What Do You Do with Criticism?

During a state conference, when I began working with Ellen Weber, someone asked a question that I perceived totally "put down" brain research. Ever experience that?

My defense quickly emerged. I explained findings that defended why Mita brainpowered strategies work. Since this was my first time to receive critique during a presentation, I did not realize the more I defended, the more my critic chimed up to prove the opposite.

Though one woman in an audience of fifty people, she was able to divert the attention of all, as we were ten minutes into the program. But once launching this defense, Ellen soon diverted everyone's attention by asking a question that roused curiosity. We were back on track.  As a result I began to reflect and change my approaches to critique.

This was an early and necessary lesson as I began the Mita work to facilitate change of long established methodologies by innovating effective solutions with the brain in mind. If you are an innovator, you soon learn how to deal with making mistakes related to critique.

"We don't want people to tell us something negative," Karen Wright declares, "unless we ask for it and are ready to hear it. And defensiveness is a natural first response. If you're on the receiving end, take a deep breath." Our strong reactions to negative feedback connect tightly to the way our brains work.

Interestingly, the human brain processes positive and negative data in different circuits. And, negative tracks are hypersensitive compared to positive ones, according to John Cacioppo, neuroscientist at University of Chicago. And, bullying happens, but in today's world where it may threaten your standing, "it is far easier to use feedback," Scott Young at Lifehacker advises, "instead of automatically assuming it is a personal attack." No wonder my initial reaction was to defend, since I sacrificed to help Ellen get Mita Leadership launched well. In my mind, the woman's words were a "put-down" to all I stood for.

Learning to orchestrate well!

The trick is to learn strategies to effectively deal with initial critique:

1. Separate yourself from emotions "Whether you are with someone you love, hate, know little or just met," Bala says, "in the first moments when you realize that you are being criticized you will react the same. Your heart beats faster, skin temperature goes down and you even lose peripheral vision. Because you feel under attack, your first instincts are to focus on that feeling, making it more intense. You will then feel like withdrawing or retaliating. Just remember that both instinctual responses are akin to saying, I don't like your comments therefore I will give you more power. Attempt to do neither as both fight or flight responses leave you with fewer options, not more."
   Imagine a triangle of three contenders, the critiquer, yourself and the topic of criticism. In your mind's eye see both yourself and the critiquer staring at the criticism to solve together, rather than using sharp points to take each other out.
2. Thank the person for the comment This can be disarming.  It takes away the need for one person "to be right."  It gives you the presence of mind to move ahead.
3. Ask a two-footed question that leads to exploration of other possibilities.  You might start in this way... "What ideas have you used in past to overcome...?"  "What has worked for colleagues who faced the issue of...?"  
4. Take it as advice and learn from it.  Though it may have seemed negative initially, what can you learn that might assist in improvements?
5. Ignore it.  Take space to consider it later.  
6. Offer to answer later  Often, a criticizer will have more important things to do later and will not take the time.  If genuine and she wants to help, then ask questions that bring more understanding.  If meant to diminish, the critiquer lost an audience and will merely leave.
7. Let go of it If you linger on negatives, you give your brain a message that you don't have what it takes to accomplish your goals.  The more you let that notion fester, the worse it becomes in your mind.  Instead, let it go as soon as possible and concentrate on new strategies to overcome future darts that may come your way.

These strategies work.  One of the brilliant things about Ellen Weber is that she welcomed me as a collaborator not long after I started working with her, though I saw myself as unready.  That meant she was willing to let me make mistakes and grow into that "crown" she saw for me. There's no easy way around it - mistakes teach us more than our successes.

Truth is that I dwelt on my failure at that early conference for several days following. Though Ellen recaptured everyone's focus and made the most of time remaining, I felt horrible.  I grew new skills to learn from mistakes and change as a result of the incident. 

How are you equipped to handle criticism like a maestro and use it to your advantage?

Does your game plan include surprise?

