Zoom-Out

Tag: social

  • “Behaviour Equation” Zoom-Out

    “Behaviour Equation” Zoom-Out

    Seeing that bad behaviour does not equate to a bad person.

    We often equate a person’s behaviour completely to the person they happen to be.

    Bad behaviour = bad person.

    This is an easy way to see and think. A simple equation. But we’ve known for a long time that this is far too simplistic. Yet, it’s still such a common way of seeing others and reacting to them.

    Kurt Lewin, the father of Social Psychology, is famous among many things for this behaviour equation, which states:

    B = f(P, E)

    Where:
    B = behaviour
    P = person
    E = environment (sometimes quoted as S = situation)

    Verbosely:

    Behaviour = a function of (a Person, and their Environment)

    That is to say, a person’s behaviour is a product of who they are and the situation (or environment) within which they find themselves.

    This is a Zoom-Out in its own right. We often Zoom-In on the person and translate bad attitude to ‘bad person’; or poor performance to ‘poor person’. Resulting in the reaction of wanting to get rid of the person in a work context for example. I’ve personally seen this so many times.

    The Zoom-Out highlighted by Lewin is that we need to look at the broader perspective of the situation/environment. In fact, Lewin insisted that there are multiple levels and broader arcs of time we need to examine, both being further degrees of Zoom-Out in many dimensions including time and space.

    However, I can’t resist prizing this equation apart a little more to give:

    B = f(P, E, PV)

    Where:
    B = behaviour
    P = person
    E = environment (sometimes quoted as S = situation)
    PV = perspective held regarding the environment or situation by the person

    Verbosely:

    Behaviour = a function of (a Person, their Environment, and their Perspective)

    Clearly, the person’s perspective has an impact on behaviour and this is implicit in the original P of Lewin’s equation but from a Zoom-Out stance, it’s helpful to separate out the perspective. Thus making explicit, that if the person and situation remain the same but the person’s perspective alone changes then the person’s behaviour is correspondingly going to change.

    >> IN ACTION <<

    So BEFORE attempting to change or replace a person for poor performance…

    … First, ask:

    Q. Can we change the situation or environment?

    … Secondly ask:

    Q. Can we change the person’s perspective in a way that helps them and those around them?

    Further Watching…

    Simon Sinek tells the story of a barista at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas — a wonderful hotel because of the behaviour of the people that work there… but there’s a ‘Kurt Lewin twist’ to this tale…

  • Zoom-Out on Teamwork

    Zoom-Out on Teamwork

    “Seeing and acting on what makes teamwork, work”

    Teamworkings Cards

    Teamwork is the bedrock of every organisation and of every team.

    If you are working in an organisation, you are most likely working with other people to achieve something or supporting other people to achieve something, or both.

    Teamworking exists in various contexts: single team; team of teams; across an organisation; within management; Senior Leadership Teams; Exec teams; coaching teams, etc.

    For over 25 years, I’ve been building and optimising teamwork as a leader, manager, coach, and —perhaps most importantly— as a team member.

    I’ve observed how we can become zoomed in on one aspect of team health or productivity and lose sight of the broader picture.

    We can lose sight of the human system as a whole.

    We may focus too much on one aspect of teamwork when, in reality, our attention would be better spent on something more relevant and impactful at that moment— such as the needs and interconnected dynamics of the people involved.

    We may end up:

    • “barking up the wrong tree”
    • “focusing on the wrong tree in the forest”
    • “overlooking the space between the trees”
    • “neglecting to cultivate the soil the trees are living in”

    For example:

    • Focusing on speed when there is a lack of trust.
    • Focusing on working smarter when there is a lack of diversity or inclusion.
    • Focusing on throughput when there is a lack of shared understanding.
    • Focusing on results when there is a lack of personal connection.
    • Focusing on deliverables when there is a lack of alignment.
    • Increasing the pressure to deliver when the support or resources needed are lacking.

    Teamworkings is a simple framework and set of cards that I developed to help myself and others to zoom-out on the teams I am working with to help see the bigger picture.

