wildthoughts

New Year Resolutions - courtesy of Woody

2012-01-05T00:31:00.000Z

I love the simplicity and humble nature of this New Year resolutions list by Woody Guthrie.
New Years Rulin's
Although simple there are many profound and meaningful words of wisdom that would not look out of place in any good 'self-help' book....

"Dream Good"
"Stay Glad"
"Keep Hoping Machine Running"
"Love Everybody"

and my personal favourite,
"Learn People Better"

Another breakdown in our society?

2011-12-22T15:06:00.002Z

Reading an article in the Scottish Review the other day got me thinking about the perennial question of whether our society (or more accurately the people who inhabit our society) are sliding down the greasy morality pole. Now, you may ask why, in a year that has seen some dramatic riotous events ranging from Tahrir Square at the beginning of 2011, to the streets of London in the summer, was I prompted to think about this subject by what, in comparison, is a rather mundane, albeit troubling, scene on a rural country bus in Scotland. Good question, and I'm not sure. Perhaps it is easier to explain away the large scale events with labels such as revolution, social change, unemployment or overthrow of tyrrany. However, when we see or hear about 'bad behaviour' by a small number of youths, causing disruption or offence to innocent people who are going about their daily lives, we reach out for old and over-used phrases such as 'breakdown in the social fabric of our communities', or lack of 'social cohesion', or simply 'I blame the parents!'. Tabloids will often follow these headlines up with arguments that predict our society sliding into social turmoil, an apocalyptic vision of civil disorder, the lack of any moral compass amongst the youth of today. This is the daily diet the media feeds us on. They have an obsession with fear mongering, and fear is triggered easily in humans, so it is an easy outcome to generate. Are things really so much worse, and are they really becoming worse with each generation? Am I alone in remembering how awful our history has been, and how low our predecessors have sunk in the name of humanity. Without even having to touch on events such as the holocaust, the slave trade or Hiroshima, what about the razor gangs of the 20s and 30s or what about the football hooligans of the 70s. We can't keep sweeping these under the carpet and re-writing history as if things have never been so bad. Things are not changing as dramatically as the media would have us believe. The liberal-minded, middle classes and aspiring working classes have always gasped in horror when confronted with what some people are capable of. What does change are individual people, and gaps do emerge between different people's expectations of good and bad behaviour. The wider the gap becomes, the more people are shocked and horrified at what other members of their species get up to, and they distance themselves from it. Perhaps a natural reaction, but not a new one, and not a sign that this generation's behaviour will result in any more of a breakdown in our society than has happened before.

Why aren't Business Leaders more like Athletes?

2011-11-17T12:30:00.001Z

It suprprises me that our aspiring business leaders and even general managers in corporations and in public service do not dedicate more time to brain science. I liken this to the world of athletics. An athlete's primary job is to run faster, or jump higher or throw further. Sounds simple. But it is now well-recognised that to be the very best and to achieve the nano-second advantage that might make the difference between gold & silver or even between qualification for the olympic team and staying at home, athletes need to know a lot more than 'just' their traditional training programme. In the course of becoming the best they can be, they become well-versed in areas of muscle physiology, nutrition, anatomy, cardio-vascular mechanics, as well as some important principles of the the way their brain works through relaxation techniques, managing and channelling emotions and positive visualisation exercises. So what do we need and expect from our leaders? Problem-solving, decision making, emotional intelligence, an understanding of what motivates people, an ability to engage and quickly establish rapport with others, conflict management and resolution, negotiation skills, an ability to manage their own emotions, an engaging communication style, and the list goes on and on..... It seems to me that having at least a rudimentary understanding of the way the brain works and the neuroscience that underpins our emotions, drives, moods and behaviours would be invaluable to anyone who counts even one item of this list of activities within their professional responsibilties. Why wouldn't someone who wants to be the 'best they can be' seek to give themself every advantage in achieving that vision? Athletes do. They are constantly seeking the 'edge' that might just put them on the top of the podium. Their body is 'the tool of their trade'. The brain is no less the tool of the executive or business leader's trade. Why not take the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how it works and fine-tune it's performance? It might just give you that vital edge and take you to the top of the podium.

Do we need more than 'just' attention to learn?

