Is Our Ability to Think Deeply Deteriorating?
May 6th, 2010 by David Utts
In a recent episode of “Two and A Half Men” – Alan’s son Jake is learning to drive and Alan tries to support Jake in having proper hand placement on the wheel by saying “Jake – remember 10 and 2.” Jake responds “12″. Alan says “No Jake put your hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2.” Jake responds “what are you talking about?” I had to laugh nervously because just a week ago I asked a teenager to look at the clock and tell me the time and she said she could not read anything but a digital clock. Is that not crazy? Yet, when you think about it – as great as technology is – it is also making us think less. In addition to digital clocks – we spell via spell checkers on the computer, we do not use basic navigational principles because we have GPS devices, we research everything through Google search rather than through using the library. Again, streamlining things in life can be a good thing and it can make life much easier. Yet, the danger is that we fall more asleep at the wheel and do not take advantage of the extra time we receive and brainpower that is released and actually think more deeply about life and what we want to accomplish in our organizations.
Another way of looking at this is that our own habits are pieces of technology we have built to stream line our day. Again, habits are those things we act upon and no longer question. Examples of habits at work might be the ritual you go through when you set up your desk in the office each day, it might be your review of particular reports that help you assess the state of the business or how you deal with interruptions in your day. There are also cultural habits like how we welcome new employees or how move forward after a project is completed, or the way we handle bad news. Certainly personal and cultural habits are important because they help us get more done without having to think of every step. Yet, the question becomes – what happens when our habits no longer work or have the same level of impact due to some shift in the market, changes in client habits, the emergence of new business models, etc. If we can not step back and ask ourselves deeper questions – it is akin to not being able to tell time by looking at a analog clock. All habits and technologies we deploy serve a purpose – the question is how do we know when those habits and technologies no longer serve their purpose or questioning how they might be getting in the way of our greater success? You might want to take some time to examine this yourself by asking the following questions:
- Are there any results in your business or personal life you are not happy with and if so what kinds of results do you want to generate?
- When is the last time you challenged your approach to achieving those results as well as what you think you must do to achieve those outcomes?
- Is any of these approaches outdated and if so – what other approaches might support greater success?
What are you using as your guidance system for determining if you are on track?
Again, from time to time we must challenge our habits and beliefs. For example, every new position you move into requires a new set of beliefs to support success in that position. Yet, most times people simply think all they need to do is rely on the same habits and beliefs that got them there. While some of those may be transportable – others you bring with you can actually hinder your success.
