WorkPuzzle

The Internet, Your Brain, and Your Legacy

Last week, I ventured out to the golf course alone, and was paired with three twenty-something guys who looked to be a polite and pleasant group with whom to play a round of golf on a beautiful Seattle summer day.  Unfortunately, one of the three spent the entire round on his iPhone.  If he wasn't texting, he was accepting, or worse, making calls.  On four occasions we all had to wait several minutes for him to end his calls before he addressed his ball.  While I would typically say something, I was curious to see if his friends would ever confront their friend on his rude and distracting behavior.  They never did.  

Since that round of golf, I encountered the following article from Michael Hyatt that addresses some of the recent science around internet usage and its impact on us.  It offers some very helpful suggestions to guide our use.  In it, he refers to a Newsweek article of the same name:

"A few years ago, people were ridiculed for suggesting that the Internet was having a negative impact on our minds.  But, now the proof is starting to stack up.

'The first good, peer-reviewed research is emerging, and the picture is much gloomier than the trumpet blasts Web Utopians have allowed.  The current incarnation of the Internet—portable, social, accelerated, and all-pervasive—may be making us not just dumber and lonelier, but more depressed and anxious, prone to obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit disorders, even outright psychotic.  Our digitized minds scan like those of drug addicts, and normal people are breaking down in sad and seemingly new ways.'

The problem is that we are continuously connected.  Thanks to smart phones and other technologies, we have almost become cyborgs—creatures that are half human, half machine.

Here are some interesting facts from the Newsweek article:

• On average, Americans stare at some type of computer screen for eight hours a day.
• When President Obama ran for office last time, the iPhone had yet to be launched.
• Now smart phones outnumber regular ones.  More than a third of users get online BEFORE they even get out of bed.
• The average person, regardless of age, sends or receives about 400 text messages a month—four times the 2007 number.
• The average teen processes an astounding 3,700 texts per month, double the 2007 figure.

Again, quoting from the Newsweek article,

'Altogether the digital shifts of the last five years call to mind a horse that has sprinted out from underneath its rider, dragging the person who once held the reins.  No one is arguing for some kind of Amish future.  But the research is now making it clear that the Internet is not ‘just’ another delivery system.  It is creating a whole new mental environment, a digital state of nature where the human mind becomes a spinning instrument panel, and few people will survive unscathed.'

New brain scan technology shows that our brains are being rewired.  Heavy Web users have fundamentally altered prefrontal cortexes.  The brains of Internet addicts, it turns out, look like the brains of drug and alcohol addicts.  Even worse, Chinese researchers have shown that our grey matter—the part of the brain responsible for the processing of speech, memory, motor control, emotion, sensory, and other information—is shrinking or atrophying.

Numerous studies show that the more a person hangs out online, the worse they are likely to feel.  Web use often displaces sleep, exercise, and face-to-face exchanges, all of which can lead to loneliness, a sense of isolation, and depression."

Michael offers three possible responses:

1. "Withdrawal.  You just “Go Amish,” delete your social media accounts, and swear off the Internet.
2. Immersion.  You shrug your shoulders, give up, and keep marching with the lemmings right over the cliff.
3. Moderation.  You become intentional about your Internet usage, understanding that it’s a double-edged sword."

In addition he offers these five helpful positive disciplines to aid you in avoiding the dangers of over-saturation:

1. "The discipline of rest.
2. The discipline of reflection.
3. The discipline of reading.
4. The discipline of relationships.
5. The discipline of recreation."

I'll add two more to this list:  

6. Embrace the present:  When you are around the company of others, focus on them and the interaction, rather than focusing on someone else who isn't even there (especially those with children);

7. Know the legacy you'd like to leave.  To do our jobs well, many of us need to interact on the computer much of the day.  But, remember to ask yourself...What impact do I want to leave on this world?  If it's posting the most exciting pictures of your fabulous life and spending the day peering at the lives of others, you will probably miss some interesting, real, face-to-face interactions.  