2011-11-10T14:55:00.000Z

I don’t believe we learn “simply by attending”….there’s more to it than that. It’s got something to do with integration and synthesis and making ‘new connections’ (resulting in new neural pathways). It is these new connections that we know as “Aha moments” – when things suddenly become crystal clear. This is captured well in my view by John Nelson in the book “What color is your parachute? For retirement(2007)”. He talks about the “sea of information out there and the difficulty of making sense of it all. It splashes around with no sense of order. It is also relentless – like a fire hose that forever is trying to fill you up as though you were an empty barrel.” Where he takes this metaphor next is the notion that it is “at the confluence of the information stream and your own stream of consciousness, that you’ll make your best decisions”. I would add that it is when you are paying attention to the confluence of streams of information that you "make connections" and where most learning takes place.

Reflection and Learning

2011-11-10T11:50:00.000Z

The importance of Reflection is clear. This is where LEARNING happens. For reflection to be successful the reflector needs to be open to his espoused theory and theory-in-use gap being exposed and crawled over. I suspect that many people may retrospectively “close this gap” (cognitive dissonance?) and thereby not acknowledge it. Doing this closes the door to learning. This is where the power of the techniques used and espoused by Chris Argyris come through – the power of disorienting people and leaving them feel exposed ‘in practice’. This then opens things up for learning. i.e. by Shining a Light or Focusing Attention sharply on the area.

Read more about Chris Argyris and his double-loop learning theories by clicking on the title of this blog post.

Cult Fiction

2011-10-03T23:41:00.000+01:00

My son Andrew (aka Andy, Drew or Ardie depending on which sub-culture you belong to) has written a book. Needless to say I am extremely proud. What father would not be delighted to see his son grow to write a novel and have it published?

He belongs to a generation immersed in social networks, new media, always-on communication and a new language associated with this world community. This is a world that appears to have no barriers, no boundaries, no class. It feels timeless and season-free. Ideas ping their way around the globe, being freely shared, blended, improved, challenged and accepted.

Of course I would love it if you read the book, and I do recommend it, especially if you have ever enjoyed any of the work of Douglas Adams. But, even more than the content of the book itself, this feels like the product of a new generation of thinkers, a new age of innovators, and the dawn of a more co-operative and hopeful world. Reading will never die, but the way that we create and generate new ideas to be read will continue to evolve. It's exciting to observe at close quarters.

Whet your appetite at the following links;-

http://www.facebook.com/CultFictionBook

http://ardiecollins.com/blog/

military precision in the Tube

2011-05-27T19:01:00.000+01:00

Are humans naturally programmed to serve in the miltary? I was impressed as I watched the movement of people at the bottom of the escalators at Holborn tube the other day. The permutations of possible routes people can take is complex. Down and right to Piccadilly, down and left to Central. Direct from Central to Piccadilly and vice versa. Up from the blue line and likewise the red. 6 different routes in a relatively small space and hundreds of people all in full flow. I did not spot one collision. People seemed to lock on to their destination point and in a feat of collective co-ordination and uncanny, and apparently unwitting, mutual understanding, they weave and stride, eyes fixed, focused and unerring, slide past one another and disappear into the next tunnel or up the escalator. All of this achieved while many are locked away in their i-pod world or screening their texts and emails on blackberries and i-phones. I have been to the military tattoo at Edinburgh Castle, I have even been in a para-military organisation (steady!! - it was the Boys Brigade). I have trained for weeks for Drill Parades and was always secretly proud of my grasp and timing when it came to the 'slow march'. But, having watched untrained commuters, from all cultures and countries, randomly thrown together in a tube station, perform a graceful and synchronised drill pattern with absolutely no rehearsals, I am wondering if we are indeed the descendants of a long lost military tribe with a natural instinct for co-ordinated and synchronised precision. Just a thought!

Is the Internet changing the way our brains work?

2010-01-18T11:10:00.001Z

According to an article in Newsweek (Monday Jan 18th 2010) the answer is no. But, it may be altering the way we think.

Shortened attention span. Less interest in reflection and introspection. Inability to engage in in-depth thought. Fragmented, distracted thinking. These are all ways that the Internet supposedly affects thought. 109 philosophers, neurobiologists, and other scholars were asked "How is the Internet changing the way you think".

The general consensus of scholars who study the mind and the brain is that the Internet hasn't changed the way we think. Neuroscientist, Joshua Greene of Harvard, argues that it has provided us with unprecedented access to information, but hasn't changed what our brains actually do with it. Cognitive psychologist, Steven Pinker of Harvard, is equally uncertain that any fundamental changes have happened. "Texters, surfers, and twitterers have not trained their brains to process multiple streams of novel information in parallel, as is commonly asserted but refuted by research".

