Living, Learning, and Performing

Make Space for Serendipity

Are you wrestling with what seems to be an unsurmountable problem or trying to gain insight from an overwhelming amount of data?

One approach you might try is walking away for awhile to do or think about something else. You could gain new perspective. Or, perhaps something serendipitous will happen.

Serendipity is defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary as “an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally.”  The word was originated by Horace Walpole after "The Three Princes of Serendip", a Persian folk tale about three young princes who made happenstance discoveries.

A couple of famous serendipitous events we're all familiar with include Newton's discovery of the principle of gravity  when an apple fell on his head and Archimedes’s bath time "aha-moment" about how to measure the purity of gold by using the principle of specific gravity.  In both cases, Newton and Archimedes were in a relaxed state of mind (resting under a tree, taking a bath, respectively) when a chance event (falling apple, overflowing bathtub) inspired each to solve a problem they had been wrestling with. 

In a Sixty Minutes segment entitled “The Eyes Have It”, aired on January 4, 2004 reporter Steve Kroft profiled the work of Professor John Stilgoe, who teaches courses on the American landscape at Harvard University.  Professor Stilgoe teaches his students to learn by slowing down and acutely observing their surroundings.  For the high achieving undergraduates whose smart phones, i-pods, and computers are an ubiquitous part of daily life, this is no small feat.  Their academic lives have been shaped by rigorous verbal and mathematical training that have prepared them to excel in  standardized testing while their social lives have been shaped by structured activities.  Taking a meandering walk just to look around and observe is close to an out of body experience for many of them.

 “I try very hard in this university, which selects students based almost entirely on how well they do with words and numbers, to teach them that there’s another way of knowing,” Stilgoe said. In assigning observation projects, Stilgoe is purposefully vague. “The vaguer the directions, the more likely the opportunity for serendipity to happen.  Drives them nuts.”

So what does all this have to do with solving problems or gaining insights?

In our work lives, we’re in the business of creating value for our internal or external customers by applying our experience and knowledge to the business problems they can’t solve themselves.   Sometimes we are faced with vague instructions or problem descriptions.  Sometimes we have clear problem definitions, but are unclear about the best path forward.

Many of us in our daily lives feel compelled to always be busy, to run from one appointment to another, and to feel frustrated when we can’t solve a problem quickly. 

Maybe we’re not creating space in our lives for the chance events and observations that could help us solve problems, or at least make our day to day lives less stressful and more enjoyable.

 So how can we create more opportunities for serendipity?  Here are some ideas:

• Next time you’re frustrated, take a walk around the block. Pay attention to your surroundings.  Look for something you’ve never seen before.
• Take a child to the zoo.  Listen to their observations.  It can be amazing to see things fresh through a little person’s eyes.
• Take a break in your chair.  Close your eyes and listen to the classical musical station.  Let your mind go (but don’t fall asleep).
• Visit another country via the internet. Type in “Tuvalu” at the Google line and you’ll be transported to the South Pacific.
• Go to a lecture on a topic you know nothing about.
• Take a bath (hey, it worked for Archimedes!).

I’m sure that you can think of many more options – as you can see, it doesn’t have to take much time.  The key point is to pursue an activity that allows you to relax and open your mind up to new possibilities.

Serendipity by definition involves chance.  By creating more opportunities for serendipity in your life, you increase the probabilities of chance discoveries happening.  At the very least, you’re bound to have some fun and interesting things may happen that wouldn’t otherwise occur!

And who knows -- you may come up with the answer that's been eluding you.

I wish you happy serendipitous trails!

Are You Keeping Your Most Important Tool Sharp?

If you're reading this blog, chances are you're a knowledge worker. According to the BNET business dictionary, a knowledge worker "deals in information, ideas, and expertise." The term was originally coined way back in 1959 by a very prescient Peter Drucker, when Bill Gates was four years old and Texas Instruments applied for the first patent on an integrated circuit.

Fast forward fifty years. Peter Drucker has passed on, but his legacy and wisdom live on. Every day we take in information, process it, make decisions, connect with people, communicate, ideate, negotiate, calculate, prove our points, draw graphs, design, plan, and much more. Much of what we do we can do right from our desks without ever having to move --digital technologies bring the tools to retrieve, process, and communicate information right to our fingertips.

