Actions or Intentions?

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work. Peter Drucker

Ever developed a great action plan and didn't follow through after a training session?  If you are like me, a motivational speaker can pump my juices.  Our intentions to implement the plan soar to a peak.  But what does it take to follow through? 

7 Road bumps that prevent follow-through  

1. New concepts lost if not acted upon When a coach leaves after a concentrated training session, people's urgent tasks cry for attention. Tasks usurp focus so that newly learned information can easily spill out of the brain's working memory. Three or four fresh details fill the working memory's temporary storage capacity.  When learning is fresh it works well to take immediate action to begin using it.

2. Should do When a person says she should do the first step in an action plan, the words do not reflect immediacy so it can be set aside for long periods of time and perhaps abandoned. Margaret Meloni lists three levels of intention revealed through words used.

• Level One: I should or I need – This indicates recognition of or a desire to make a change or take an action, but is not an action plan. 

• Level Two: I want or I am going to – Now the talk about a change or action is being transformed into a plan, it may make the top of the to-do list.

• Level Three: I am – A clear statement of intention reflecting action and ownership for the results. This is the execution and this is where an intention becomes a reality.

3. Fear stands in the way  If fear creates a barrier between where you are now and where you want to be Carolyn Rubenstein suggests you ask WHY.  When you get to the bottom of your fear, you can face it and take the bold action needed to start the first step of your plan.

4. Boss shuts down ideas "Stubborn bosses treat change as if they have 'cooties,'" Lyn Taylor contends.  "They don't want to touch it, get near it, or handle it themselves unless they initiate the change.  Why?  Many people want to initiate change themselves so they make the work environment uncomfortable for those wanting to follow through with a new action plan. 

Tyrant bosses, want to be right, get the recognition and avoid risks just to maintain the status quo.  
Taylor offers these solutions:

Choose your words carefully  To get better footing, Taylor suggests you use positive language to relax your boss when he's stuck in a rut. Words of affirmation will calm him," and thus release serotonin, a brain chemical of well being. 

Offer choices and compromises that empower your "Terrible Old Tyrant." Rather than asking questions that lead to yes/no answers, offer your boss choices. Change "Can we end the meeting early today?" to "Should we end at 4:00 or 4:30?" That gives your boss decision making power.

Align your needs with boss's - "Remind your boss how your ideas reinforce her larger objectives," Taylor suggests. Keep showing that you are on the same page.

5. Procrastination Everyone has things they want to do, but can't seem to start the first step.  So what's the answer to this foot dragging?   Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen suggest that you put together an "unschedule", a chart of your time that is already taken, as a way to see how much time you really have left for your goals.

Since you did not start this habit yesterday, it is deeply embedded in your brain's basal ganglia. The more you do an action, the more your brain has rewired dendrite brain cells for repeating the same action.  Good news is that human brain has great plasticity and can rewire for a new approach. So each time you start early and accomplish a task the more this new pattern will be rewired in your brain's memory bank - the basal ganglia.

Burka and Yeun suggest how to develop better work habits methodically, one step at a time. They recommend starting a 2-week program right away using varied strategies.  Here are some they list:

• Avoid perfectionism
• Be specific
• Make goals that are observable
• Take small steps
• Reward yourself!

Add some sure fire strategies of your own so you get started today.

6. Lack of Focus Stifles Follow-through "Those leaders who lack the focus and attention to detail needed to apply leverage and resources in an aggressive and committed fashion will perish," Mike Myatt observes. "Leaders who do not possess a bias toward action, or who cannot deliver on their obligations will not be successful. Leadership is about performance…Intentions must be aligned with results for leaders to be effective."

If a leader is easily distracted during a coaching session, she misses some of the detail. Since the human brain is easily bored, Ellen Weber explains why "you might think other people or work bore you and that is why you are not getting ahead." It is a myth. "Reality," according to Weber, "is that boredom is more a habit formed in brains, and shaped by your choices."

7. Innovation is rhetoric rather than reality  When people inside large organizations were asked to describe their corporate innovation system, almost none could do it, Gary Hamel discovered. " When asked if innovation is rhetoric rather than reality, they said, overwhelmingly, 'It's rhetoric. We don't see the reality.'"

One explanation for this is that top management is paying lip service to innovation, according to Gary Hamel. "But another -- and far more likely -- explanation is that senior leaders do not have a clear, well-developed model of what innovation looks like as an organizational capability. And since they don't know what it looks like, they don't know how to build it." One reason is that they focus just on products and services. And, second, many organizations "devote much more energy to optimizing what is there than to imagining what could be. Hamel's answer is that "we need to create constituencies for "What Could Be."

