The way of the contrarian...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

I was reminded a couple of days ago that I am a contrarian; it was not the first time, and usually not meant as a compliment. For those not familiar with the word, a contrarian is a person who takes an opposite or different position from other people. And this reminds me of a story - 

Many years ago, in a land far away, there was a very prosperous city state that was the envy of all.  The city was ruled by a council of eleven wise elders and all city decisions were their responsibility, including ruling on any disputes or crimes that came before them; majority ruled on all decisions, with each of the eleven elders having a vote. One day a man accused of a heinous crime was brought before the council and after hearing the story, each of the elders voted guilty. At that point, the wisest of the elders announced the final judgment of the council; the accused man was to be set free. In disbelief, the on-lookers shouted their disapproval and wanted to understand how such a ruling could be made.

The wisest of the elders stood and explained that when all of the members of the council agreed, they believed that there was a common bias that existed among them, they were looking at the situation through the same eyes, and they had not uncovered the unknown details that would make for the best decision - In short, when they all agree, they have made a flawed decision.  

The strength in making better decisions lies with contrary discussions, differing positions, ideas and different ways of thinking; with the contrarian acting as the facilitator. Being referred to as a contrarian is a good thing, a necessary thing...

• They will help you pressure test your thinking to ensure it is sound.
• They challenge groupthink. 
• They help look at a situation in a different way.
• They remind us that everyone thinking the same way does not necessarily make for good decisions.
• They help advocate and adapt to change.
• They introduce new ideas.

I knew a CEO who designated a person, as part of their role, to always challenge his strategic thinking... to be that executive contrarian. His rationale was simple, if his thinking could not stand up to the rigors of the board room, how could it ever stand up in the real world.

Embrace those people who don't agree with you, hear them out, encourage the discussion... your thinking will be better for it, and most likely your decisions - Even if they don't agree.

gpe

The "non-answer" ... it's mostly about the questions you ask.

If you are, or have ever been in sales, you will know how important questions are. They are at the heart of the selling process - Understanding the situation, understanding customer's needs, and for identifying opportunities. The type of questions you ask will advance the conversation or bring it to a crushing halt; when I say this, I don't necessarily mean everyone will stop talking... I mean something far worse.

My experience is that people do not want to leave the perception that they do not know the answer; I most definitely include myself and when needed I can be a master at the "non-answer".

There are generally two types of questions you can ask:

1. Those questions that elicit a "yes" or "no" answer, and commonly called closed-ended questions*. These questions mechanically bring the conversation to a natural conclusion and don't develop any conversation. Just a series of yes or no answers. Yes or no will always be an easy and knowable answer. 
2. Those questions that elicit an explanatory answer and commonly known as open-ended questions*. These questions bring with them a transfer of information, facts, opinion and general thoughts. It is here where you can gain the most information regarding a situation and the answers to help formulate understanding - As well as decisions for the next course of action. It is here that the non-answer can, and usually comes alive.

What do I mean by the non-answer? You know those meetings or conversations that involve a dialogue with questions and discussions and in the end you are no further ahead regarding tangible answers to your questions or problems - That is the description of a non-answer situation. No doubt there are situations where answers are deliberately withheld, but I am not referring to those. Rather to those situations where, even with the best of attentions, the answers never come to light. Some reasons immediately spring to mind - 

The correct question simply does not get asked and never leads to the answer, or changing a person's way of thinking.

• This is actually a difficult situation to work through as you build your questions from a personal foundation of knowledge and experiences; you may not have the capability to ask the correct question. This is why it is important to have a number of people with diverse backgrounds helping you get to the answers. We have all been in meetings or situations where you figuratively see the light bulb go on and the person says, "Oh, now I understand what you are asking".

There is a perceived obligation to say something and everything... sometimes answering the question and sometimes not.

• There are those who think fast, talk fast, and share it all. It is here that the term "baffle them with bullshit" originated I believe. More often than not, the answer is somewhere in the grand story that has been presented. The solution here may be as much about subtle people management and facilitation, as it is with asking the correct question. My experience here is using a series of closed ended questions can drive focus or simply asking, "could you summarize your answer to the question in three bullet points?" 

A person, for a variety of human reasons, does not want to admit they do not know the answer.

• The manifestation of this can look very much like the earlier points, but unlike their primary drivers of not understanding the question, this is driven more by human emotions such as pride, fear, and so on. This is a very difficult situation to detect (particularly if someone is a master at it), and will not be solved by a question... it will be solved by creating an environment where - 1) Knowing how to find the answer is much more important than having it, 2) Saying you don't have the answer is a positive quality, and 3) understanding that action can not be driven from "non answers".

So remember, "Confidence never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all of the questions." And also remember, for those of us with adult ADHD, those long, rambling non-answers are killers.

gpe

* Open and Closed ended questions have been referred to by many different names over the decades and the subject of countless books on sales.