Isn’t that the beauty of real creativity, that you wake up every morning not knowing what you’re going to discover? Mark McGuinness of Lateral Action

Coach adds surprise to game plan  Are you open to surprise? Surprise comes when we least expect it... and maybe we miss it at times because it looks too simple... The New Orleans Saints were behind as they started the second half of the Superbowl. They came in with a very simple play, an onside kick, but the Indianapolis Colts did not expect it just then. It gave the Colts the momentum to win. Goes to show what surprise can do for a well-oiled team or even individuals.  I thank Brad Shorr for the "aha."

A novel suggestion:  "You ought to create a room for yourself now that your children have left," a friend suggested.  My hubby had an office in our home for years, but not once did I entertain that possibility.  Her words came as total surprise.

"Yes, what a superb idea," I replied almost simultaneously as inspiration welled within me.

"I'll tag along as you pick out colors and decide on furniture and accessories," she offered.  "Then I'll help with painting, and tasks to pull it off."

We lunged into the work - selecting a carpet and new slipcovers, sewing a Roman curtain, painting walls, choosing just the right prints and furniture... When completed, the splendid atmosphere encouraged me to create in many ways.  Eventually I wrote my doctoral dissertation here, and I continue to design projects and write here.

Because I followed through with my friend's surprising suggestion, it led to unexpected results, such as going back to university after earning a masters three decades ago.  Are you a person who lives for surprise and do you know others who do? 

Are you curious as to why some people dive in when a surprise comes, while others linger and then let it go?  Here's the bigger picture...

Novelty The challenge of something different stirs the human brain. Novelty's a motivator for most folks. An unexpected stimulus sparks desire for humans to explore and learn. Since our brains are wired to avoid boredom and ruts, when a stimulus activates the brain, most people explore further in search of some kind of reward at the end.   Often release of dopamine which brings a high level of satisfaction, and is reward in itself.

People who welcome new experiences have stronger connections between their memory and reward brain centers than people who tend to avoid anything new, research now shows.

Pay it forward - Hank Wasiak cites an example of The Martin Agency's Asset Based Thinking (ABT). They took a daring extra step in the midst of recession when they had to cut 5% of their staff. They actually "paid prospective employers to hire the people they had to lay off….one half of the first month’s salary up to $4,000. An offer with a potential price tag of $100,000. Not an insignificant commitment in tough times," Hank exclaims.

Paying it forward is an amazingly powerful action according to Hank since it...

1. Gives a person an edge up
2. Shows person is valued - a self esteem boost
3. Creates sustainable positive ripple effect
4. Shows other colleagues that firm treats employees well - more motivated employees
5. Establishes an incentive and opportunity to hire where there might have been none

Ever consider creating opportunity by paying it forward?

"What talent would grow from your corner of the world if you simply acted today on what you do best," Ellen Weber asks, "in spite of the strikes against you?"  To turn this around when crisis hits Ellen challenges us to...

Turn what you do well into meaningful work  To get started Ellen suggests that we reflect then leap. Ponder this, "if a new career path could happen for you, what would you do differently today to rev the engines?"

By now you may ask, can people find surprises in work that is mired in rules?  Possibly... And, Mark McGuinness explored this with intriguing findings...

Spontaniety comes from following the rules Amazing patterns emerge when simple rules are established. Mark McGuinness summarizes this phenomenon to flesh it out a little more. "...Creators are more like gardeners than architects, planting and watering the seeds to help them grow, but with no control over the emerging forms."

Why not "play it simple," and see what results. What about...

using one new tactic throughout the day?   I spoke a lot of negatives in a day, without even realizing it.  When I concentrated on speaking and reacting in a more positive way, I was able to break a very detrimental pattern. Focusing on the good changed me and ways I react to others.

switching your daily preferences?  I used to watch TV and now I'd rather read or write which requires more brainpower.

stretching beyond what you think you can do?  Often I'd stop short of stepping past comfort zones. I would cringe at the notion of carrying on a conversation with leaders. Ellen Weber challenged me to do it by asking 2-footed questions. Conversations centered on the leader this way because I let my curiosity guide me.  Questions focused on the other person and their interests.  Since people love to talk about themselves, using 2-footed questions helped me get beyond a nervousness I'd had. The tactic was simple, but it changed everything.

