Over time, while helping senior managers in the high tech industry develop interpersonal leadership skills, I realized that I have a lot in common with them. I am a “geek!” A “soft skills geek” I have had a life-long strong fascination with human behavior and possibilities. Like the tech professionals I work with, I have turned that fascination with the “technology and applications” of human behavior into a long-time professional career and business.
Baby Boomers, of which I am one, have had to move past resisting “all the fuss” about technology in order to thrive in the technology world. Luckily, the technology industry is beginning to realize that “all the fuss” about how to collaborate and work with people all over the world is fundamental to success in the world we have created, ironically through technology. High Tech needs High Touch.
I am intrigued by the amazing relationship between human beings and communications technology. In many ways, we have created information technology in our image. And increasingly, communications technology is influencing and mirroring back information to help us better understand ourselves as human beings. For example, parallel to the emergence of “cloud” storage of data, is the suggestion by neuro-scientists that perhaps our own individual and collective memories are stored in a cosmic “cloud” rather than our own brains. The exploration of this may help us understand things like “simultaneous” discoveries and previously unexplainable access to information.
Over the next few weeks, I invite you to “blog-travel” with me and guest colleagues, as we explore both similarities and differences between human and computer software and hardware. We are interested in your thoughts, your questions and your challenges. We will also focus on the practical implications for you at wok.
Create a conscious plan for an important conversation that is already on your calendar. Or think of an important work relationship that you could improve with a good dialogue.
Dialogue Checklist
- What is my true purpose for wanting this conversation?
- How would I describe our current work relationship?
- How would I like to us improve it? Why is this important to me?
- Am I willing to really listen to this person, with an open mind?
- How am I curious about this person’s ideas and their experience of the work? The experience of working with me?
- On a scale of one to ten, how much do I trust this person at this time?
- On a scale of one to ten, how much can this person trust me?
- What do I need to share with them about me that could improve our work relationship? What am I willing to share about me as a person?
- Am I as open to being influenced by what they say as I am interested in persuading them?
- What else do I need to plan in order to make this a effective conversation?
Timing? Neutral, mutually agreeable setting? Anything else?
In the business world in general, and in technology industry in particular, many still hold onto the belief that decisions, at least their own, are made rationally. Based upon both social sciences and neuroscience evidence, as well as 30 years of professional experience, I would call that belief an illusion.
In fact, through technology, neuroscientists have been able to track emotional reactions of people in action. What they are discovering is that emotions are not an occasional effect of thought and behavior—instead, they essential drive most of our behavior—even in the “rational” workplace.
There have been recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence fields that should spread light on the importance of soft skills for tech professionals and managers. In 2007, Jim LaMuth was granted his second patent on the formula for what some are calling the “emotions” chip for a computer. Ultimately, the chip is designed to help computers analyze both the direct and subtle aspects of language and respond– ethically.
Marvin Minsky, the author of The Emotion Machine has an interesting way of thinking about emotions that elevats the status of emotions in business so we can better understand and manage them. He suggests an alternative to thinking of emotions as a mysterious (and I add—wimpy and barely relevant) addition to thinking. He acknowledges that emotions have developed in animals and humans as states essential for survival. And, that since we tend to respect different ways of thinking, we should consider emotional states as a “different ways of thinking.”
What if that were true? What if our emotions really do help us process information and create new ideas? When I think of emotions as another way to process information, as well as another source of my creativity, my problems seem to become easier to handle. For example, I recently made a decision partially because I was pissed off. When I shared the decision with my colleague, she realized I had been angry and gave me an option to reconsider. When I reconsidered where I was coming from, I realized the bit of anger helped me to make a decision I had needed to make for several months. The emotion of slight to moderate anger helped me take the step.
I am curious. Can you think of a behavior or decision you made lately that was driven by an emotion? Anger? Fear? Joy? Hope? What part did that emotion play in your thinking process?
My Network Profiles