A way past the rhetoric, is to unleash the passion for innovation company-wide. That is taking the first step!

What would you suggest to insure intentions are acted upon quickly to create fresh realities?

Stick to It - You Can Do It!

If you're going to achieve anything, you've got to stick with something. ... it's just that I stay with problems longer. ~Albert Einstein

My eight-year-old Toshiba laptop died last week. A 14" light, Toshiba Satellite, with long lasting battery power fit my needs to a T. But, its systems were new and unfamiliar. My basal ganglia, the brain's storehouse for memory was full of patterns that were familiar and comfortable. In trying to get new email operating smoothly as in past, I fought against data systems that did not allow me to insert needed information. Everything was totally different. The fight to work with the new laptop's systems taxed my brain to the utmost.

You see I had begun to work in my brain's working memory. Trying to get everything up and running caused much discomfort since all was new and unfamiliar. When I reached that point, I set everything aside to come back at a later time when I could think more clearly. Then, I worked a chunk at a time so that I did not get overwhelmed.

This morning a technician gave me a hand to convert my Outlook Express mail to Windows Live Mail. Expert help lifts us over the bumps. I can already see advantages to the new.

Our brains have great plasticity. We can accomplish things never before accomplished by using parts of your brain never before used. ~ Ellen Weber

Stretch Past Ability Myths

"…I opened the page and scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the page, expecting to see ourselves in the last 10 positions for the Best Coaching Blogs 2009," Frederique Murphy relates…

"As you know this is not where we had been ranked at, but that is where I first looked. That means that for a quick second or two, my little voice (yes, you know that one…!) had decided that there was no way I could be anywhere else other than the bottom of that list."

If you entered a contest and received results in an email, would you first look at the top or bottom to see where you ranked? Please take a minute to complete the poll you see just to the right of this blog.

Frederique says she quickly interrupted the pattern -- of seeing herself as lesser than and began to look at the top in the belief that she truly could rank at the top.

Evidently over time, Frederique had wired into her brain she was not in the top ten for accomplishing a big goal, such as writing one of the 10 Best Coaching Blogs 2009. No doubt the mindset that she might not be right at the top began in childhood. She's not alone according to research.

I can relate to this because I developed a similar mindset through varied experiences K-12. For instance, I was one of the last players chosen for any of the kickball teams all through elementary school. So I began to think of myself as not good in sports. Do you relate to this as well? Though, a late bloomer, I took up golf and have played tournaments and won... in my 60's!

Thinking of ourselves as "lesser than," when it comes to performance, is but one of the many myths we create in our brain about our capabilities. Myths such as this one are wired into our brain's basal ganglia, the storehouse of patterns and routines we experience daily over time. The number of times we wire these into our brain, the more deeply entrenched the belief. Dr. Ellen Weber explains this myth in relation to beliefs about learning and performance...

MYTH: Some things are impossible for some people to learn or perform well, in reasonable time limits.
Reality: Hook even difficult facts onto one thing you know already and learning or doing new skills increases in less time.

Frederique said she listened to the little voice for one or two seconds... the voice that told her to look at the bottom.

All of us face situations when we revert back to patterns and routines stored in our brain's basal ganglia. Frederique points out that she stopped her glance quickly, to glance at the top of the list. As a coach, she was very mindful about what was happening. So she immediately changed her unthinking first move to look for her name at the top of the winners list, fully showing her confidence.

Rather than allowing our minds go into autopilot when doing something, we can instead take thoughtful actions... that transform.

Good news is that the human brain has great plasticity so that enables us to change habits or beliefs about ourselves that we formed long ago. The more you do something in the opposite direction, the more you rewire your brain for the new. Stretch and go for it!

If you have a story to add or comments, please do comment. I'd welcome your thoughts.

Today's Tuesday, But Seems Like Saturday

Ever mix up a day, from the time you waken to think it's Saturday, rather than Tuesday? Suzanna Stinnet's curiosity piqued about this phenomenon, so she asked about it.

Since questions challenge me, I could not get this out of my mind and mulled it over for a few days. As usual, the findings are fascinating...

When someone anticipates, action soon follows "The brain is all about anticipation and prediction," Josef Rauschecker, Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientist finds.

Weekend and daily routines differ in basal ganglia If you waken, thinking it is Saturday, your brain would follow through your usual Saturday pattern, based on what you've stored over time in your brain's basal ganglia. "Probably you’ve observed how static lives come from dull daily routines," Dr. Ellen Weber observes, "where people settle into status quo, and no longer seek adventure." She describes how the basal ganglia works:

At the center of most ruts, lies your brain’s basal ganglia. Experts call it your mental storehouse for habits, routines and every lifetime experience you’ve encountered. It’s also a place to promote and prolong annoying ruts.