What's one simple action you'd add to the above list that would be sure-fire surprise for others?

Photo Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogimogi/ / CC BY 2.0

Act on Empathy

If we see a friend going though tough experiences, most of us step up to help in some way. We act with empathy, since we're prompted to do more than if we merely feel sorry. It's helping with the intention of enhancing that friend's well-being.

Empathy leads to altruism. "Altruism is a choice and something that we can actively cultivate when we observe others in need," according to psychologist, Lidewij Niezink.

Ten years after Columbine, educator David Levine is giving workshops to help students practice empathy as a way to overcome violence in schools. Levine says,

Empathy is a bundle of social skills. It really is starting out with the natural inclination that children have to reach out when someone's having some struggles and then as they get older, teaching them ways to use that natural feeling, to not just feel what someone else is feeling, but do some things to help them.

Acting on empathy can turn lives around...

Change didn't come easy for Quentin Marcus Moore. He wrestled and fought it for years.

"I'd start thinking, like, I wanted a better life, because I had just had my first child," he says. "So I wanted a better life for him, instead of me just going through life gang-banging, shooting people. But it was, like, going through a dark smoke: OK, I'm leaving the gang, but I'm going through cliques and crews in order to get to a place where I can work and be able to have a job and see how it was in the working world.Empathy can turn lives around...

Quentin's path eventually took him to Homeboy Industries, where he works as a case manager. And now as a case manager he describes himself as a "light through the darkness to find out what people's needs are - transportation, education, spiritual guidance - and then we place them in programs or at agencies where those needs can be met." A lot of the change that took place for Quentin came about because he now helps others and "every day he sees homies changing from being hardcore bangers to more mature young adults."

Similarly, expelled from school at just 14, Marvin Osemwegie spent his days wandering the streets of Peckham, South London, getting in with the wrong crowd. An organization, From Boyhood to Manhood, made a difference in Marvin's life. He explains it...

"It helped me with my self development, with my temper, and I learned how to control myself.

It meant I was able to go out there and have an effect like I was supposed to, rather than going out there and being a nuisance wherever I went."

After two years in the programme, Mr Osemwegie went to college, where he gained five GCSE's and then three A-Levels. He plans to help other youth turn themselves around in the same way. Mr Osemwegie is one of a group of former FBTM students now forming their own business, Streets 2 Success, which will mentor young boys in the area and help them fulfill their ambitions in life.

Interestingly, there may be a basis in neurobiology for wisdom's most universal traits, which researchers, Jeste and Meeks found to include such "attributes as empathy, compassion or altruism, emotional stability, self-understanding, and pro-social attitudes, including a tolerance for others' values."

Empathy activates the brain's pre-frontal cortex, when a person ponders a situation calling for altruism. And, moral decision-making is a combination of rational (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which plays a role in sustaining attention and working memory), along with emotional/social (medial pre-frontal cortex. Since the human brain has great plasticity, we can grow more new neuron dendrite connections each time you or I act on empathy. Just think we grow more wise as we do!

What fruits of empathy in action left an impression on you?

Thinking Differently about Giving Advice

Ever consider what's behind giving advice? At times, an opinion about a good way to bring a great solution to a problem, slips out of my mouth... especially with people I care about. Do you ever face that dilemma? While I might mean well, if I concentrate on what this "help" does to family, friends, business associates, and folks in learning circles, I sense I'll bite my tongue faster. Here's why...

Advice often has hidden metamessages!

Metamessages are not only about words, but include relationships. So when I give that opinion or good idea, I may not recognize what lies underneath. Though I might think that I'm caring and helping, folks on the other end might feel criticism... I need to think differently!

Here's how advice might be interpreted by folks at work and home...

1. I already know that...

2. What do you take me for... someone who doesn't know anything?...

3. I'm hurting and all you can do is tell me what I should do...

4. Don't lord it over me...

5. You're trying to smother me...

Even if a colleague or close relative asks for advice, they might have mixed feelings in receiving it. Keep this in mind... What people might truly want is a word from you that what they are doing is on the right track. Perhaps they only want you to listen in a caring way while they sort out a problem, but don't want you to jump in.

