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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Focus on Actions? or Focus on Outcomes?

by Rick Baker
On Jul 30, 2014

When we get the actions right the outcomes tend to naturally follow.

When we don’t get the outcomes we want we must change and improve our actions.

When we focus on actions too much we can choke.

When we are in the zone of excellent performance we envision and are pulled toward outcomes.

Focus on Actions? or Focus on Outcomes?

Success is maximized when we know when to select and how to perform the two strategies.

Tags:

Thinking as in Think and Grow Rich

That Aversion to the Details

by Rick Baker
On Jul 28, 2014

When people are at work, why do they avoid the details?

Do they feel they are too busy and do not have time to attend to the details?

Do they think the details are someone else's responsibility rather than part of their job?

Do they feel too bored or too fatigued to bother with the details?

Do they choose to avoid the details so they can concentrate on big-picture things?

Do they choose to avoid the details because they know others are more skilled with the details?

Do they choose to avoid certain details so they can think about other details?

Do they feel frustrated as they avoid the details?

Do they feel energized as they avoid the details?

Do they feel weakened as they avoid the details?

Do they feel strengthened as they avoid the details?

Does their business falter as they avoid the details?

Does their business gain advantage as they avoid the details?

***

That aversion to the details can be a wonderful thing for all involved...or it can be brutal.

If that aversion to the details is a wonderful thing at your workplace then figure out how to replicate it.

If that aversion to the details is a brutal thing at your workplace then figure out how to stop it.

A couple of thoughts...

by Rick Baker
On Jul 17, 2014

When we agree on the thinking process we will use to address and solve problems 80% of the work is done. The thinking process serves as the template we call up when problems arise. This is a key to building the high levels of confidence and skill required of business leaders...because business leaders face a never-ending series of problems. That’s guaranteed! 

Helping a person succeed is a complicated process...because people are so different.

Tags:

Solutions & Opportunities | Thinking as in Think and Grow Rich

Absent-minded versus Present-minded

by Rick Baker
On Jun 30, 2014

Focus: bringing attention to the present situation or topic

Concentration: maintaining attention on the present situation or topic

'Getting present' is a Focus exercise...a mind-process of narrowing and fixing attention.

'Staying present' is a Concentration exercise...a mind-process of holding attention.

These two mind-processes, focusing and concentrating, involve different areas of the brain and they require the development of different skill sets.

For me, and it may be different for you, focusing is an exercise of thought discipline. It requires thought discipline to cause attention to dwell on the single isolated situation or topic, ignoring everything else. This discipline can be very challenging. Similarly, concentration can be challenging when tasks are tedious or uninteresting. On the other hand, I find concentration easy when the topic or situation is one I am very interested in or excited about. 

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Brain: about the Human Brain | Thinking as in Think and Grow Rich

Unknowns: it's a good thing we only have to deal with them when we solve problems, do tasks, & think creatively.

by Rick Baker
On Jun 24, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

I've read there are 3 types of knowledge:

  • knowledge we know we know
  • knowledge we know we don't know
  • knowledge we don't know we don't know

If we didn't have those things we know then everything would be unknown.

Tags:

Humour | Thinking as in Think and Grow Rich | Thought Tweets

An ounce of predilection is worth a pound of objection.

by Rick Baker
On Jun 20, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Human beings are biased creatures. Our minds are geared to recognize patterns and, sometimes, our minds jump to conclusions. As one example, this happens when we accurately identify a piece of information but conclude, inaccurately, it is part of a certain pattern. In common words, we call that "jumping to conclusions."

When we jump to conclusions we use one piece of information to reach an inaccurate conclusion. 

This was a real benefit in prehistoric times...jumping to conclusions saved lives.

In business, often, jumping to conclusions is more problem than benefit.

Sometimes, when we jump to conclusions, we also try to foist our inaccurate conclusions on others. If we happen to be a leader who does this then an ounce of our jumping to conclusions can offset a pound of followers' objections...and this, over time, kills followers' spirit.

 

[That's the reality of position power.]

Tags:

Humour | Thinking as in Think and Grow Rich | Thought Tweets

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