I want to emphasize that we all must embrace to varying degrees the new technologies of staying connected, marketing and conversing with our target audiences. But, don't forget to also stay connected in a real and present manner, as it may change your brain and your life for the better.  

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Balancing Innovation and Stability

Some of our readers have commented on what appears to be an occasional conflict in our message, especially when we refer to innovation.  At times we emphasize the topic of stability and the unchanging fundamentals of human nature, and then we refer to the vital importance of innovation.  How could these seemingly contradictory messages co-exist?

I'm not sure that this can be answered in one blog, but I'll make a couple comments to help us think through the psychological ramifications of both extremes.  By extremes, I mean that they can be viewed as opposite ends of a continuum, with blind innovation on one end, and rigid stability on the other.

Psychologically, the need or proclivity for stability can be driven by fear.  Whereas constant need for innovation can be driven by impatience, lack of persistence, and impulsivity.

There are currently so many new innovations in technology alone...social media, cloud computing, and mobility are all equally hot topics right now.  So how does a company balance the need for these new technologies, while also maintaining their older, established systems and solutions?

The common understanding in Organizational Psychology, is that there must be a delicate balance and more importantly, you must be aware of why you favor either side of the continuum.  Are you always fighting for stability and resisting change?  Or, are you always leaning towards innovation?  I can tell you that I tend to lean toward innovation, and have slowly made my journey towards balancing that with stability and patience within the last ten years.

For you more impulsive types who seek to innovate everything, you might experiment with recalling instances where your patience and persistence with the status quo paid off.  In contrast, those of you who cling to stability might surround yourselves with people who ask questions that seem bizarre.  Typically, the more odd the questions appear to be, the more likely they are to possibly lead to something better.

A case in point...While Sony was asking "How can we build the smallest MP3 player," Apple was asking "How do we make listening to music cool."  We all know where this led.

So... I continue to listen to basically the same music....but in a very different way.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Social Media: What You Can Learn From the Fortune 100

You've probably noticed that it is very difficult to start a major new business trend.  If you are smart and lucky enough to develop a fascinating new technology, you might pull-off such an accomplishment (the people who make this happen usually end up as multi-millionaires).  However, most trends are developed and sustained by large companies who have the capital and talent to try lots of things.  Through trial and error, trends emerge and gain traction in the general business community.

While most real estate companies do not have the capital to fuel this type of innovation, it doesn't take a lot of resources to watch what the bigger companies are doing and learn from their investments.  Not everything the "big boys" are accomplishing will be relevant to your organization, but there is much that you can take-away and apply.  

I found a great example of such trending earlier this week.  A three-year study was recently conducted by Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations/communication firm that tracks the use of social media by Fortune 100 companies.  There are several ways to digest the findings of the study, but for the purpose of our discussion, I'll share the info-graphic they created to summarize their conclusions.

How could some of this trending information apply to a real estate company?  Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Twitter is turning out to be a much bigger deal than most people would have guessed.  We've known for awhile it is a great tool for starting a revolution to overthrow your government or organizing a flash mob to ransack Walmart, but promoting your business?  It's true.  This venue is now significantly larger than Facebook for business applications.  If you don't have a Twitter account for your office, you should consider creating one and learning how to use it.  Among other things, it is a great tool for driving traffic to your private social network (a trend we discussed a couple of weeks ago in WorkPuzzle, 1, 2, 3).
2. Large companies can no longer ignore YouTube.  Video used to be reserved for those who could afford the large production and distribution costs of making commercials.  There was a comfortable barrier to entry that kept most real estate companies (and millions or other small businesses) from participating.  Of course, this has been trending for awhile, but the data suggests a tipping point has probably been reached.  There are now enough eyeballs on YouTube to make it a useful advertising venue for almost any company.  If you don't have a YouTube channel, it might be time to get one.
3. The death of any social network implementation is the lack of useful and relevant information.  Users disengage and leave if they are not receiving constant benefit from their participation.  Most large companies are now creating systems to ensure consistent engagement.  If you're going to create and manage a social networking application for your office, you'll probably need similar systems as well.  
4. Pace yourself.  The use of multiple platforms is something that large companies can and probably need to embrace.  For a real estate company, it might be better to become proficient on one platform first and then expand once some level of mastery has been obtained. 