Folks want independence rather than dependence so I'll bite my tongue and open my ears more....

Gregory Allen Butler at Holistic Personal Development challenged me to participate in the Think Different Challenge. To do this I needed to find something in my life that results in negatives and decide to look at it differently. I figure if I can avoid providing solutions for folks close to me, I'll be on a much better path.


I challenge the following bloggers to take up this tag:

Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet
JD Walton at Black in Business
Donna Karlin at Perspectives
Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success
Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness
C.B Whittemore at Flooring the Consumer
Galba Bright of Tune Up Your EQ
Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life
David Airey at David Airey:Graphic Designer
Cody McKibben at Thrilling Heroics
Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry

The Rules

1. Write a new blog post in which you “think different”. Follow my suggestions above, or be a bit different and interpret the challenge the way you want.
2. State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).
3. Include a link and/ or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.
4. At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.
5. That’s it! Just sit back and enjoy reading peoples’ responses to the challenge.

Looking forward to what you develop!

Laugh - Bust Your Stressors!

Why is it when you laugh, your mood changes as it does for others with you? Interestingly, upbeat sounds such as laughter or a celebratory "woo hoo!" spark a response in a listener's brain. This reaction occurs in the same area of the brain that activates when we smile... almost as if prepping our facial muscles to follow through with laughter.

Belly laughs "can dilute the bad from news and help you cope," Ellen Weber finds, "because they lower stress and open your brain to new possibilities. Laughter can also be a great connector because it brings people together who are attracted to the lighter side of life….

What are we waiting for, let's enjoy a good laugh together!

News Story That'll Make Tears Come while You Laugh State Legislator Shows Naked Woman during School Lecture on how a bill becomes a law! This one's too good to miss.

Unbelievable Research Reaps Nobel Prize Quirky, funny scientific achievement!

Funniest Moments in Sports. This blog has absolutely captured moments that defy most photographers. You'll split your sides laughing as you view the rest of these winners!

Blogs to Make You Smile: Brad Shorr lists recent posts that brought forth a few guffaws. And,Ellen Weber's Dinner Blew Up but Not the Deal will really make your sides shake!

New Books to Tickle Your Funny Bone Wendall Jamieson tackles children's questions such as, "Can I Cook My Sister," with a unique twist...

Do you have humor we'd enjoy the kind that doesn't need to be censored? Send a link to your post and I'll post the real belly laughs in a follow-up. Be sure to put your link in my comments by October 16, and I'll share the fun soon after.

Messenger Post Newspapers Leave Comfort Zones in the Dust

News media's changing, so can local papers stay stuck in comfort zones? The answer's a resounding NO! And, newspaper veteran, Carl Helbig, models ways to move forward with positive change...

Carl Helbig, Publisher of Messenger Post Newspapers, leaves comfort zones in the dust as he develops exciting locally oriented newspapers, with a team of young reporters.

In a Rotary talk I attended this morning Carl said, "With national news updated frequently on the Internet, it's just not worthwhile to include it anymore since it's impossible for printing presses to keep up." And, with younger readers oriented to consume news differently, a paper likely faces bankruptcy to stay in that comfort zone.

One of Carl's forte's is to tap the deep recesses of his brain as he asks two-footed questions such as, "What do younger readers want, and how can this paper make adjustments?" And, "If younger reporters depart from traditional narrative style, the 5 W's - Who, What, When, Where, Why, How - how can I be sure they'll bring integrity to the news?" When Carl begins here, open to learn and move forward in visionary ways, he'll not be stuck in comfort zones as many other papers are.

So, what's different about the Messenger Post Newspapers and why are they prospering in the midst of a dying institution? Here's how Carl's moving Messenger Post forward as a leader in this field:

1. Local News Focus People want to know what's going on it town, in their neighborhood and how critical local issues affect them. A local paper has the ability to deliver these goods!

