Agile Mind, Open Heart

You have probably heard sayings such as “better the devil you know,” which implies that something bad but known is much better than that which is unknown. While it may seem unreasonable and perhaps even a bit foolish to prefer the bad to the unknown, especially if the unknown offers possibilities of something better, this is a common stumbling block for many people. In truth, most will go to great lengths to re-establish their sense of well-being by unconsciously or automatically returning to a familiar setting, whether that be a place, relationship, activity, or a state of mind. Even though a reset of this nature will restore some sense of control and equilibrium – at least for a time - the inherent danger of repeatedly falling back on the familiar or known patterns of living and thinking will create a rut so deep that you will eventually find yourself stuck. In a world that is becoming increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind. This outcome is not a good one for anybody, especially for those in a leadership position. Default Mind Another well-known saying about the general who is always fighting the last war suggests that people are more inclined to rely solely on what has been done and they believe worked for them in the past when dealing with a new and challenging situation. This default thinking, i.e. defaulting to the familiar is habitual and reflexive because it happens within a split second and out of your conscious here and now state. In this habitual state, your default mind is analytical, critical, and judging, but it is judging based on what has occurred in the past and therefore leaves little room for agile, holistic, conscious or intentional thinking regarding what may be the reality of the present. Let’s take a step back and examine my personal experience with the default mind. A well-known peer in the industry reached out to me to collaborate with him on a project. For some reason, this individual rubbed me the wrong way. At the time – and I did not realize this - my default mind was in the driver’s seat. Without any basis in the current reality, I summarily dismissed him, always coming away from our interactions with a feeling of annoyance bordering on aggravation. After rejecting his second overture to work together and feeling the same level of agitation, I paused and asked myself, why does this individual bother me so much? I have never had a bad experience with him in the past. He is someone who is in high regard in our industry. What is it about him that I do not like? And then it hit me. When I was young, I spent a good deal of time with a friend who was smooth as silk from the standpoint of getting us into trouble but always managed to talk himself out of it. Unfortunately, I was often left holding the bag of responsibility for his actions. I felt angry, used, and betrayed and rightfully so. Now here is the power of the default mind; this individual in the present bore a strong resemblance to that friend. I would not suggest that they were twins, but the physical characteristics and their mannerisms were very similar. Because I had been burnt in the past by my friend, my default mind, engaging the fight or flight mechanism (in this case flight) sought safety in the present solely on the resemblance between someone I had known decades earlier and someone in my present world. Remember, a default mind is an amazing tool that retains everything in order to keep you safe. It is when it runs unchecked and unchallenged, that it can negatively impact your present world. In later chapters, I will talk more about critical thinking, including how Intentional Critical Thinking and Direct Experiencing work together to provide both a granular and big-picture perspective that can help you to recognize and manage your default mind. I will also go into greater detail of how these different yet complementary forms promote the insight required to accurately assess a present situation enabling you to take the necessary steps to either solve a problem or capitalize on a promising opportunity. VUCA, an acronym developed during the Cold War to describe a social environment of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity, is now in common use to describe our changing business world. It is important to understand in a VUCA world it is essential for your ongoing success and relevancy that you recognize that your old mind exists, and is driven by repetition, familiarity, and safety. It is also critical for you to understand that you must consciously make room for a new and complementary way of thinking, being, and ultimately doing. In other words, you need a new mind that can tap into your habitual thought process and intentionally leverage “what you already know” without it inhibiting or limiting “what you need to know” in the here and now.