Brain plays trick If you have a Tuesday holiday, such as Independence Day, you may start your day without setting the alarm, as you would on a Saturday. Can you see how your brain might play a trick on you? Perhaps there was a disconnect with the routine or association when the alarm does not go off, so that leads your brain to act as if it were Saturday. What do you think?

Hmmm... The alarm did not go off today, but I awaken with the sun. Oops, sometimes not!

What's your experience?

Zoning Out When Doing Routine Tasks?

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge -- Danile J. Boorstin

Ever zone out? You read a couple of pages in Newsweek and realize you missed the point. Or, on the way to a monthly meeting, 10 miles past the expressway exit, you finally come to. It's as if you were on auto-pilot.

Lack of attentiveness can occur to you and me, when we assume we know something. We're so accustomed to the route, for example, that we no longer see it. What's going on, anyway? It's connected to the way your brain works

Picture part of your brain as a filing cabinet chock-full of routines developed over a lifetime. That's how your brain's basal ganglia works. Not too surprisingly, when you read something that isn't interesting to you, your eyes routinely take in the words, but you're day-dreaming of purchasing that new HD TV you saw a few pages back. Similarly you may be so familiar with a route that you don't pay close attention to it, though you are aware of the cars around you. In some ways that's scary. But the driving routine's deeply entrenched.

Good news... we can overcome mindlessness by seeing our world with fresh eyes, according to Ellen Langer of Harvard. "To be mindful," Langer notes, "stressing process over outcome, allows free rein to intuition and creativity, and opens us to new information and perspectives." Tapping intuition and creativity stimulate your brain's working memory.

Picture another tiny part of your brain as a graph that takes in new information quickly, combines it with what's stored in the filing cabinet to develop brand new patterns. That's similar to the way your working memory works. And the problem is if you do not act on the new information, the graph can quickly lose all the data.

Override your brain's default for ruts, Dr. Ellen Weber says. Get control of your distraction reflex...Put the ordinary under a looking glass and discover a surprising element. Or, change your performance in subtle ways as Weber advises.

Test your concentration level Here's a quick test to determine your ability to concentrate on a task and whether you have a well-developed portfolio of strategies to apply yourself.

How would you Reinvent Yourself through Mindful Creativity at work? I'll include your ideas in a follow-up blog.

Mental Rehearsal Boosts Performance

Ever take a golf lesson, practice, think you have it, but it's not working a couple of days later? Happened to me last time I paid for a lesson.

You and I don't retain all details when learning brand new tasks. Here's why... The brain's working memory holds only small bits of new information. Steps just learned for a great golf swing sequence easily spill out of the working memory during activities you engage in before you're back on the course.

Interestingly, you can use mental rehearsal to raise performance.

Just think, if someone teaches you to use video software or to play a solo on your sax, running through a routine in your mind, sometimes benefits you more than doing it. When I learned that golf swing, evidently I lost some information... so next day, I practiced incorrectly. If you physically go through a skill incorrectly, you can hamper learning in future lessons... I can see why now!

The secret -- envision the whole new task as soon as possible. Thirty minutes of mental practice works well. Mental practice helps you and me remember since the process is picked up by your brain's basal ganglia. The more you practice, the stronger the memory. And once you "have the skill," you can improvise and even adapt to new situations.

Matthew Hutson, Psychology Today author, suggests three tips for optimum mental rehearsal:

1. Stick to Vivid Detail Try to remember your own body movements and visualize as accurately as possible.

2. Adjust Your Speed When beginning, go slowly through process so you can focus on detail. If you're an excellent golfer, quick works best.

3. Watch and Discover Take time to observe others who perform well.. Careful observation activates the brain's motor skills as if a person were performing the task.

See possibilities to rehearse new skills on your next plane trip or as you wait in the doctor's office? Thoughts?

Don't fear the pauses!

Are you familiar with the term, "pregnant pause"... a pause long enough to make you nervous when you're speaking to a group? When you introduce novel strategies or new information, unearthly silence can follow a thoughtful question you ask. What you do with a pause can make or break a presentation.

Treat silence as your ally... it provides a window of time for people to tap into their brains and play more of a role... bring ideas to the table. If you're anxious and just move on to the next point in your outline, you miss an opportunity.

Begin with a thoughtful two-footed question... a more thoughtful question on your topic that seeks people's experiences and knowledge connecting to it. Now wait... even when it seems like an eternity.

Here're six brain-based reasons why...

An individual may have...

- developed a process in the basal ganglia to sort out best ideas before speaking.

- been diminished for ideas expressed in public. The person no longer risks saying anything.