And yet, many scholars do believe the Internet alters thinking. Howard Rheingold (a Communications expert) believes the Internet fosters shallowness and distraction, with the result that our minds struggle to discipline and deploy attention in any concerted way. It is also argued that the Internet is causing the disappearance of retrospection and reminiscence. Evgeny Morozov, an expert on the Internet and politics, claims that our lives are increasingly lived in the present, completely detached even from the most recent of the pasts.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (the author of the work on Flow - referenced and discussed elsewhere in this Blog) argues that since online information is often decontextualized it satisfies immediate needs at the expense of deeper understanding, resulting in more superficial thought. With facts (whether true or false) only a click away, the Internet allows us to know fewer facts, reducing their importance as a component of thought. But that increases the importance of other components such as correlating facts, distinguishing between important and secondary matters, knowing when to prefer pure logic and when to let common sense dominate.

In other words, more than ever, we need to apply judgement to what is important and what is not. I don't believe this is fundamentally different to what has gone before (apart from in terms of volume). All sources of information are subject to interpretation, and are conveyed through the filter of someone's brain. Judgement will become an ever more critical skill; but our brains, our thinking, and the way we process information, is tried and trusted and will serve us well.

Signposts & Weathercocks

2009-10-11T20:06:00.001+01:00

I have a lot of time for Tony Benn. He is a genuine politician, an honest man, and someone always worth listening to. I heard him recently put in refreshingly simple terms the whole essence of leadership. It summed things up for me admirably.

Signposts are reliable. They provide you with a sense of direction. If you wander off and get lost, when you come back to them they are still pointing in the same direction. They stay firm and committed to where they believe they are going. They are not knocked off course easily.

Weathercocks on the other hand change at the whim of the wind. They seek out forums, opinion polls and swing with the tide of popularism. They cannot be relied upon.

Give me a signppost over a weathercock any day.

Change Your Mind More

2009-08-23T19:16:00.000+01:00

"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." wrote George Bernard Shaw.

What were you working on before you checked your email?

2009-07-12T20:15:00.000+01:00

The question "What were you working on before you checked your email?" struck me between the eyes one morning. It immediately summed up to me all that is wrong with email - or at least the way we allow it run our lives. Don't get me wrong - I love my email. I'm pretty attached to it and wouldn't want to go back to a pre-email, snail mail world. But, how often does your day take on a different course than what you had planned after you start reading your email? How often does an email intrude on your day and take you on a totally different journey. Is your email ruling you, rather than you being in control of it? I received the message from a regular newsletter I receive from David Brownstein, Hollywood Coach. I worked with David a few years ago when I was being trained as a Leadership Coach, and he has some great messages such as this on his blog. I recommend it to you. Click on the title to read David's newsletter.

What is Web 2.0?

2009-04-15T10:14:00.000+01:00

It depends which book you read or which guru you listen to. But basically it is a loose and unplanned confederation of functionality on the web, which acts together like some giant organism. Perhaps a coral reef is a better analogy. Beautiful to look at, but what's it for? Under threat from predators, in the shape of the environment and divers. At best, it is a collaboration experiment on a grand scale; collaboration of both creativity and chaos. It is natural selection at work. The fit survive and people vote with their feet. Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube. Today's superspecies. Tomorrow's dinosaurs? What are the small mammals waiting in the trees for their turn to inherit cyberspace? Who are the birds of the air or all-pervasive insects? Twitter? Aptly named perhaps.

Where are you headed?

2008-11-06T15:53:00.000Z

Unless we change direction, we are liable to end up where we are headed.

Inhale Positivity

2008-11-03T22:51:00.000Z

Check out this quirky little video. A fun way to listen to some great affirming messages......
Inhale Positivity
Take a deep breath. Inhale positivity and exhale negativity. Surround yourself with successful people. Enjoy the little things in life. Smile at a stranger. Don't be hasty in your judgement of people. Some people wait their whole life for the storm and never enjoy the sunshine. Great stuff !!!

How do you replace Consumerism?