If you'd like to read more about this research, there is both an executive summary and a 40-slide presentation deck that is available.  I've just brushed the surface on this--there is much more to learn.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Preventing Brain Abuse: 4 Obstacles to Peak Performance

I know many of you were probably saddened to hear of Stephen Covey’s passing this week.  I still remember devouring his “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” book while I was attending a naval training class on contract law in San Diego in the early ‘90s.  The class was notoriously boring, so I had plenty of time to read in the back of the room.

At the time, I was amazed how Covey was able to take timeless, proven principles, and boil them down into memorable and applicable guidelines that could be easily followed.  In many senses, he revitalized the time-management industry through his work.  In turn, he laid the groundwork for many innovators to come behind him and build their own systems based on the consumer awareness that he created. 

One of the most successful time management system-builders to come behind Stephen Covey was David Allen.  I’ve written several blogs about David Allen’s work over the last few years, and I use some of his techniques in my own life.  Powered by social networking technology that Covey did not have access to, Allen’s work has spawned a new ecosystem of “practitioners” who share how they use and make sense of Allen’s system. 

I came across a blog written by one of these practitioners last week that I think is worth sharing.  The blog was written by Todd Brown.  Here is part of what he wrote: 

“I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who would argue that their brain was unimportant (and if they did, you would wonder how well it was functioning anyway).  Yet on our travels we find that many people misuse their brains.  They expect it to perform well in areas where science and experience tell us it just doesn’t cut the mustard.  And that means they don’t exploit its full potential.

We’ve learned enough about the brain in the last 60 or so years to know that it is powerful and dependable at some things, and limited and unreliable when it comes to others.  Thinking creatively, drawing connections, brainstorming, focused thinking – all great uses for our grey matter.  But counting on it to remind me of the fact that I need to buy olive oil?  Allowing it to have the thought over and over ‘I need to email the proposal to the client?'” Only half-deciding what to do with several (hundred?) emails and leaving them in the inbox to fester?

That’s brain abuse.  Of course if you’re guilty of it, you are also the only one who can put an end to it.  A first step would be to consider a spotter’s guide to the forms the abuse might take:

1.  Re-thinking things.   

If your brain space is precious, why would you allow it to have a mundane thought more than once?  The only thoughts you should have multiple times are thoughts you enjoy.  Anything else should be dispatched to some place in your organizational system where you’ll be reminded when you can do something about it.

2.  Leaving thinking half-finished.

This is a close cousin of re-thinking.  If you have an email inbox that’s chock-a-block, I’m imagining there will be more than a few emails in there that you have opened, gotten a sense of, closed, possibly marked unread (the digital ritual that indicates 'I’ll think about that some more later'), and then left so you could move on to other things.  And you might have repeated this several times for the same email.

That’s not only brain abuse, it’s inefficient.  Better to finish the thinking: what’s the outcome that you want to or need to create that relates to this email?  In other words, when will it be done and off your mind?  And what is the very next visible action that you will take to move it forward?

3.  Trying to fill your brain beyond capacity.

Ever since George Miller’s research at Princeton in the 1950’s, we’ve known that our short-term memory is limited.  There is only so much that we can keep in there.  Miller reckoned the brain could hold onto about seven items before things are either lost, or fall into long-term memory.  And the problem with long-term memory is that you can’t be sure when things will re-emerge from it, like a huge field of jack-in-the-boxes popping up without much rhyme or reason.

You’d think that, knowing that our memory is so severely limited, we would deduce that there is no way it’s going to cope with tracking all of the dozens of moving parts in our lives.  But we see most people soldier on, heads full of details they’re hoping desperately to remember, but often generating failure, internal stress and distraction instead.  Better to make it a habit to empty your head at any opportunity.  Employ 'distributed cognition.'  In plain English, write things down, or send yourself an email, or voice mail, or whatever it takes to free up that precious mental space.