- built stronger intrapersonal intelligence skills. Such an individual is prone to reflect first.

- lacked interest in your topic and is bored or unmotivated by the presentation.

- cultivated a competitive spirit, which has been rewarded in past by listening to others' ideas first before sharing his or her wisdom.

- lacked verbalizing skills and not have confidence to share ideas.

As I've had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Ellen Weber in MITA sessions, I've watched her amazing acumen to pace. She has the fortitude to wait out the silence... more voice comes to life... and when participants begin to share wisdom, it takes a session to the top...

Ellen says, "Remember it's not what you say at a presentation that people remember... it's what they say!"

Innovation and invention can activate when you step into your confidence and pause...

Thoughts?

The Brain Behind "March's Child Is..."

How do you describe your personality? C.B. Whittemore challenged me to describe mine by using a list of traits connected to my birth month. Hmmm... wonder how a person's traits connect to the brain? It's fascinating!

C.B. inspired me by finesse she used to circumvent words that are "difficult" parts of a person's personality.

So here's...

March's Child is... from the brain's perspective.

Attractive personality. The great part is that we can hone our brains to become more the person we'd like others see in us. For instance, if I awaken cranky, I can turn that around by encouraging others rather than grousing. Ever tried that? The result... people react in positive ways. Choices help shape personality. And, there's more...

Sexy. Yes, the brain is very sexy to study and understand just a wee bit more... It also frames sexy in more energizing and exciting ways than the world or tabloids do.

Affectionate. Yes. Over time, I built many dendrite brain cells for affection and that quality's affirmed by those I love.

Shy and reserved. We each have hidden areas in our brain we'd like to probe more deeply and understand. Since I was shy as a child, I have been learning more from cognitive research about how shyness develops. Thankfully, the human brain has great plasticity, and by stretching to take "risks" I have wired a schema for more confidence in my brain's basal ganglia. Now, I'm able to interact easily with others during a conference.

Secretive. The human brain holds many mysteries, of which I am beginning to plummet the surface. As the brain yields some it's more enticing secrets, we can learn more of how the brain influences our choices. I'll keep you posted as I keep learning...

Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. The medial section of the brain's prefrontal cortex has been associated with empathy and regulation of negative emotion. Researchers are learning more... Over years I've learned that as I give away, I receive much pleasure. Hopefully I will rewire my brain in this direction over the next few years.

Loves peace and serenity. When I am in an environment with chaos or strife, it shoots Cortisol to my brain and disturbs mental peace. In the last few years as I've learned so much more about the brain's serenity, I use tactics to turn it around negative barbs, into positive high points.

Sensitive to others... Loves to serve others... As I help others, or extend hospitality around a meal, it brings a sense of calm and serenity to me. That's because it primes the pump of Serotonin, a chemical of well-being, to begin flowing through my brain.

Easily angered. When I miss a golf shot, I admit I used to get a little feisty. My first reactions to anger were emotional and the right side of my brain spun into a tailspin, preventing my logical left side to take over as quickly as I would want. Over time, I've learned how to combat the Cortisol that flows when I'm aroused by anger by tricking my brain as I focus it to a new area. This helps me step back and look into my logical left brain for a sensible response.

Trustworthy.Since I was raised in a loving family, in whom I built a deep sense of trust. By living what was modeled in my life, the schema for this is deeply embedded in my brain's basal ganglia.

Appreciative and returns kindness... Observant and assesses others.By practicing these qualities in our actions, we build a routine for that in the brain's hippocampus. Since these qualities are those I want to possess even more, I focus more on the way I react to others - to be sure that this happens. Because I do this, I am "using" this part of my brain and I am not apt to "lose" my sensitivity to others as I grow older.

Revengeful. Moody. Loves attention. Everybody's nature has two sides and there's much hope to guard against a proclivity for choices that go against the nature and personality we most want to develop. Fact is the less we use it, the more likely that brain cells we've built in this area will begin to die off. When you don't use it, you can actually "lose it" in part through death of brain cells. So personality traits you wish to diminish will take extra focus so that you do not react quickly through emotive responses.

Loves to dream and fantasize. We need to turn things around so dreams and fantasizing help people put together new possibilities. And, to insure I'm thinking logically, I take one extra step to "keep my feet on the ground."

Loves traveling. Seeing the world and working with people of many cultures stimulates my brain. At the same time it provides needed down time to be "good to me."

Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Often at first sight we are blind to another person's likes and dislikes. My marriage weathered differences because it is built on love trust, commitment, intimacy and attachment.

Loves home decors. Ambiance affects well-being.

Musically talented. Music is actually a mirror of the mind. Just to give you a snapshot of where I stand, in high school I played the trombone in Select Band, Dance Band, and Marching Band. I loved the unpredictability of the instrument.