2008-10-24T23:09:00.000+01:00

I listened to a stimulating key note address at the ICF UK Conference this week given by Sir John Whitmore. He posed a number of challenging questions which cut right to the heart of our western society as it stands today - on the brink of economic meltdown. We are at a crossroads (are we ever not?) in human evolution as well as in the future direction for our planet. The relentless drive of consumerism, which has built up a head of steam since the start of the industrial revolution, and which has reached laser like momentum in the last 20 years of the IT revolution, has reached a defining moment. We have raped and pillaged the energy reserves of our children and grandchildren, and left them with an apocalyptic dilemma. Can Consumerism and Sustainability ever be Compatible? When we emerge from this period of recession and global economic depression, what do we return to? It would be a huge mistake for investment bankers, stockbrokers and short-sellers to pick up as if nothing had changed. Lessons have to be learned. It may well be that a global recession is exactly what we need right now. A huge wake up call that brings us all up short and allows the planet to take an enormous intake of breath. It has been running on empty for too long, and the dial needs re-set. The world has an enormous opportunity to adjust course and embark on a new journey. One that considers the future, that is driven by bright visions of a sustainable future and not by short term hedonistic greed. The new generations, the children and the young adults of the world are our best hope. Those of us who have been seduced for too long by the endless promise of our consumer existence need to listen and learn. We've had our go. We failed. Move over, and let a new world order begin. The Sustainable Economy is about to give birth. Nurture it, care for it, and it may just be able to save the planet.

Autism and I T - a good match?

2008-09-05T22:36:00.001+01:00

The attached article on the BCS web pages makes fascinating reading. It raises an often overlooked issue, that of autism, and especially the lure of IT type roles for people with autistic behaviours. It looks like we are missing out greatly by not understanding this phenomenon and, at the same time, we may be doing a huge number of people a disservice by not recognising the value they could bring to the industry. As our use of conference calling and virtual team working increases, the challenges for people who may be on the autism spectrum become magnified. Something that we all need to be more aware of. Have a read and share your views.
Managing the link between IT and autism

The Race, by D.H. Groberg

2008-07-21T20:19:00.000+01:00

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure's face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children's race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn't hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy's desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought "My dad will be so proud."
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he'd win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn't win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, "Get up and win that race!"
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that's all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
"I'm hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn't try to race."
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father's face
with a steady look that said again, "Get up and win that race!"
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought, "I've got to run real fast!"
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
"There's no sense running anymore! Three strikes I'm out! Why try?
I've lost, so what's the use?" he thought. "I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he'd have to face.
"Get up," an echo sounded low, "you haven't lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!" the echo urged him on, "Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!"
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn't quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he'd ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he'd fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he'd won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn't do so well."
"To me, you won," his father said. "You rose each time you fell."
And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, "Get up and win that race!"

There's no such thing as LUCK !!

2008-04-05T01:08:00.001+01:00

I've often wrestled with this one. I just can't get my head round the concept of luck. One could take a mathematical approach I suppose and talk in terms of probabilities but that also doesn't totally do it for me. No, I prefer to think that there is something in there about making your own luck. It was a great saying in all the time I played football. You had to be in the right place at the right time. That was not down to luck. It was down to being prepared, anticipating situations. For me what it boils down to is a "Juxtaposition between Opportunity and Preparedness". Yep, that does it for me !!!!

Attention is at the heart of everything

2008-03-27T13:27:00.001Z

Attention is the answer to most things. It seems to have been a common theme that I just keep coming back to. My PhD studies were essentially about attention. I studied the effects of attention and predictive accuracy. Basically, when things were less predictable, subjects attend more to try to work out what is going on so that they can reduce the level of uncertainty they are experiencing. Now, in business and leadership development, I promote the significance of attention in focusing on the 'real work', the issue that needs to be tackled in order to change things.

Now, this week, I was reading through some of the research work being done by my daughter Beth. She studies Sports Psychology (like father like daughter!) and is working on models such as conscious process hypothesis (CPH) and attentional threshold hypothesis (ATH). What I can ascertain is that when people focus in on aspects of a complex task (such as a golf swing, or a high jump technique), their performance can be impaired due to the fact that they have lost the 'flow' of the process. Better to think about things holistically than specifically. So, in golf, it is better to think swing easy, or relax, rather than on specifics like straighten your arm, snap your wrist etc.

I am running my first marathon in 2 weeks time. This is really timely assistance to me. I will try to avoid thinking about my knee, my ankle, my calf, my heart, my lungs or any individual piece of my running action. Instead I will concentrate on the 'Big Picture'. The achievement, the atmosphere, feeling good, the reward at the end and so on. Bring it on !!!!

