness?
Every aversion has a cause. Aversion begins with a belief or mental model. It might be identification with a false self-image. The person who believes he must be infallible to be worthwhile cannot accept weakness. There may be fear of consequence, like being fired or passed over for a promotion or just being thought poorly of. It could also be a belief that the weakness is not a weakness at all.

Personal beliefs are reinforced by cultural norms and practices that penalize people who admit to or are perceived as having weaknesses. These norms and practices create an environment that inhibits the airing of weaknesses and problems and therefore prevents improvement.

Cultivate a healthier attitude
We can cultivate a healthier attitude by changing our personal beliefs and the nature of the environments we work in. Weakness is not a permanent condition. By acknowledging a weakness and seeking its cause, it becomes possible to strengthen the individual and/or group. If optimal performance is our goal then the work of becoming truly open to addressing all aspects of our current performance, including any weaknesses, is necessary.

Of course we must be clever about it. If one goes about admitting to weakness in an environment that penalizes those that are perceived as weak, then it is quite likely that person will be penalized. So it seems we must change the environment and its values before individuals can safely air their weaknesses and the weaknesses of their processes. Yet, without change on the individual level there is no change on the organizational or environmental level. We are caught in a bind.

Getting out of the bind is part of the art of managing and leading. On an individual level it starts by at least owning up to ones own weaknesses and addressing them. This doesn't require announcing them. As this is done, the individual begins to perfect himself and become an example and coach for others. If the individual is in a leadership position, global change is more likely.

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