How airport Newsstands feed curiosity ...

I have flown my fair share, particularly for business; most within North America, but also across the "pond"... and mostly in economy. Standing, waiting, sitting, standing, more sitting and waiting... did she say "delayed again"? With all of that said, other than LAX, there has never been an airport I didn't like; yes I am aware of the issue of pricing, but that is just microeconomics at its finest. What I am really drawn to is the airport Newsstands and the books they offer. They have best sellers of course, but once you get past those, they seem to have an array of the most unexpected titles and topics. They feed my curiosity!

A little while back, I wrote a post called "Along came awareness" , offering a perspective as to how Awareness is an important component of effective problem solving and execution; I then suggest Awareness is born from Curiosity. So now you can see why I am so excited about the airport Newsstand. 

It isn't my intention to offer a book review of my most interesting airport newsstand books, but I did want to offer a sampling, as they have expanded my awareness in very interesting areas... so here goes:

"It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be" by Paul Arden. Bold font and insights from a successful advertiser makes this an easy read. "Life's Creative Circle" offers great perspective.

• 0-1 yrs: Nothing
• 1-3 yrs: Minimalist
• 3-5 yrs:  Fantasy
• 5-10 yrs: The beginnings of copying
• 10-15 yrs: Art becomes grown up
• 15-20 yrs: A need to change the world
• 20-25yrs: Beginnings of political awareness
• 25-30 yrs: Maturity
• 30-40yrs: Hell bent on success
• 40-45 yrs: Repeating success
• 45-50 yrs: Trying to keep up with the 25 year olds
• 50 yrs: Watershed
• 50-60 yrs: Reinventing yourself
• 60-75 yrs: Gentle decline into senility
• 75-85 yrs: Youth regained
• 85 - 100 yrs: Inhibitions lost. Don't give a damn. Me,me,me

"Universe on a T-Shirt", by Dan Falk. A very readable and entertaining book about the great physicists of the ages and the ultimate search for the theory of everything that is so concise that it could be put on a "T-shirt.

• "The answer to the Great Question... of Life, the Universe and Everything ... is Forty-Two*

"Genghis Khan and the making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford. Offers great insight into the man who subjugated more lands in twenty-five years than the Roman Empire did in four hundred.

• At the age of almost sixty, after being provoked by a neighboring Sultan, Genghis Khan took part of his army across two thousand miles of steppes, mountains and the feared Red Desert; doing what no one thought could be done. He completely out flanked and surprising his foe, and as you might guess, it did not end well for the Sultan. 

"SWAY - The irresistible pull of irrational behavior" by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman. This is a fascinating book as to why rational people will do irrational things... interesting insight into the human condition.

• The chapter, Anatomy of an Accident is a stunning account of the contradictory actions of a veteran pilot, and the attempt to understand why he did what he did, which in the end, resulted in the loss of 584 lives.

"The Procrastinator's Handbook - Mastering the Art of Doing it Now" by Rita Emmett. I really should get around to reading this book. (Feel free to roll your eyes)

"The logic of Failure - Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations" by Dietrich Dorner. This is a heavy book to get through, but it does a great job of illustrating the relationship between things and the ripple effect that changes can have.

"American Prometheus - The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin - The complex story of the man, the Manhattan Project and ushering in the Atomic age.

• Prometheus stole fire and gave it to men. But when Zeus learned of it, he ordered Hephaestus to nail his body to Mount Caucasus. On it Prometheus was nailed and kept bound for many years. Every day an eagle swooped on him and devoured the lobes of his liver, which grew by night.**

"Resilience - Why Things Bounce Back" by Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy. This offers an interesting perspective on systems, behaviors and their relationships which allow for resiliency through adverse situations, be it in nature, communities or as individuals. 

• There is some interesting commentary on "gaming theory" and what you need to win. If you are playing a computer it's a "tit for tat" strategy. But if you are playing a person, it's a "tit, tit for tat" strategy, as people sometimes do things not appreciating what they have done - It's all about the benefit of the doubt when it comes to people it seems.***

This is a great age to satisfy your curiosity as everything is a "click" away on our smartphone, but I think there is a depth that comes from reading a book which feeds awareness a little bit better. No matter how you satisfy your curiosity, the awareness that is born will help with your creative problem solving.

As I flip through these books, I still find an old boarding pass or two that I used as a marker. 

gpe

* From the "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" and 42 fits easily on a T-shirt.

** By Apollodorus, The Library, book 1:7, second century B.C.

*** Page 160-162. Tit for tat is an English saying meaning "equivalent retaliation". It is also a highly effective strategy in game theory for the iterated prisoner's dilemma. Anatol Rapoport first introduced this strategy in Robert Axelrod's two tournaments, held around 1980. Notably, it was (on both occasions) both the simplest strategy and the most successful in direct competition. (Wikapedia)