Loves special things. The things I love don't cost money, since the best things in life "Come Cheap -- Even for Millionaires." I love a great talk with one of my grandsons or just spending time in nature, or working with leaders around the globe.

What about your personality traits? Here are the rules to step up and meet the challenge to describing you in relations to traits listed below for your birth month:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back.
2. Pick your month of birth.
3. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you and if you would like write some wit or not.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

I'm tagging folks in the list below along with readers and friends who're up to the challenge:

Al at 7P Productions

Ann at Manage to Change

Dan at Idea Sellers

Darlene at Interview Chatter

Galba at Tune Up Your EQ

Hsien Lei at Cotton-Pickin' Days

Jeanne at Writer's Notes

Laura at Writing Thoughts

Maria at Beauty Is Within

Rosa at Managing with Aloha Coaching

Scott at McArthur's Rant

Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace

List of traits used for each month...

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas.Difficult to fathom.Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Children's Brains on Video Games and the Internet

Video games and the Internet directly affect children's brains! What exactly are the pros and cons of new technologies in children's' lives and how are they being shaped? Arun Rajagopal challenged me to add to his very well articulated post, Is Internet Good for Children?

Positives of the Internet and video games...

Saving the World, One Video Game at a Time Some video games are works of art designed to grapple with issues that tap teens' problem solving brain power in positive ways...

Video games, serious-games advocates say, also possess a persuasive element that is missing from books or movies: They let the player become a different person (at least for an hour or two), and see the world from a new perspective. When Mr. Burak first showed Peacemaker to Israelis and Palestinians, he found that they were most interested in playing as their own “side.” But when he pushed them to switch positions they developed a more nuanced sense of why the other side acted as it did. In Qatar several people told him that “they kind of understood more the pressures the Israeli prime minister has.”

Games like Peacemaker provide users much more than mindless fun, they can be a medium for change.

Video Games Help Develop Children's Brains

When children play video games, they "manage multiple objectives at the same time," according to Steven Johnson, who advocates non-violent games. Children learn to control resources and make split-second decisions throughout the game. Focus and attention is crucial.

James Gee, notes that children who play video games exhibit "fluid intelligence."

"They have to discover the rules of the game and how to think strategically," said James Paul Gee, a University of Wisconsin-Madison curriculum and instruction professor. "Like any problem solving that is good for your head, it makes you smarter."

Computer Games Help Autistic Children Recognize Emotions Interactive games, such as FaceSay™, give children with autism spectrum disorders practice recognizing facial expressions of an avatar, or software “puppet.” You'd be interested to know, these computer games teach children where to look for facial cues such as an eye gaze, a frown and other facial expressions.

Creating Web Sites Stimulates Literacy and Higher Cognitive Thinking

Teachers are using new curriculum, designed by Jennifer Stone, which introduces students to theories and methods of web design. And moving from theory to practical application, they plan and build a complex website. In the final or "informational" phase, each student selects a topic, conducts research to create articles on the topic theme. What's so important about this?

In addition to stressing the importance of planning, this medium foregrounds the role of revision in writing. When creating a website, it can be published immediately and changed at anytime. This is very different from other types of texts where the final product is final and changes require substantial investments of time, materials, and money. Revision is a key aspect of web-based writing, where authors constantly must adapt to ongoing audience feedback, new content, and changing technologies.

When students transfer ideas from one context to another, they tap into higher cognitive skills, those needed for today's businesses to be competitive.

Problems with the Internet and Video Games As They Shape Children's Minds

Video Games Teach Aggression

As children engage in an activity again and again, that learning's stored in the brain's basal ganglia. Repetition fosters learning... And so, as aggression helps children win video game contests, the behavior's programmed the child's brain.

"Should we therefore be surprised that violent video games could teach aggression to players," father and son researchers, J. Ronald and Doug Gentile ask. These games are more harmful than violent television and movies because they are interactive, very engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor.

Teens Who Play Video Games Read Less and Do Less Homework

On school days, teen boys who play video games appear to spend less time reading and teen girls who play video games appear to spend less time doing homework than those who do not play video games, according to a report in the July, 2007 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine... Compared with non-video game--players, adolescents who played video games spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework.

Children hooked on video games, spend so much time playing that they fail to develop friendships, get appropriate outdoor exercise or suffer in their schoolwork according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Children Lack Important Cognitive Skills

Could this be a cause of a new trend showing that Americans read less frequently and less proficiently? Reading's important because it affects the brain physiologically... Three ingenious design principles come into play as we read, according to Maryanne Wolf, professor at Tufts University:

...the capacity to make new connections among older structures; the capacity to form areas of exquisitely precise specialization for recognizing patterns in information, and the ability to learn to recruit and connect information from these areas automatically.