So, in this digital age, in the Web 2.0 (or is it 3.0? I can't keep up!) world, are you keeping your most important tool sharp? No, I'm not talking about the latest analytical software or data mining tool. I'm talking about that three pound convoluted mass of neurons sitting atop your spinal cord.  It's the CPU that controls your body, from which your thoughts and personality emanate. The brain is a beautifully designed instrument which allows you to take in the world's information through the five senses, and process it through the complex interaction of chemical and electrical circuities that scientists are just beginning to understand.

Although the jury is still out on a lot of the "brain training" software that is coming out these days because there simply has not been alot of good empirical research to prove its efficacy, an article entitled "Fit Body, Fit Mind?" in the July-August 2009 issue of Scientific American Mind cites numerous studies demonstrating a clear link between physical activity and higher levels of cognitive functioning. Studies have shown that moderate physical activity helps keep active older adults mentally sharper than sedentary peers; and vigorous physical activity is significantly related to higher cognitive functioning across a large set of measures.

In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina explores twelve principles of brain functioning "for surviving and thriving at home, work, and school."  Rule # 1 is that exercise, especially aerobic exercise, boosts brain power. First of all, exercise increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, improving cognition. Second, exercise somehow positively influences the molecular structure of the brain, making neurons more resistant to stress.

People who regularly exercise often report a sense of well being and mental acuity afterwards, often attributed to the release of endorphins. Often times, new ideas and solutions to problems are generated during physical activity.

Fitting regular physical exercise into a demanding schedule can be daunting, but imagine -- by sharpening that great tool you're born with and use daily, you may be able to do more in less time because it becomes a more effective tool.  If you're totally sedentary now, try walking for twenty minutes three times a week at lunchtime and build from there.  If you're working out twice a week right now, up it to three. If you're in a great routine and working out regularly, coach a friend or colleague who needs active support.

And have fun -- not only will you feel better, but you'll feel smarter, too! 

"Treat People as if They Were What They Ought to Be"

One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the eighteenth century German novelist, poet, playright and scientist. "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being." This concept is recognized in management and human resource textbooks as the "Pygmalian Effect," which essentially holds that employees will perform at the level their management expects.  If managers expect high performance, they give employees challenging assignments and praise their efforts.  If they expect low performance, they give less challenging assignments, more closely supervise work, and provide more critical feedback.  Employees typically respond to the way they are treated and are judged by the manager through the filter of their expectation.  Thus, high performers and low performers tend to perform as expected.

Large companies often devote substantial employee development resources to those identified as being top performers (often the top twenty percent).  These employees are given plumb assignments, mentoring, lots of attention from top management, and training and development opportunities.  Like  flowers planted in rich soil, fertilized, and watered regularly; the employees thrive and are admired. The rest of the employees, relegated to more routine or undersirable assignments, fade into the background. In the corporate garden, their soil's a little dry and their blooms are wilted. 

In the June, 2009 issue of Training and Development magazine, Ann Pace discusses a study by Novations, a global Talent Development firm, that suggests many managers continue to believe that only a small percentage of their employees are high potential, "go to" employees.  At the same time, the study also shows that some organizations are successfully increasing performance across the board by raising expectations for all employees and providing commensurate assignments, management support, and coaching.

I often wonder what would happen if more organizational leaders expected more from more of their employees, and treated them accordingly.  Would revenues and profits increase?  Would more successful product ideas make it to commercialization?  Would more customers be satisfied? Would the corporate garden be in spectacular,full bloom? What do you think?

Welcome to the Living, Learning, and Performing Blog!

As a workplace learning and performance consultant, I am interested in helping organizations achieve goals through the performance of their people.  People are at the heart of every organization.  Ultimately, the performance of an organization depends on the ability of the people at all levels of the organization to work together given the challenges of the industry and the marketplace that they operate in.

The work that I do is broadly defined as “Performance Consulting.” Performance Consulting refers to the art and science of linking organizational results to what people do in the organization. Performance Consulting moves beyond the concept of training and development as a traditional human resource function to an integrated discipline of achieving results.  It is an interdisciplinary approach which takes into consideration all factors which ultimately impact individual and organizational performance.

 

In this blog, I intend to intend to write about an eclectic range of topics relevant to workplace learning and performance. The areas I am interested in include:  business and strategic planning; marketing; creativity and innovation; performance consulting; mind-body connection; brain science; human resource and organization development.  I hope to share my perspective, inspire discussion, and learn from your feedback.

 

If you share these interests, please come back and visit- I would appreciate your feedback to my posts!