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Trevor Manning Consultancy
Achieving  Business results 
through Real-World Training 
and Leadership Development

Is the opposite of right, wrong?

12/8/2014

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In mathematics, a series of logical steps leads you to a right answer. Some people actually enjoy mathematics, precisely for this reason. It is unambiguous. There is a right answer or a wrong answer.   When technical people become managers, a change of mindset is required because when dealing with people, traditional logic seldom applies.

As managers, we are required to plan (make predictions), and make decisions. Being intelligent human beings we apply our thinking in a logical fashion. Aristotle taught us about syllogisms – or deductive reasoning. An assertion is either affirmed or denied. The 18th century English mathematician George Boole – whose work has subsequently been adapted to create Boolean logic used in computers - introduced us to the idea of deductive reasoning through mathematical equations.

Let us consider the following: IF A=1 AND B=2, THEN A+B=3. It doesn’t matter how often we repeat this, or who completes the problem, we always get the same answer. The problem with dealing with people is things are more complex, and they can change.

Deliberately exaggerating my point to the point of absurdity, imagine if we applied logic to see if two staff members would work well together on a project.

IF Jack=HAPPY AND Jill=HAPPY, THEN Jack+Jill=HAPPY.

We put them together on the project and it’s a disaster! Why? It may be because Jack is only happy, without Jill. This added complexity is hard, if not impossible, to model, as it may only become apparent when they work together. Hind-sight is an exact science.

Some thoughts for a changed mind-set in management are:

  1. Be careful of generalisations. In order to stay sane we develop biases and generalisations that allow us to filter information without having to consider it from scratch every time. These generalisations can play havoc with our decision making, as our upbringing and belief systems distort the truth making our initial “assertions” inaccurate.

  2. Avoid black-and-white thinking. Think AND more than OR. Being open-minded  to opposing views and ideas helps increase innovation and staff motivation.

  3. It is better to get the right outcome, than being right. Scott McNealy (founder of Sun Microsystems) said: I am less worried about “making the right decision” and spend much more time and energy ensuring that any decision I make turns out right.

Management is complex! The opposite of right, is often right too….

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Can introverts ever really lead?

12/1/2014

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Have you ever been in a meeting run by an introvert, and asked yourself whether some people’s personality types just make them unsuitable for leadership?  In 1929, Carl Jung published his book Psychological Types which introduced the idea of introversion and extroversion, relating to personality types. In the business world we have often over simplified and thus distorted the true meaning of this complex world of psychology to brand people as either an introvert or an extrovert. The stereo-typical view is that introverts are shy people who don’t like to go to parties, and extroverts are those loud mouthed people who never stop talking but are also the life and soul of a party.  The Myers Briggs model assumes the dichotomy defines how you are energised. The extrovert extreme is most energised when talking with a group of people, while the introvert extreme are more energised by reflecting on things on their own.  Carl Jung admitted there is no such thing as a true introvert or true extrovert -  “that person would be in the lunatic asylum”

Most of us would admit to having a default comfort zone somewhere on the scale, and if most of the time we are in one half rather than the other, we may brand ourselves introverted or extroverted. Considering leadership often involves working with groups of people, and needing to talk, not reflect, does that not mean that people who lean towards the introversion scale, are doomed to be bad leaders?

In my experience, I can point to three examples where introverted behaviour makes for a better leader:

  1. Introverts think before they talk. In a leadership role this can help to provide clarity rather than confusion. Very open-ended communication, where divergent and contradictory views are aired by the leader, may be refreshingly honest, but leave the team members feeling confused as to what is really being said.

  2. Introverts tend to listen more to what is being said, and can be more attuned to the non- verbal messages being communicated. Listening is an active and complex task, and it is impossible to be talking, or constructing a verbal response in your head, while listening attentively to someone else.

  3. Introverts experience risky situations in a negative way emotionally. This makes them naturally more risk-aware. Taking a calculated risk with known and quantified consequences is good management. Acting blindly and ignoring risks, because the sense of the unknown and dangerous involves a positive emotional response is how good companies end up going bust!

It is arguable whether we can change our personality type, but what is widely accepted is that we can change our behaviour to suit the situation we are in. Whether we are more extroverted or introverted in nature, there is a lot we can learn from those who fit more naturally on the introverted end of the scale.

 

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    Author

    TMC Global has been established to provide real-world training and consultancy in wireless technology and technical management. 

    Its founder, Trevor Manning is passionate about people development and has developed training courses and business offerings that combine theory and practice to make a real difference in the workplace. 


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