To starve reading is to stunt cognitive skills needed beyond school... especially in college and the workplace.

Activities Shape Brains

Video game and Internet activities rewire children's and teen's brains for success or failure in school and beyond. Teachers and parents can guide children to make wise choices...

Arun, thanks for the challenge since it led me to dig deep and learn more on this very timely topic...

Thoughts?

Your Brain on Numbers

Music is a secret exercise in arithmetic of the soul, unaware of its act of counting --Gottfried Leibniz, philosopher and mathematician

"Fixing on a number helps me generate ideas, create new options, and crystallise my thoughts," Joanna Young declares. And, she leaped to a challenge of presenting 7 writing tactics in a numbered list. Interestingly the concentration helped her reach 7 unique points to meet that goal. Her mind let go of it once the 7th was complete. Joanna's curiosity led her to question me as to how that might be connected to the brain. You'd be surprised at how many connections play out...

Logical-mathematical Intelligence the math parts of the brain are especially fun for those who think logically or enjoy numbers, according to Ellen Weber. You'd enjoy Ellen's post chock full of blog tips for your math intelligence.

I'm curious, Ellen, as to whether you set a number of tips before you write and how having a number in mind ahead of time impacts your writing. For instance, the math tips include 10 ideas, and you recently posted a challenge to stretch our brains daily in March, which includes 31 suggestions for your readers, as well as the post you developed to list some suggestions for the 22 stressors people face in the course of a day. Do you find that your brain keeps working on these till you hit the magic number like Joanna?

The logical-math part of your brain includes high ability for logical reasoning, predicting probability, organizing, and sequencing as well as numerical dexterity. You'll be surprised with results when you challenge your brain through your math intelligence or any of the others. Here's why...

Puzzles and Challenges: Present your brain with a challenge and your brain steps up to meet it! The human brain thrives on unraveling puzzles and sorting out ambiguities. Recent research shows that your unconscious mind works on the problem...

...a strong Aha! sensation involves minimal meta cognitive (monitoring of one's own thoughts) processes and unconscious restructuring or, better, an automatic, subconscious recombination of information which stands in contrast to conscious mental restructuring which is an attention-demanding process involving executive control. The study shows that it is possible to identify these processes before they reach the level of verbal awareness.

In other words the backburner of your mind is warming the answer as you may be working on other tasks. Bursts of insight may come on the spot or take a day or more... Your brain can reach flow as you compose from a series of "aha's"...

Flow: Flow's described as "the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it," according to psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who wrote Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csikszentmihalyi theorizes that best moments in life occur when the body and mind are stretched to the limit in an effort to accomplish something both difficult and worthwhile. That's likely why you stayed on the path to meet your quest, Joanna.

Invention: When people launch a project they generally follow routines, and in this case, approaches you take to write. Your brain first retrieves methods and schemas from your basal ganglia whenever you approach a task similar to many you've completed in past. Take driving for instance... You build many different skills which arise to meet different road conditions. However, if you're on black ice for the first time, you remember what you read in the driver's manual, and you're forced to use something novel.

On the other hand, notice the difference when you work out of novelty, as in your new approach to focus on a number, Joanna. You tap into your brain's working memory and Ellen Weber explains that in everyday language...

When the brain registers an idea it goes into the short term or working memory. Think of your working memory as a fine wine glass where new wine is poured daily. Your mind’s wine includes exciting ideas you hear, discussions you have or insights you garner from business blogs … or maybe it’s just a reflection beside a quiet stream. Since only a few ounces of wine fit into your wine glass… I mean your working memory … then yesterday’s wine will get washed out or so diluted by today’s. You’ll no longer feel excited by an idea’s possibilities for change unless you move it into action and lead it forward with rewards for excellence. It’s how the brain works to lose or gain business … each time you pour in new ideas or actions that are unrelated to the old ones there, the older ones are replaced. It’s also why multi-tasking may not be a good solution unless these tasks relate to change ideas and actions already in your working memory.

No doubt, Joanna, you desired to use novelty as you wrote because you wanted different outcomes. Not too surprisingly, your brain worked on your challenge till you generated ideas, created new options and crystallized thoughts for the seven ways that numbers help you write. In my next blog I'm giving myself a number challenge so I can go more in depth as you did.

Joanna, your theme of writing leaps and bounds, is something we can all have fun with! The music of your soul comes forth with many melodies from which we all learn.

Here are additional ways for blogging through your intelligences...