    To consider multiple factors, interconnections & root causes and the broader context.

    The term Teamworkings should be read as a contraction of “the workings of teamwork” or “what makes teamwork work”.

    Each Teamworkings card provides insights into a single aspect of what makes great teamwork work.

    Aspects are grouped into related dimensions.

    Collectively the cards (dimensions & aspects) help us view the bigger picture.

    The 25 aspects of teamwork are grouped into 8 dimensions, which can be understood as:

    Teamworkings Dimensions
    “Truly great teamwork is
    Strongly Bonded, Driven, Diverse & Inclusive, Smart & Innovative, Flexible, Optimally Structured, Craft-Mastering, and Greatly Supported.”

    Expanding each dimension to reveal its aspects, we have:

    Teamworkings Dimensions + Aspects
    Truly great teamwork is:

    Strongly Bonded through
    Trust, Respect, Accountability and Personal Connection

    Driven through
    Purpose and Autonomy

    Diverse & Inclusive through
    Diversity, Collaboration, Psychological Safety, Equal Voice

    Smart & Innovative through
    Collective Intelligence, Creativity and Slack

    Flexible through
    Constructive Challenging, Resilience and Adaptability

    Optimally Structured through
    Optimal Topology and Balanced Roles

    Craft-Mastering through
    Shared Understanding, being Skilled, a Learning Culture, and being Disciplined

    Greatly Supported through
    Supportive Leadership, Continuous Coaching, and a Tailored Environment

    With a splash of colour, dimensions on the left and aspects on the right, we have:

    Using the cards

    So how do we use the cards and the framework?

    Using the three C’s of Clarify, Check & Cultivate:

    Clarify > Check > Cultivate
    Clarify
    Use the cards to get super clear
    on what makes teamwork work

    Check
    Use the cards as “lenses” to check
    the various dimensions & aspects of teamwork
    to determine where our focus should be

    Cultivate
    Use the cards to help cultivate
    one or more aspects of teamwork
    where needed

    Return to step 1 or 2.
    Did teamwork improve?
    Repeat

    Let’s dive into the cards!

    Teamworkings Cards

  • 3 Powerful Reasons to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others — and why it matters!

    3 Powerful Reasons to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others — and why it matters!

    Every minute spent comparing yourself to someone else is a minute stolen from building your best life.

    I used to be in a long-haired grunge band. We all had long hair, but all the band members were built like stick insects, like some of our heroes, such as Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Pete Murphy and Nick Cave.

    All of them except me!

    I was built like a rugby player, which was actually what I was.

    I was envious of my fellow bandmates and felt less attractive and inferior to them as a result. Years later, it was pointed out to me that some people would love to have my physique!

    I realised how foolish I had been.

    After one of my Zoom-Out workshops, I spoke with a lady who said she had always been envious of her cousin’s long blonde hair and blue eyes. She told me how she was hanging out with her cousin years later and revealed this fact to her, to which she responded, “You were envious of me? I’ve always been envious of you! With your thick curly hair and big brown eyes!”.

    Two people locked in a “comparison duel” for years only to have its futility and hilarity brought into vivid, sharp focus.

    These two examples have highlighted that comparing yourself to others is wasteful and foolish. But there are three much more powerful reasons for quitting the comparison game.

    #1 Comparison diminishes you

    If I compared my bicycle to someone else’s garden shed, I may end up thinking:

    • They can store loads of stuff in there; my bike can only store a bottle’s worth of water and a puncture repair kit — my bike is rubbish!

    See what I did there? I reduced my bike to a storage device.

    Utterly zooming in on that trait and assessing the worth of my bike in that context.

    Now you may be thinking that’s not a reasonable comparison. I would compare my bike to someone else’s bike?

    Well, when it comes to human lives, they are incredibly diverse. Every human life is different, not just a little bit, but a lot!

    Is it reasonable to compare one person to another? Just consider someone you may have been comparing yourself to and consider how different you are. Is it any less rational than comparing a bike to a garden shed?

    Are you reducing yourself to a single aspect of them?