2. More International News Some events in today's global community are neglected by nationally focused newspapers.

3. 30 Minute Video Clips When gathering information for a story, reporters shoot 30 minute video clips that are also broadcast on Channel 10 news and also on the Messenger Post Web Site. Most reporters tap into video clips as a way to share news.

4. Web Site Small chunks of news, video clips and photo stories available for free on the Messenger Post Web Site

5. Balance Younger writers tend to include both opinion and facts in stories. Including young reporters brings balance to the whole staff.

6. Young Reporters Fresh focus on events that hook and draw in youthful readers.

7. Reverse Publishing Ability to update stories with photos, facts, or videos on the web site.

How does news look in a typical issue in a paper with this focus? Here's today's features to give you an idea... Pittsford soldier still recovering in Maryland is today's lead story, written by Bryan Roth. On the other side's Blogging: The fifth estate? Brian shows how Web sites take Congressman Randy Kuhl's pistol-packing comment regarding protesters and run with it. And, Hillary Smith's feature on locally grown celebrity Lou Gramm, A 'Foreigner' no more, Gramm loves the hometown crowd. These stories pulled me right in because they deal with folks who touch my life. That's the difference.

A two-footed question's different than ordinary questions since the answer leads to tangible evidence.

Fellow blogger, Bob Hruzek of Middle Zone Musings, challenged me to show why we need to move out of comfort zones. My answer's to begin with two-footed questions that challenge your brain and move you forward in exciting new ways. Carl Helbig leads the way with inspiration... What about you?

*** Photo from Messenger Post Newspapers.

Goals as a Blogger

Jim Walton tagged me to share goals I've set to gain success as a blogger. Since I was with family over Easter his challenge simmered on the backburner of my mind. Simmering helped enhance flavors in the pot. Here's the acrostic that resulted...

B uild Community - I hope to find about 50 new blogs with creative and challenging content. To build community I will link to these newbies to show that I value not only their content, but also the presentation. Ellen Weber, Liz Strauss, Mike Wagner, Chris Cree Anna Farmery and Mike Sansone did that for me so my goal is to do that for others, too. The image at the left depicts community as foundational to success in blogging.

L ink to folks, who take time to comment, in a biweekly post. These links show appreciation for others who add to ideas and research!

O pen to ideas and additional research. I want to learn new skills and approaches to increase my acumen as a writer, community builder, researcher and techie.

G row as a techie. I admit this is not my strength, but the good news is that by practice I can grow more dendrite brain cells as I stretch to learn "How to..." For instance, I want to improve by including Videos and Podcasts.

G ain in ranking. My Google ranking is currently "4." And that shows an increase from the beginning of 2007. Thanks to Mack Collier who started the Z-list meme and others who value what I share and provided links to my blog. To raise my rating also means that I must continue to provide good quality content. A great benchmark to work toward is a "6" by next January. Think I can do it?

E nergize readers and myself through thoughtful content and questions. To do that requires staying current with discoveries about the brain and new ideas presented in the arts. I want readers to leave with practical takeaways that make a difference at work.

R evitalize blogroll. I will begin a subscription to create a more meaningful Blogroll so I can recognize more community members. The current one limits my capability to organize by categories and really expand recognition of others. So I'll update. Quite frankly, Jim, you caught me standing still in this area.

Reflection helped me sort through priorites and examine gaps closely. Now I have clear targets to shoot for!

If it's just about me, Jim, this blog would not amount to too much. It is more about good content, and continually learning how to present it in a way that invites readers to share their wisdom, too. And, most of all, to value their wisdom! I'm humbled that you consider me successful. I write to inspire others to tap the rich resources of their brains! And to help them get more of their multiple intelligences up and running in new frameworks.

In addition to me, Jim tagged Old Dude, and Theo Johnston. I will tag SalondeMaria, Marc Rapp at Uniquely the Epitome, Keystrokes Lisa Gates at Scaffolding for Writers and Steli Efti at SuperCool School.

Why Do It Today?