Blog Tips for your Math Intelligence

Blog Tips for Your Musical Intelligence

Blog Tips for Your Spatial Intelligence

Blog Tips From Your Intrapersonal Intelligence

Blog Tips from Your Interpersonal Intelligence

Blog From Your Linguistic Intelligence

Blogging From Your Naturalistic Intelligence

Try just one and see the difference in your next blog!

Target to Meet Challenges for 2008

Tell me truthfully -- how many New Year's Resolutions did you keep from last year? According to a survey taken by Franklin Covey, the top three resolutions were to (1) Get out of debt or save money; (2) Lose weight; (3) Develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating. When you think about New Year's Resolutions what would it take to make them more than good intentions? Fact is, most resolutions wind up as just good intentions, but you can change that!

Unless you and I target a daily or weekly plan and actually put feet to our resolutions, we can miss goals we truly want to achieve. So what could make the difference for a bigger bank account, a more svelte body and great physical and mental conditioning? Here're some helps to make 2008 New Year's resolutions become reality...

List your resolutions Jotting things down helps you figure out what you really want to do with your time, according to Kathleen McGowan, so that you get a handle on whether your goals are realistic.

And, here's a great strategy... Once you've displayed resolutions on the refrigerator door, there's no avoiding them. When they're staring at you every morning on the bathroom mirror, it's harder to forget that you made those promises to yourself.

Reprogram your brain... Every day that you begin to cut back on spending, for instance, you reprogram your brain for a new routine. Old patterns are stored in the basal ganglia of your brain and they don't change overnight. Your brain has great plasticity so that it can change. For example, the more you begin to be more frugal, the more your brain will help you develop a mindset for a more frugal lifestyle.

Go easy on yourself if you slip up once in awhile and start the next day with new resolve by discovering yet another way to save.

Make a game out of your resolution. Games are fun. Nobody likes doing something because they have to do it. So reward yourself now and then along the way. This will bring you more Serotonin, a brain hormone that brings well-being.

And, here's another strategy to bring more Serotonin...

Stay positive! When you think of possibilities you'll be challenged to see if you can make them a reality. Keeping a positive mindset actually helps make your resolve to save more money a reality.

Ready to give resolutions another try in 2008? I don't know about you, but I slipped when too much good food was served at Christmas so I've got some work to do as I launch the New Year! And I want to make svelte body a reality, not just a good intention!

8 Strategies for Happy Holiday Memories!

Are many of your happiest memories connected to Christmas or the special holiday you celebrate this season? I know mine are and the most memorable connect to precious family and friends.

When an event replays in your mind, no doubt you see the people who made that memory what it is. What would that event be if different people were there? Maybe you begin to see the powerful relationship between our interactions with people and memory as you reflect on it.

To be prosperous at work is to be strongly connected in our personal relationships. What happens in your home deeply impacts the contributions you bring to your work.

With this in mind, I'm planning to make this year's festivities light-hearted, yet memorable for all the people I cherish. See what you think of these strategies...

1. Look for magic...
2. Notice unexpected melodies and express pleasure to others as they occur
3. Recapture memories together
4. Keep gifts light and unexpected... give on a day when nobody expects it
5. Laugh at yourself - often and hard
6. Play a game that a child chooses for the two of you
7. Take a food or small gift to a neighbor
8. Remember the best things in life are free

In thinking about number three, I remember my daughter impersonating me with just a tinge of exaggeration and I never laughed so hard in my life. I often replay the laughs when my twenty something daughter gave her older brother "The Book of Farts" [a children's story book] as a gift. When he read it for us the tears streamed down our cheeks. Do you have memories like that?

And as I consider the more sacred, I'll never forget our first Christmas with our adopted grandson. He was a very long awaited and unexpected treasure from the hand of God.

I'm hoping to create the kind of celebration that all enjoy during our gathering. I'll review these several times so they don't slip out of my working memory before the event takes place! In fact, maybe by practicing these right away, I'll lock them into my brain's basal ganglia! What do you think?

Scott McArthur's Method to Unstick Your Brain

Scott McArthur says to relieve braincramp challenge your schemas. Scott revs up his brain by using templates Chip and Dan Heath share in their recent book Made to Stick. Challenging the schemas you've embedded in deep recesses of your brain's basal ganglia is a great approach, Scott.

You see, we all have preferred ways of doing things, or the schemas we have programmed because they're comfortable and trusty. Once you grasp ideas or skills, they're stored in your brain's basal ganglia. They require little effort, they're familiar and let's face it - just plain comfortable.

On the other hand, when you operate from your brain's working memory, it takes more effort and it's discomforting to you because you're treading swift running water and you need to stay afloat. You see, ideas and new ways of doing things easily spill out of the working memory because its so small compared to the basal ganglia.

