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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Thought Tweet #796

by Rick Baker
On Aug 5, 2013

Thought Tweet #796 Simplify your approach to business by accepting – Business contains only 3 things: People, Process, and Situations.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

When you create this short list it increases the likelihood you will give people and situations the attention they deserve…and must have…if you are to excel as a business leader.

More about Seeking Simple

 

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Seeking Simple! | Thought Tweets

Thinking about Process...and Creativity

by Rick Baker
On Jul 25, 2013

All aspects of everything we do, whether creative or not, involve process. Thought involves process. Emptying a dishwasher involves process. Innovation involves process. Eating a chocolate bar involves process. Going to the moon involves process.

Not eating a chocolate bar, to the extent we do it with thought, involves process.

Creativity involves process – always.

On a micro scale: our bodies are laced with processes – electrical, chemical, and mechanical. On a macro scale:  the methods that put men on the moon were complicated processes.

Creativity and innovation are results of combinations of processes our bodies perform. That applies at the micro level and at the macro level.

I think that's an important point for a number of reasons.

If creativity happens without process then processes do not influence creativity. In addition, anyone who believes he or she can teach or learn creativity is a wrong-thinker.

Clearly, there is much evidence to confirm creativity involves processes and in the absence of processes there can be no creativity. The same applies to innovation, (which is part of a process that starts with curiosity and creativity). Perhaps the strongest proof of this is the fact that the human body relies upon electricity to exist. Without micro electrical processes our brains and bodies would cease to function let alone be creative. From that micro level, moving from inside to outside, we can see much evidence that creativity relies on other processes. As one next-step-out example, we must eat to fuel the electrical processes that energize our bodies and our brains. As an example of another-step-out, our brain cells rely on blood flow. Without blood flow our brain cells quickly die…taking our ability to think creatively with them. So, our brain processes rely on our heart processes.

As another step out toward macro – the neurons in our brains operate under processes. (see for example, Ray Kurzweil's recent book 'How to Create a Mind') These neuronal processes are (at least) guided by our DNA. DNA is all about process. (see Richard Dawkins' recent book 'The Magic of Reality')

Our senses deliver perceptions to our brains and our brains house that information…for future use. Human beings learn through a process of perceiving, storing, recognizing patterns, retrieving, etc. And, creativity relies on all those processes.

Here's a different view about creativity vis-à-vis right and wrong: creativity is not about right and wrong. If it can be summed up in one word, creativity is about 'new'. People have different perceptions…because people are different.

When people perceive and think the same way and accept a situation, there is little ability to experience creativity. When people perceive and think different ways and accept a situation, creativity has a much easier time presenting itself. When people judge others as wrong, the likelihood of creativity arising or evolving into invention or innovation drops. When people accept others as being different and are OK not judging the differences as right or wrong, minds tend to be more open to new ideas…and creativity, invention, and innovation have an opportunity to flourish. 

Thought Tweet #789

by Rick Baker
On Jul 25, 2013

Thought Tweet #789 When it comes to people, each of us has some home-made putty to deal with: we can start with self.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Business is about people, process, and situations. People create the process and people create most of the situations.

So, when you boil it down business is about people.

We all know that.

And, we all forget it…at least from time to time each of us forgets it.

When it comes to people, each of us has some home-made putty to deal with: we can start with self. How can we expect to have any success leading other people if we cannot develop skill at leading self?

 

Napoleon Bonaparte had it right when he said, “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self”. When we understand self we have a chance to guide self to better places. When we understand self we have a chance to increase our good habits and reduce our bad habits. When we understand self we have confidence and we are better-able to tackle new things. This is what Napoleon taught when he said, “conquer self”.

Thought Tweet #754

by Rick Baker
On Jun 6, 2013

Thought Tweet #754 Managers handle situations; Leaders plan situations.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Leaders & Managers - What's The Difference? 

About Situations

And Napoleon set the high bar...“Circumstances-what are circumstances? I make circumstances”

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Hero Worship | Thought Tweets

People are social creatures...with interesting approaches to making decisions

by Rick Baker
On Jun 4, 2013

Dealing with Other People: Making Business Decisions

People are social creatures:

  • we live with one another, 
  • we live near one another in community, and 
  • we 'work with' one another. 

The actions we take at work affect and influence one another. The thoughts we share about work affect one another.

People approach work with differing attitude. Some of us are more serious about work than others. Put another way, for some people work plays an important role in their lives while for others it does not.

Work-life involves a continuous string of dealings with other people.

Boiling it down...we can choose to view other people:

  • as very distinct and different (every Man is a stand-alone island),
  • as very similar to us,
  • as 'things' that can help us achieve our goals, and
  • as individuals who are doing their best to deal with their challenges and to achieve their goals. 

We may view certain people one or more of these ways while viewing other people in entirely different ways.

In business, we must 'work with people' to achieve what we hope are common work-goals. When we work with people, Decisions can be made 3 ways: Command-Consultative-Consensus. [I favour a 10-3-1 approach.] Command decisions are made by one person, the person with authority. Consultative decisions are made by the person with authority after gathering ideas from others (without being obligated to use any or all of those ideas). Consensus decisions are 'democratic' decisions made by groups of people, who commit to follow the group decision after it is made.

Overlapping these 3 decision choices, business people can treat one another 3 ways:

  • as 'tools/things' requiring instructions (essentially, components of process), 
  • as people requiring help (so they can do better in the immediate term and/or in the future), and
  • as objects of criticism (that is, telling or showing them where they are thinking inaccurately or acting badly).


As a business leader...

How do you think about your people?

How do you make decisions?

How do you communicate about the way decisions should be made at your organization?

How do you know your people understand your decision-making process?
 
How do you cover off the fact sometimes you will be wrong?

Thought Tweet #744

by Rick Baker
On May 23, 2013

Thought Tweet #744 When you boil them down [of course, figuratively not literally] people have not changed.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Don't let new communication technologies and media-options confuse you.

Yes, I accept the fact many people face computer lights hour after hour, day after day, and that probably has changed the way many of us read. For example, this probably has reduced both our interest in and ability to read lengthy paragraphs 'on-line'. So, we probably do prefer bullet points over lengthy on-line prose.

And Yes, I accept we are inundated with advertising messages after advertising messages [the Attention Dilemma]. So, the things we communicate must be interesting to catch and hold other people's attention.

Don't let these things confuse you - people have not changed.

We just need to pay more attention to them.

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Humour | Thought Tweets

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