Have you ever spent time around people who are too smart to think? They have an uncanny ability to recite information verbatim from a book, but when asked to come up with an original thought they struggle immensely. Working for Elation, one of the most important lessons that I have learned is: “How you think is more important than what you know.”
Most of us live in environments where status matters more than our thinking. We use our degrees and position titles as a crutch. We are guilty of being followers as we tend to do the same things over and over again using old and outdated processes that leave group members frustrated and overwhelmed.
What is the result of individuals and organizations that refuse to improve their thinking? A lack of growth, employee boredom, and ultimately the bottom line is deeply impacted. How much more of the same can you take in the coming year? The same agenda, the same process, the same issues over and over again. To put it simply, we fail to accomplish great things as humans and in our organizations due to a lack of thinking.
What can you do to start to improve your thinking?
- Inspire the people around you
- Instead of being part of the problem, start solving problems
- Continually ask the question “why” are we doing this?
- Ask, is this helping us on our way, or getting in our way?
- Empower the people around you to make decisions
- Give people a voice by asking deep and inquisitive questions
- Create a safe space for people to think beyond the surface
- Become a big picture, solutions-focused individual
Your thoughts count. The thoughts of your people count. What if you made them count for more in the coming months? Think about your thinking…..what patterns are you currently reinforcing, and what patterns do you want to change?