At times, I have problems buckling down to start work on major projects. The immediate begs for attention and I let go of the bigger picture. Do you experience this, too? Procrastination is a problem that plagues many... Unfortunately there's consequences to pay, just as in the fable, "The Grasshopper and the Ant." Here's a closer look..

Hall of Procrastinators
Just look at this lineup! Note any patterns?

Perfectionists Sense that if a task can't be done perfectly, there's no great incentive to even start.

Peter Pans (Never grow up) Syndrome Seek to maintain a childlike world without responsibilities or unpleasant tasks. You're only young once, but you can remain immature indefinitely.

Adrenaline Addicts Like the rush of meeting last minute deadlines. They're thrilled by putting their all into a project that must be completed by midnight!

Bit Players fear success since they will be in the limelight and will be called on to accomplish and beat past records. Thus, success should be avoided.

Baby Boomers expect much. The Boomers had much given to them and many were raised without personal obligation. They sense they're owed.

Buck Passers hope someone else will do it. And if someone else does not take charge, maybe it doesn't need doing after all. Many of these folks let outside circumstances dictate their lives. They're not at the helm of life.

People Pleasers can't say "no." Pleasers have an overbooked calendar and they just can't do all they've committed themselves to do.

Cowardly Lions fear criticism, embarrassment and disapproval. Their nonassertive behaviors perpetuate procrastination through lack of confidence and activity.

No American Idols pull back so they don't damage self worth. Many people see self-worth in the ability to perform well. Procrastination provides an out - so they don't have to perform.

Try this...Keep track of how you spend time...how much you daydream, talk on the phone or converse with others at work during a day. Results reveal where minutes fly away.

How do proscrastinators bust barriers that halt them? Procrastinators've programmed their brain over a lifetime to let tasks go 'till near deadline. Changing a lifetime habit isn't easy but it can be done...Consider recent research about the brain...

Our brain has amazing plasticity. And just by practicing different approaches, people form new routines. How? Each time folks use one of the strategies listed below, for instance, they rewire their brain differently. And potential's here to become the person you really want to be...

Plan Backwards and set starting times Use a planner and jot down times and tasks for each day as you take on bite-size pieces.

Check off Daily Tasks When Complete There's satisfaction to cross off tasks accomplished.

Select Work Space with Ambiance and No Distraction Create an environment to work alone...where others can't bug you. Maybe that means turning off the phone and deactivating computer games and email. Fix surroundings so they are pleasant and tidy.

Use a Time Clock Try to work really hard for 20-30 minutes at first. That's not too long and you will be surprised at what you accomplish when you put your all into the project for that short space daily. Sandy Renshaw recommends working with a time clock.

Reward Yourself at Increments When you reach "milestones along the way," buy that sports jersey, game ticket, new shoes or spa treatment as a reward.

Discuss Specifics with Others Share progress with others and capture new insights and perspectives.

Let Mistakes Go So you miss a day. Don't beat up on yourself. Let it go and forge ahead as if it didn't happen.

Just Do It As NIKE and athletes proclaim! Begin. And like the Little Engine that Could, give your brain new self-talk, I think I can, I think I can...and before you know it, you will complete it - on time.

At times, I battle procrastination. And writing this post was great review to put myself on the right path. I'm about 85% there. You?

Does Monkey See, Monkey Do, Describe You? New Research

At your workplace - monkey see - monkey do? Well...it depends. Researchers recently learned that we resonate more with actions we can already perform. Here're very intriguiging findings that show why and what that means...

Daniel Glaser, at University College, London, studies brain cells called mirror neurons. These cells're active when people jump, twist and turn, give a high five, or simply move their bodies. But the exciting part is that Daniel Glaser and other researchers have discovered mirror neurons activate when we simply observe someone else make those moves. Glaser concludes that watching or doing for these brain cells works precisely in the same way.

And interestingly, to learn more about this phenomenon, Glaser used the Royal Ballet and experts in capoeira, a Brazilian martial art in his quest to know how human experience shapes the way our brains see the world.