4.  Counting on your brain to remind you when you want to be reminded

My wife is fuelled by Earl Grey tea.  Her day starts with that first cuppa, and if it’s not available, it doesn’t start well.  When we go on holiday, it’s a very good idea to make sure we have some with us, as most places overseas won’t have it on the breakfast menu.  Do I count on my brain to remember that I need to pack the tea bags?  I value holiday tranquility too much.  Earl Grey appears (in bold letters) on my packing list.”

So, to honor the great groundwork that Stephen Covey laid for us all, make a commitment to heed Todd Brown’s advice and stop abusing your brain.  How?  Find and use a time/task management system that keeps your brain from getting stuck in these common, unproductive patterns. 

By doing so, you’ll set your brain free to focus on its highest and most productive work.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Confessions of a System Innovator

In my last blog, I described the importance of following and executing a system for any lasting success or improvement to take shape.  I used the example of my ups and downs with regard to my physical workouts over the last 25 years to drive home the vital importance of following and measuring results though a proven system.  My final points were as follows:

1. Find and follow a system. 
2. Do not venture off of the system. 
3. Have someone hold you accountable to the system. 
4. Compete with someone who uses the same system.
5. Track your results and aim for constant improvement.

Now here comes my confession:  While I had been largely following my well-established workout "system," I couldn't help myself.... I had to innovate some variations of my own plan.  

Now the eventual fallout of my innovated system, is that I didn't experience the improvements others had been describing for the last several decades.  So, I did some online research in an effort to figure out what might be going on with my lack of constant improvement, and I found the following emphatic words written on a forum by someone who has trained others to use this system.  He said:  "What is it with you people who think you can alter a system that has been around for four decades?  Do you have some sort of attention deficit disorder, or do you think that you are so special that you can invent a new way of doing something that has been honed by 10's of thousands of people?"  He went on to conclude:  "Listen Carefully.. Don't MESS (he used another word) with the system! Don't add, delete or alter it in anyway.  Follow it and it will work!"   

I needed to read those words, and I needed to read them in that tone to really get it.  So, what is the lesson here?  Why am I reminding you of something that appears to be common knowledge?  Because we all are guilty of innovation when it's not needed.  Why do we do this?  I believe the following are some reasons for our tendency to wander off the system path: 

1. We think that we are facing unique challenges that require a different angle. 
2. We feel bored with the system and want to entertain or stimulate ourselves with variety.
3. We get lazy.  Systems can be mundane and take energy to execute well.
4. We think we're smarter than we really are. 

I'm beginning to believe that one of the primary reasons that McDonald's is so successful, is that it is managed by 24-year-olds and executed by 16-year-olds, who are too young and green to make the erroneous assumption -- "I might know a better way."  

If you are a manager of agents, take it upon yourself to meet with all your struggling agents to investigate in detail what they are actually doing daily.  Get them to sign up for Toggl (time management) and categorize their efforts into the primary tasks that drive success and see if their real time matches their imagined time spent in those activities. 

If you are an owner, CEO, or GM, and you haven't been getting the recruiting results you're accustomed too, peer into your systems that measure activities and see for yourself what is actually happening.  

We all get off course - That's going to happen.  But sometimes we need others to remind us to not "MESS with the system."  I'm back on track, following someone else's system... How about you?

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

The Secret Ingredient of Every Healthy Manager-Agent Relationship

It is pretty ironic that I find myself involved in the real estate industry.  My mother was, at any given point in my life, a bank manager, credit union mortgage officer, or the marketing director for several title companies.  Many of her very close friends are real estate agents.  

During a recent visit to see my mom, I spent a few minutes with one such woman, who started telling me how her manager could ask/tell her to do this, that or the other thing, but she didn't really have to act upon the request.  

