Recently I posted about organic thinking. It’s Spring, and to my delight the garden is in bloom. But to my shagrin, so is poison ivy. For a recent service project I was mowing a field and got a good case of poison ivy. Been thinking about "thought" and what propels new initiatives in business and personal endeavors. Once a really good idea takes hold, it can propogate and create a momentum for change. Negative or poorly developed thoughts though, can do the same. I equate those to poisoned thinking, latching on to a new or existing idea that is harmful or negative to a process. What I find most often is that legacy ideas die hard and people tend to be committed to previous constructs now matter how inadequate or ill-conceived.
What medicine is there for poisoned thinking:
- Check your attitude. A sour, synical or poor attitude toward another individual will never effectively address poisoned thinking. Validate and respect the person and their ideas.
- Fully cook new ideas. Don’t replace one poorly conceived idea for another. You do everyone a disservice.
- Be patient with people. Most people are not quick to change. All ideas to sink in over time. Sometimes it means presenting the concept in multiple ways.
- Give time for change. The more important and enormous the idea, the longer the runway for change. Anticipate a lag in acceptance and execution.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Learn to overlook the errors of others, when appropriate, and you’ll win respect and honor. "Love covers a multitude of sins."
- Do sweat the small stuff. Be self-reflective, edit and review reports and presentations, go the distance with the details. People will notice.
- Recognize the window of opportunity. There is a kairos moment. A point in time to speak and there are times to remain quiet. Missed opportunities do not always come again.
- Execute with excellence. Get it right the first time and take pride in your work. Don’t let shotty work slip out of your hands.
- Evaluate and report. Garner feedback and pass along information up the chain of command. This is smart in terms of professional development but also adds to the value of the work done.
- Share the credit. If others helped you accomplish goals, include them in the accolades. This builds respect and appreciation by your peers.