"I chose dance because in dance you've got this vocabulary of movement, these standard moves that all dancers can do," Glaser explains. "Also you've got a system of professional regulation—you get to be a professional dancer. So we didn't have to worry about measuring people's skills. We had this whole population of experts that we could just tap right into."

Glaser and his team found results fascinating...

The team zeroed in on results in different areas of the brain. Broadly ... the visual brain, which does the seeing and the movement control brain, or the premotor cortex.

When research participants were lying in the scanner, watching movement, the team hypothesized the visual brain would see differently. However, they were surprised! It was the movement brain that determined whether the style observed was a move that they could perform or not.

Here's Dr. Glaser's take on the findings...

There's a form of resonance if you like, that your own motor control cortex, the bit that would control your own movements, is more excited, it turns out, when you see other people doing moves that you can do. And that's probably because it's resonating with those movements better. It can interpret them in its own terms in a way that it can't when it's seeing a movement style which it doesn't know how to perform.

How might people benefit from this research?

Some people who find it very difficult to read the emotions of others. Among these are people with autistic spectrum disorders. For people who have difficulty reading emotions, one hypothesis, which has not yet been tested, but one possibility is that they have a problem understanding the movements of others, and this may contribute to or have caused their difficulty in reading the emotions of others.

Glaser is excited that there are some disorders which other researchers could help. "Possibilities include disability or spinal injury, right the way through to disorders of emotional cognition," he says, especially "autism—inability to read the states of others."

Here's how Glaser frames his findings overall...

But what we're discovering more and more, and in truth the Greeks and the Renaissance scholars also had an understanding of this, is that vision is an active process. Seeing is a process of projecting what you expect out into the world and constantly matching your experience, your prejudice, your expectation with what's out there. For me the mirror neurons are a particular system which embodies this principle...

So, what does all this have to do with your work? Glaser's research shows in part why it's hard to change the status quo. People naturally fall into comfort zones since they resonate with familiar activities they can do. To learn new movements or skills requires the brain's working memory.

Mirror neuron research can inform professional development or training in many work settings. Though dancers resonate much more watching movements they can do, they also work hard to learn new steps and moves.

In similar ways, critical changes at work tax peoples' working memory. New skills take focus, high energy, time and practice. Thoughts?

More on mirror neurons and Daniel Glaser's work.

Reinvention at Tradition's Door

Perspectives can jar us from complacency. I took this photo in an Irish castle to capture juxtaposition of a beautiful wall statue, set in stone, with vibrancy of new style and fashion. Do your management teams stick solely to tradition or do they make room for vibrant change as well?

Lisa Haneberg at Management Craft considers why some things change...and others are like beautiful stone statues...

Context - the conditions under which you manage and lead - is always changing. This keeps things interesting, no? And stressful, and overwhelming at times. But the gold standards of management and leadership are the gold standards.

Our active brains seek rejuvenation and reinvention in our changing and not changing worlds.

To capture the essence of Lisa Haneberg's insights be sure to read her article, Things Change, Things Stay the Same.

How are meaningful changes refining gold in your management teams?

Ever Ask -- So What?

A powerful way to tune-up a project, business, or career is to ask -- So what?

This question jolts because your gut answer's often opposite to what you might expect.

But, best part is, So What? can lead to significant change. You can go somewhere if you...

Reflect -- See what's wrong. Keep asking questions and sleep on them if the answer's not there with immediacy.

Adjust -- Figure out how to drill out the rust. If a solution's not clear, ask around -- do some research.

Change -- Do it. Once you see what to do, set up a plan and start on it today.

Actually, I learned the beauty of using So What? the hard way. Earlier in my career I worked in PR. When I finished a piece I thought was great, my boss asked, So What?. It pushed me get to the heart of the matter - pronto! And the redo was entirely different.

A simple question like "So What" can make us exclaim Ouch! at first. But I've discovered it brings results.

Try asking So What? and see what happens... Be sure to tell us about it...

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?

Spark Your Spatial Brain for Viral Change!