    DO THIS INSTEAD: Be curious and be inspired by others — not diminished by them.

    #2 Comparison is a rejection of you

    In the thought experiment of comparing my bike to a garden shed, the outcome can be worse than concluding that my bike is rubbish!

    Worse still, it may end up in rejection:

    • My bike is terrible; I need to get rid of it.

    So, you reject yourself through that comparative lens whenever you compare yourself unfavourably.

    No one else is rejecting you. Only you!

    Don’t do it!

    DO THIS INSTEAD: Love yourself unconditionally as you would a best friend or one of your children.

    #3 Comparison can make you miserable

    Ever noticed how we lean towards comparing ourselves with people we perceive as more fortunate than us rather than those less fortunate?

    This can trigger negative emotions of envy and even self-pity.

    “Comparison is the thief of joy” — Theodore Roosevelt

    DO THIS INSTEAD: Focus on gratitude! If you get drawn into comparing yourself to someone more fortunate, balance the equation by comparing yourself with the myriad of less fortunate people.

    BETTER STILL: Break the habit of comparing yourself to others completely and focus on gratitude instead. Gratitude for all you are and all you have, right here and now. No conditions.

    SUMMARY

    Embrace your own uniqueness!

    Don’t judge yourself through the lens of other people!

    Don’t judge yourself by where other people are on their unique road of life.

    Forge your own unique path, and don’t let what other people are doing or have ever get in the way of that!

    Love yourself and be grateful for what you have and who you are!

    “Hike your own hike” — motto of hikers of the Appalachian trail

  • “Wasp Sting” Zoom-Out

    “Wasp Sting” Zoom-Out

    Seeing how an insect sting can put everyday stress and suffering into perspective.

    Here in the UK summer (ed: summer 2015) is in the air and the buzz of wasps is often heard. In life, metaphorical “wasps” are more perennial however.

    This is one of my favourite and funnier Zoom-Outs. A little humour goes a long way in relieving life’s stresses.

    Try this 6-legged Zoom-Out.

    The next time someone behaves in a way that you find extremely irritating, insulting or hurtful, recall a time when you were stung by a wasp, bee or other insect.

    Zoom-Out and see that stinging experience alongside this one.

    Compare the initial bolts of pain.

    Which one is worse? Really.

    If you had to choose, would you have this encounter or rather be stung by a wasp?

    See how the initial pain will fade.

    See how, like the wasp sting, it will heal if you let it and leave no residual suffering.

    Like a wasp sting, if you keep focusing on the encounter and “scratching it” the pain will last longer and may even leave a scar.

    Like a wasp you have no control over the offending person’s behaviour.

    Like a sting from a wasp, do not take it personally. You never think, “Damn, that wasp has really got it in for me?” do you? This is more difficult with a stinging human remark or interaction but it’s almost certainly not personal. The other person is likely exhibiting a default pattern of behaviour in response to some trigger. And, like a wasp they may be “stinging” someone else very soon.

    Like a wasp they are more likely to leave you alone if you do not aggravate them in retaliation. Ignoring their behaviour might just be the best strategy. No, this is not losing — you are the winner! I’ve had many heated and ugly interactions with “wasps” and the next time I saw them, I beamed my best smile and gave a warm and happy “Hello, how are you?” This often gets a shocked and almost disappointed look in response. So, who has won?

    Of course, it’s not about winning. It’s about leading a happy and resilient life.

    Don’t let the “wasps” in your life threaten your happiness!

    In your mind, Zoom-Out, tell them to buzz off and view the encounter as less than a sting!

    Boosters

    For added impact, imagine the offending person in one of those kiddie wasp outfits complete with sting, compound eyes and antennae.

    For added power, take a compassionate view of the “wasp”. It does not know any better in that moment. It may be a fight or flight response to something you said or did. Sometimes an innocent action on your part can unintentionally be perceived as a threat.

    Summary

    Putting things into perspective by comparing to other events / situations.

    Zooming-Out to take a less personal perspective; view it more objectively.

    View it as a fleeting moment.

    Ridicule the situation in your mind to take the emotional stress out of it.