“I’m an independent contractor, I don’t have to do any of that!” 

To some degree, the smugness of this comment surprised me since I've never really taken that stance when it comes to my own performance.  In fact, I found myself identifying with many of the real estate managers who have to work with the difficult agents who possess such a perspective.  

But thinking more about the exchange in the weeks following the visit, I started to have more sympathy for the frustration this agent was feeling.  Why did the agent feel so uninspired by her manager? Certainly, there had to be some fault on both sides of the relationship  that created strain and hindered it from blossoming into something more productive. 

As the conflict of the competing perspectives remained unresolved in recesses of my subconscious, the memory of the event was triggered when I came across an article written by business author, Jeff Haden.  Here is part of the article I found:

“Great leaders don't need to struggle to motivate, inspire, and lead their employees. Here's why.

I was struggling to engage the audience. Okay, be honest, I tried not to let it show but I was dying onstage.

So I took a different approach. "In one sentence, what is the key to leading people?" I asked.

So I asked the question and then paused to read the room. Some people looked down. Some looked away. As I expected, no one was going to answer. Cool.

I was about to speak when a voice broke the silence.

'I think I know,' a man sitting in the back corner said, somewhat hesitantly.

A few heads turned in his direction.

'No one cares how much you know until they first know how much you care about them.'

Wait--what?

'Can you repeat that?' I said.

'We think we have all the answers, and maybe we do, but that doesn't matter. No one cares how much you know until they first know how much you care about them,' he repeated.

He took the silence in the auditorium as disagreement.

'No, really,' he said, starting to sound more confident. 'Yeah we're in charge and yeah we talk about targets and goals and visions, but our [agents] don't care about any of that stuff for very long. We can communicate and engage and connect all we want, but no one really listens to us. They just smile and nod and go back to doing their jobs the way they always do.'

'Our employees don't really care about what we want them to do until they know how much we care about them. When an employee knows--truly knows--that you care about them, then they care about you. And when they know you care, they will listen to you... and they will do anything for you.'

Best answer ever.”  

Somehow, I don't think my mom's friend was convinced that her manager truly cared about her and had her best interests at heart.  Harsh comments, such as the one she delivered to a near stranger, suggest that she did not feel valued by her manager.  

Is the manager to blame?  Maybe, or maybe not. I didn't have any information about the manager (there may have been an unknown reason to devalue this agent). I do know that if you want any relationship to prosper, building upon the foundation of genuine care and concern is critical.

If you're feeling strain in the relationships with some of your agents, consider asking questions related to this topic.  At a minimum, you'll rekindle the fire of care and concern that needs to burn at the center of every healthy relationship.

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Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Why your success must follow a System

If you are like me, you are reluctant to follow too many systems in your life.  Many of us feel that adhering to a system is restraining and robs us of our freedom...much like being in a cage.  But, if I survey my life honestly, anything that I have ever achieved has required the implementation of some sort of disciplined system. 

Take my physical conditioning for example... I have regularly worked out at least three days per week since 1986.  Now, you might believe that this, in and of itself, would qualify as an adequate system to keep me in shape.  But at a closer look, we all know how easy it is to go to the gym without a clear plan and perhaps maintain some level of conditioning, but not really improve.  In fact, I would say that I deteriorate over time... without a recorded system.

Conversely, when I have a plan, I adhere to it, record my improvements, and remain accountable to the plan.  In a nutshell, I'm not approaching my workout haphazardly.  It is during these periods that I can see and feel tremendous progress.  

What if I told you that one of the most successful businesses in the world is executed by 16-year- olds and managed by 24-year-olds?  Would you believe me?  The secret is the consistent, unfailing execution of a system.  The company is McDonald's. 

What do you need to improve on?  What area of your business or your life needs to experience growth?  Once you know, do the following:

1. Find and follow a system. 
2. Do not venture off of the system. 
3. Have someone hold you accountable to the system. 
4. Compete with someone who uses the same system.
5. Track your results and aim for constant improvement.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.