3 Great Reads - wildthoughts

2008-02-01T10:40:00.000Z

Probably the 3 best 'thinking' reads I have had in the last year.....Highly recommended.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these. All quite different, but all truly thought-provoking in a major, global. big-ideas way. When you read these you do feel like you are wrestling with the genuine challenges of the planet today. Brilliant.

Leadership as an Activity - Wildthoughts

2008-01-31T22:51:00.000Z

Ask people to define leaders or leadership and I'm willing to bet they will think of it in terms of people. Figures of authority. Historical figures who have led countries, movements, armies. There is no doubting that the people they mention will have been leaders (good or bad). But it misses the point about leadership. Leadership is not defined by the position or authority one possesses or has been granted. It is better thought of as an 'activity'. Leadership is evident in the behaviour displayed by people and is measured largely by the extent to which the activity mobilises others to accept responsibility for owning issues, changing conditions and tackling tough challenges. Note, the important point here is about mobilising others. True, leaders can and often do take action and make decisions, but I believe the most significant measure of leadership is the extent to which leaders are able to focus other's attention on the need to take action. That is the mark of true Leadership. That is what causes real change and alters mindsets, and, very importantly, does not encourage dependence.

I recommend a great read on this topic. Ronald Heifetz who wrote Leadership Without Easy Answers.
If you want to hear a review, have a listen to the attached file which I have recorded. It is less than 15 minutes in duration and will give you more insight to the content of this great book.
BookReviewLWEA.wav

What does it mean to vote? - wildthoughts

2008-01-06T21:01:00.000Z

One of the things that depresses (distresses) me is that there are a growing number of people who reject the right (or the need?) to cast a vote that will help determine the way in which their country is governed, the way society develops, which laws will be passed, how educational policy is shaped and whether we engage in wars.

But we are seeing a simultaneous growth in the volume of the population who give not a second thought to spending 50p or £1 to vote for one singer over another in any number of talent shows. And, if there is even the slightest suggestion that this vote is in any way rigged, and their favourite is beaten into second place, we see a level of passion and anger roused that politicians could only dream about.

Makes you think - doesn't it?

Is it tough to sack your friend? - wildthoughts

2007-10-06T17:42:00.000+01:00

During a recent workshop I was running, a thorny issue arose. How do you deliver 'bad news' to someone who is not only a work colleague but a friend. People sometimes struggle with giving people a low performance rating on their appraisal, or even worse, like dropping them from an assigmment or even dismissing them from employment. Especially when there is a conflict of interest arising from the person being someone they have known a long time. They may be friends, their familes may be friends, they may play golf together. They may even have intimate knowledge of each other's financial affairs and know exactly what a poor appraisal mark will mean to plans for holidays or the kids school fees. This discussion reminded me of an interview I heard a few days earlier on the radio. The QPR chairman, Gianni Paladini, had recently sacked his manager (John Gregory). When asked by the interviewer how he got on with John, the chairman answered by saying, "they were good friends, their familes socialised together and they played golf together". The interviewer suggested that it must have been very hard to take the decision to sack John and to deliver the news. The answer from Paladini was, I think, extremely mature, well thought out, and a moment of fantastic 'clear-headedness' to me. He simply said, "What would you rather I did? Wait for things to get worse and reach the point where we are no longer friends". He clearly valued his friendship too much to jeopardise it by not sacking his friend. Think about it. It makes sense.

13....unlucky or not? - wildthoughts

2007-09-22T00:02:00.000+01:00

Recently I was in a lift in a Hong Kong hotel. As I climbed smoothly to the 24th floor, I noticed that there was no 13th. So I was really on the 23rd, I thought? Then I thought who's being fooled here? Surely the people on the 14th know they are really on the 13th. But the best bit was when I spotted the metal safety plate on the the opposite wall. Maximum Occupancy - 13 Persons !!!!

Two Father's Days in the Year? - wildthoughts

2007-09-06T13:33:00.001+01:00

Australia's Father's Day was on 2nd Sep this year. The UK Father's Day was earlier in the year, but I jibed my kids relentlessly about the fact that I should really benefit from a) being their father and b) being in Australia on that country's Father's Day. I was told in no uncertain terms to stop pushing my luck.....but when the day came I was delighted to receive a book as a gift (genuinely unexpected despite all the hints I had dropped). It was the classic "Feel the fear and do it anyway" by Susan Jeffers. A great little book which I would recommend to anyone. We can all benefit from the inspiring messages and exercises it describes. A great addition to my collection of little gems.