Seek the opposition
As soon as you search for something on an internet search engine, you immediately are served up similar article, topics and perspectives. All similar perspectives and all provided based on your interest. The algorithms now used are geared towards serving you similar ideas, quickly and from sources that are chosen by the algorithms. It pleases us that we are fed a lot of information that supports our search, so much so we think we’re done.
How do ideas come up that challenge the norm that move us into new places when we stop at what we already? We’ve confirmed our theory, right? Status quo has been confirmed, yes.
In order to develop behaviors that continually generate new ideas, behaviors that challenge the norms and current conventions need to be developed. We at Rebel Success for Leaders™ suggest 4 tips to steer clear of the bias.
- Information from all angles – Form your opinions and then deliberately seek out the opposing point of view. That’s right! Understand the opposition enough to be able to argue that POV. Why, you ask? There may be very valuable builds that you’ll get from the opposition, or from negative reviews, or from those that don’t agree. Consider it a gift and a natural part of every process.
- Don’t stop at What, ask Why! – Too often we accept an answer with some degree of trust. A credible source has provided a perspective and we should accept that. Always follow up with the Why and seek to further understand. Why does our company have a particular interview guide? Because it helps us hire the best production managers and that’s the majority of our talent. Likely that same production guide will not produce the same results when used for a group that comes up with new ideas. This doesn’t mean you trust less; it just increases your natural curiosity.
- Identify ambiguity – Certainties can offer a level of comfort (sunrise and sunset) and ambiguity can often create stressful tension (why is traffic so bad and how long will it take me to get home). In a world of certainty, there’s no need to look for new solutions, or to innovate. In a more ambiguous world, humans naturally move to relieve tension and are more inclined to produce new and innovative solutions. The trick is to recognize ambiguity as opportunity and to see it out.
- Choose words carefully – This is not about walking on eggshells and being afraid to speak your opinion. It’s about not speaking absolutes. For example “You always say that every morning” – probably said frequently but ‘always’ is unlikely. It’s about choosing the words you speak to add value and be as factually accurate as possible.
Challenge yourself and your approach as a Rebel Success best practice. It keeps the door open to growth and new ideas.
To learn more, visit us at www.rebelsuccessforleaders.com.