Scott suggests, "if you get braincramps you need to get yourself a new template!" He lists six below based on the Heath Brothers research:

Pictorial Analogy
Extreme Consequence
Extreme Situations
Competition
Interactive Experiments
Dimensionality Alteration

So how about challenging your routines and dive into a new template that unsticks you from comfort zones? By so doing you'll deeply engage your working memory and find those creative surprises that currently elude you.

Tap Into Your Naturalistic Intelligence

Have you ever been stuck for new ideas as you sit at your desk? The familiarity of your office or cubicle might stifle creative thinking. How so? The basal ganglia, the part of the brain that stores routines and patterns based on daily activities, is not the only well-spring of creativity.

Even though your imagination can take flight as you sit at that desk, unfortunately familiarity can slow you down. What can you do then when you're at your desk and no new ideas come your way? Here's a suggestion - tap into your naturalistic intelligence...

Get outside... even during your lunch hour. The natural world can help spark new insights. Here're a few ways it can benefit you...

1. Fresh air... provides more oxygen to the brain so it functions well. The brain uses 21% of the body's oxygen.

2. Animals, birds, plants and scenery may stir new ideas about projects. The natural world can stimulate you to think differently. These might take the form of metaphors to represent ideas in a new way.

3. Working memory kicks in to "play with" new thoughts and ideas that take life in your mind. The working memory is that part of the brain that works hard to solve challenges and puzzles.

4. The mind relaxes in an environment with less stress. Stress actually shuts down the brain's capacity to reason and problem-solve. Just going outside can bring a shot of Serotonin, a chemical which brings calm and well being to the brain.

5. Movement... stimulates blood flow to the brain, which enhances the oxygen supply.

Next time you feel stale, bored or stuck for ideas while you're sitting at your desk, I suggest you move outside...Maybe your lunch hour is just the time for this. Ready to give it a whirl? Please come back and share what it does for you...

Step Past Control and Status Quo

Why is it that most people stick with the status quo? What are the results when someone at your workplace wants to try something edgy? You’d enjoy a cartoon at Scientific Integrity. Do you see your workplace here?

Seth Godin provokes our thinking about status quo in 50:1, a current snapshot of employees as they fit in to a workplace. Just think about it. Seth says that only a tiny number of people get fired for attempting to do something great. Interestingly, Seth contends that Carly got fired for challenging the status quo…Thousands of employees embraced comfort zones and got laid off.

Though Seth’s mailbox is full, he says that only about once a day does he get mail from a person worrying that she is too edgy, too willing to cause change and growth…or risk getting fired. He concludes, “I almost never get mail from people who figure if they keep doing the same boring thing day in and day out at their fading company that they’re going to lose their jobs in a layoff.”

Ellen Weber counters mediocrity as she considers results when organizations reward high-performance minds. Weber wonders why leaders say they hire for talent, and yet some facilitate and reward mediocrity. Does mediocrity result when folks are treated as if they have no contributions to make, or their ideas do not count, or expectations are part of a conservative status quo? How do mediocrity and status quo develop?

In some cases, a control culture leads to mediocrity and status quo. When you consider the feudal system or the advent of manufacturing in the industrial age, a few folks at the top made all the decisions and controlled every detail. Though today's workplaces are not that extreme, control cultures are still in place in many organizations… the Baron or boss’s way or the highway. Employees
suggestions are generally ignored. Why is that?

Two reasons…most frequently fear of the unfamiliar and a basal ganglia deeply embedded for hierarchy. Since your brain’s basal ganglia stores everyday routines, people know what is expected and easily fall into everyday patterns. Over time, routines are just plain comfortable…

When change comes, and you engage new tasks, you dip into working memory, that part of your brain which holds only a small amount of information… and the new easily spills out. For example, how well do you remember all the details when first using new software? To use working memory requires deep focus, problem solving and doing tasks in new ways. The more you do it, the easier it gets because you are rewiring your brain for the new. At times “living change” may seem burdensome and frustrating. It's so easy to push your feet into comfortable slippers rather than break in new shoes! Good news is breaking old routines helps you dance past the status quo.

Consider five MITA steps as a way to revitalize your organization in roundtables where all voices are heard.

QUESTION: All are free to ask hard questions…Questions to which the asker is connected.

TARGET: Employees consider possibilities and target improvements that bust barriers

EXPECT: Negotiate expectations together

MOVE: Move innovation using employees' gifts and talents

REFLECT: reflect to adjust and change.

Folks work together over time to renew. As a result, an organization builds a system for on-going change through collaboration, life-long learning and problem solving processes. Innovative processes replace former routines in employees' basal ganglia.

What is driving your workplace today – status quo or invention? What possibilities do you see?