We all develop favorite routines! Have you selected a place for pens, paperclips and stapler in or on your desk? Interestingly, Harvard researchers have located a place in your brain that attaches meaning to the way we choose to organize pens, paperclips and stapler. But what happens when you move these old standbys to a new location? What difference does it make if you change?

“Learning new categories,” Harvard neurobiologist, Freedman, says, "can cause dramatic and long-lasting changes in brain activity." Harvard Medical School researchers recently identified an area of the brain where such memories are found. They learned neuron activity in the parietal cortex encodes category and meaning of familiar visual images. Brain activity patterns actually changed dramatically as a result of learning something new. Here’s how…

You and I were not born with a built-in ability to sort out categories such as, computer, legal pad or business card. We attach meaning to objects through our visual experience. We make sense of these by categorizing sights and sounds around us. For example, if someone shows you a new gadget such as a French Press, and both explains and demonstrates how to use it, your brain categorizes memory of the process as it links to the object.

In launching this research, Freedman and Assad taught monkeys to play a simple computer game in which the monkeys grouped sets of visual motion patterns into one of two categories. They monitored neuron activity in the parietal cortex and the middle temporal area, while monkeys played this game. Interestingly, the experiments show parietal neuron activity mirrored monkeys' decisions about categorizing the two visual patterns. On the other hand, differences in the visual appearance among the set of motion patterns affected neurons in the middle temporal area, but category membership was not encoded here.

Over several weeks, researchers retrained the monkeys to group the same visual patterns into two new categories. Parietal cortex activity was completely reorganized as a result of this retraining and visual patterns were encoded the according to newly introduced categories. Thus, changing a routine activates your working memory.

So what? What difference does this make to a business leader? By activating our visual or spatial intelligence in new ways we rewire our brain. In so doing we bring fresh perspectives to work “traditions” and can create viral success.

Why not try mind mapping to spark change? Rather than use computerized versions, I suggest you dig into the resources of your noodle. Here’s one way to launch…

1. Imagine something in nature that represents jumpstarting a “stuck” tradition.

2. Draw the image in the middle of a paper

3. Jot down single words quickly that describe what you’d rather see happening. As words come to your mind surround your image with them [By doing this quickly you’ll be surprised what your subconscious or “gut” delivers!]

4. Reflect to edit and change words so they give you a sense of “Where to from here?” [If necessary transfer to fresh paper.]

5. Connect words to your image with lines

6. Enhance by

highlighting priorities and important points with specific colors
adding pictures or graphics to words
assigning codes such as asterisks, exclamation points, letters, and numbers to show relationship between concepts and further organize your map

In Thinking for a Change, business leader, Michael Gelb, lists six advantages for Mind Mapping:

Synergy Mind Mapping integrates the "left-brained" aspects of our mind's functioning-logical, language, mathematical reasoning, attention to detail, ordering, and analysis-with the more "right-brained" elements dimension, rhythm, color, picture, symbols, imagination, and synthesis. Mind Mapping "rescues" these "right brain" elements, previously relegated to the realm of doodling and daydreaming, making them a productive part of our planning and problem-solving.

Speed Mind Mapping's non-hierarchical, networked format makes it much easier to get started and to generate more ideas in less time.

Seeing the big picture Mind Mapping lets you see all your ideas on one sheet of paper, making it easier to see the "big picture." Codes, symbols, colors and arrows allow you to highlight relationships and see connections, thereby encouraging "systems thinking." Putting your ideas in images and symbols awakens the power of visualization.

Fun Mind Mapping makes the process of crafting a vision, mission, plan or values statement lively, colorful, and fun.

Broad participation and ease of communication Mind Mapping makes it easy for people without MBAs and PhDs to think strategically, while enabling MBAs and PhDs to attune to reality and think creatively.

Memorability Pictures, colors, and key words are easy to remember. A properly constructed Mind Map is almost impossible to forget. Many groups frame the Mind Maps generated in collaborative sessions and hang them on their office walls to provide daily inspiration.

OK, if you’ve never used spatial intelligence to spark change, why not give it a try! Let me know your viral results.