Creating personal clarity and conviction on an issue can occur in two distinct ways: People can think through the issue by reading, listening, and contemplating where they stand on the topic and then speak, OR they can talk out loud and clarify their views through their own words and through the dialogue they create with others.
Good points are made. Personally I find, I will do both. It depends on the nature of the problem and/or topic. I have learned to talk out loud quietly and when alone. Otherwise at best people think you're talking to them, at worst they think you are mentally ill. The late Professor Peter Drucker asks us if we are listeners or readers? Regardless of the terminology, it is important (if not the most important task/journey in this life) to know ourselves. Until we truly know this we cannot be of real service to ourselves, family, community, and/or organization/s.
Does knowing yourself on this issue cause you to telegraph who you are to others in a more transparent way? Seems like it should in most cases. How does this translate to the way you start meetings? Do you end up laying a conversational groundwork with specific ways you initiate most meetings?
Nov 6, 2023·edited Nov 6, 2023Liked by Admired Leadership
I have a serious demeanor. I generally rely on verbiage to communicate. I aspire to focus on the work and keep other things secondary. Regarding meetings, it's all about knowing your audience. Some folks prefer PowerPoint presentations, and some prefer simple, straightforward and to the point meetings. For the latter I prefer note cards. In retail, while some organizations enforce "team huddles," I have found they usually take away from doing the work. When I worked in backroom business operations; only a few times did I hold meetings discussing the company's mission statement and values. I quickly realized it was a tremendous waste of time. After that first month, the only thing I enforced/led was stretching (due to the nature of the job). Perhaps meetings make those in the C-Suite feel like they are contributing, however those of us on the frontlines know it's all about doing the work. Nothing more, nothing less.
I am a Talk-to-Thinker. When I am trying to understand something, or come up with a new idea, I will do two things: 1) If I'm alone when the thought occurred, I write it down and sit on it for a day or two. If I come back to it and it still has legs, I'll add it to my agenda for my next meeting; or 2) If an idea or problem I want to explore occurs during a meeting or conversation, I will state, "I'm just thinking out loud..." and encourage others to join the conversation - but stress that no decisions will be made at this time. For the Think-to-Talkers in my circle, I often end our conversation with an Echo Question (of sorts) - Think about it, wrestle with it, come back to me with your thoughts. This gives them time to process it, internalize it, and make the problem/idea their own. Often times, they come back with an improved version and our next step is to work out how to execute/integrate. I find this increasingly difficult now that my team and I are working remotely - People are very quick to want to get off the call and get back to their daily tasks.
Definitely more think to talk than talk to think but enjoy the latter occasionally as a way of workshopping a piece of work and generating some energy and creativity.
It definitely leaves me worn out and needing some quiet time though!!!
Good morning,
Good points are made. Personally I find, I will do both. It depends on the nature of the problem and/or topic. I have learned to talk out loud quietly and when alone. Otherwise at best people think you're talking to them, at worst they think you are mentally ill. The late Professor Peter Drucker asks us if we are listeners or readers? Regardless of the terminology, it is important (if not the most important task/journey in this life) to know ourselves. Until we truly know this we cannot be of real service to ourselves, family, community, and/or organization/s.
As always thank you for your time.
Does knowing yourself on this issue cause you to telegraph who you are to others in a more transparent way? Seems like it should in most cases. How does this translate to the way you start meetings? Do you end up laying a conversational groundwork with specific ways you initiate most meetings?
I have a serious demeanor. I generally rely on verbiage to communicate. I aspire to focus on the work and keep other things secondary. Regarding meetings, it's all about knowing your audience. Some folks prefer PowerPoint presentations, and some prefer simple, straightforward and to the point meetings. For the latter I prefer note cards. In retail, while some organizations enforce "team huddles," I have found they usually take away from doing the work. When I worked in backroom business operations; only a few times did I hold meetings discussing the company's mission statement and values. I quickly realized it was a tremendous waste of time. After that first month, the only thing I enforced/led was stretching (due to the nature of the job). Perhaps meetings make those in the C-Suite feel like they are contributing, however those of us on the frontlines know it's all about doing the work. Nothing more, nothing less.
Good question.
Thanks for your time.
We took an extra 15 minutes to discuss this Field Notes entry this morning.
You can listen to the recording on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1ZkKzjwXrlyKv?s=20
I am a Talk-to-Thinker. When I am trying to understand something, or come up with a new idea, I will do two things: 1) If I'm alone when the thought occurred, I write it down and sit on it for a day or two. If I come back to it and it still has legs, I'll add it to my agenda for my next meeting; or 2) If an idea or problem I want to explore occurs during a meeting or conversation, I will state, "I'm just thinking out loud..." and encourage others to join the conversation - but stress that no decisions will be made at this time. For the Think-to-Talkers in my circle, I often end our conversation with an Echo Question (of sorts) - Think about it, wrestle with it, come back to me with your thoughts. This gives them time to process it, internalize it, and make the problem/idea their own. Often times, they come back with an improved version and our next step is to work out how to execute/integrate. I find this increasingly difficult now that my team and I are working remotely - People are very quick to want to get off the call and get back to their daily tasks.
That's insightful - remote teams makes leaders have to plan behaviors like this out in a more strategic way. That water cooler is missed.
Think talk think and talk think talk are related to introvert and extrovert preferences too,
Definitely more think to talk than talk to think but enjoy the latter occasionally as a way of workshopping a piece of work and generating some energy and creativity.
It definitely leaves me worn out and needing some quiet time though!!!