Towards a Certificate Qualification
The Management of Technology and Innovation
Applied to Supervisory Employees
Certificate in the
Management of Technology & Innovation applied to Supervisory Employees
Managerial Leadership Engagement (CMLE): Part One
Study Guide
Directors: Prof R Marcus Chairman, Prof B Anderson CEO, D Marcus, Company Registration No. 2001/009271/07
Registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997. Accreditation No. 2004/HE07/003
Table of Contents
Chapter Page
Eight Establish Effective Work Relationships 125
1 Synopsis & Learning Outcomes
2 Supervisory Leadership Development
Approach to Supervisory Leadership Development
Supervisory Leadeship Competencies
On becoming Self-Directed
3 Self-Awareness
The Importance of Self-Awareness in Self Development
The Johari Window : Finding my Blind Spot
3 Model the Way (It's about telling an inspiring story …)
Finding Meaning
Emotional Intelligence : New yardstick for success
On Becoming Focussed
‣ Stress Management
‣ Manage Attention
‣ Manage Energy
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Chapter Synopsis
Managerial Leadership Engagement focuses on one of the manager’s key
accountabilities to maximise self and team engagement. This module therefor addresses
the importance of self and social awareness to master social and emotional
competencies needed to apply agile supervisory leadership; self-regulation to establish
and manage effective working relationships to maximise team engagement and
Managerial leadership practices to build a safe and trusting and accountable working
environment where people can come to do their best.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Understand the importance of social and emotional competencies and how they
relate to the teams output
Apply techniques to master the needed social and emotional competencies in order to
manage both self and others more effectively
Take accountability to regulate their own mindsets and behaviours to deal more
effectively with ambiguity and lead change positively
Manage own and other’s energy to maintain productivity and to stay focused.
Understand the drivers of employee engagement
Assess own as well as team engagement levels to identify factors negatively impacting
on engagement
Design and execute an action plan to increase team engagement
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Use personal vision to self motivate
Take accountability to regulate one’s own mindsets and behaviours to create desired
change
Manage energy and attention to maintain productivity
Develop a strong support network
Leave one’s comfort zone and commit to opportunities
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Becoming Self-Directed
In a few hundred years, when the history of our time will be written from a long-term
perspective, it is likely that the most important event historians will see is not technology,
not the Internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human
condition. For the first time – literally – substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people
have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally
unprepared for it.”
– Peter Drucker
Most of us spend more of our adult lives working than we do engaging in any other single
waking activity.
While not denying the value and importance of external expertise, successful
organisations will try to transfer that expertise to the individual employee through extensive
training, and then expect that employee to be self-directing and become part of the
solution.
Self-direction creates an awareness of the need for, or possibility of, change. Employees
are able to look at themselves and begin identifying the changes they might wish to
consider making in such areas as work, problem-solving, conflict management, and
learning.
We can no longer afford to muddle through on our way to new knowledge and new skills.
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The greatest challenge of the future is social, not technological. In the excitement
generated by the latest technological marvels, from fibre optics to the Internet, to new
drugs and medical breakthroughs, we tend to forget that our major problems are people
problems.
Becoming Self Directed
Read
Sharlyn Lauby writes a short but to the point article on the topic of self-
directedness. Follow the link to read this article.
Introduction to self directedness : The business case for self-direction
�
Individual Action
Lauby emphasise six principles of self-direction which will help you to
develop the ability to not only successfully bridge the “old” to the "new”,
but will also enable you to contribute to the fast changing organisations of
today and to be prepare to fulfil the requirements of tomorrow.
Know yourself : Self Aware
Do meaningful work
Be part of the solution
Managing conflict effectively
Learn how to learn
Manage to change
�
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The Importance of Self-Awareness in Self Development
“I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards becoming a
champion...”
- Billy Jean King
One of the most important aspects in increasing your own level of influence is self-
awareness. Self-awareness can assist to allow you the opportunity to know who you are,
what you want and how to go about getting it! No man is an island, or so the saying
goes. We all live and work in groups and have to have an understanding of how we fit
into the various groups in our lives, the effect we have on other members of the group
and their effect on us.
To become self-aware and gain self-knowledge, you need to allow yourself to connect
with all facets of your being; to embrace “your all” (also the parts you deny at times).
Even that part of you that you are not aware of. To do this you also need to be prepared
to receive feedback and disclose yourself to others (also see Johari window that follows a
little later). Self-awareness is one of the main ingredients in becoming authentic (not
plastic or made in Taiwan). An increase in self-awareness bridges the gap between ‘who
I am’ and ‘who I am expected to be’ (socially).
The following pages contain a helpful model that explains the importance of our abilities
to receive and deal with feedback and our ability to make ourselves vulnerable by
showing (self-disclosure) ourselves to the world; and how we integrate all the information
to assist us to become authentic and real where thoughts, feelings and actions are
aligned and congruent (according to our friend Carl Rogers). One’s growth potential lies
within the abilities to embrace both strengths and development areas. The way you
embrace “it all”, actually increases your level of influence as you will be enabled and
empowered to model the way…
Self-Assessment
To assess self-awareness, follow this link
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The Johari Window : Finding my Blindspot
The Johari window model is a simple and useful tool for illustrating and improving self-
awareness, and mutual understanding between individuals within a group. The Johari
window tool can also be used to assess and improve a group's relationship with other
groups. The Johari window model was developed by American psychologists Joseph Luft
and Harry Ingham in the 1950's, while researching group dynamics. Today this model is
especially relevant due to modern emphasis on, and influence of, 'soft' skills, behaviour,
empathy, co-operation, intergroup development and interpersonal development.
The Johari window model is also referred to as a 'disclosure/feedback model of self-
awareness' and by some people an 'information processing tool'. The Johari window
actually represents information – feelings, experience, views, attitudes, skills, intentions
and motivation – within or about a person in relation to their group, from four
perspectives, which are described below. The Johari window model can also be used to
represent the same information for a group in relation to other groups.
Johari window terminology refers to 'self' and 'others': 'self' means oneself, ie, the person
subject to the Johari window analysis. 'Others' mean other people in the person's group
or team.
The four Johari window perspectives are
called regions or areas or quadrants. Each of
these regions contains and represents the
information - feelings, motivation, etc - known
about the person in terms of whether the
information is known or unknown by the
person, and whether the information is known
or unknown by others in the group. The Johari
window's four regions are as follows (showing
the quadrant numbers and commonly used
names):
“EVERY step we take – no matter how small –
Self-Assessment
To find your blindspot, follow this link to assess yourself
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to understand the needs of the people we strive to serve will increase our bond with them,
and move us in the direction of a higher standard of leadership.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
Johari window four regions
What is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by others open area,
open self, free area, free self, or 'the arena'
What is unknown by the person about him/herself but which others know - blind area,
blind self, or 'blind spot'
What the person knows about him/herself that others do not know - hidden area, hidden
self, avoided area, avoided self or 'facade'
What is unknown by the person about him/herself and is also unknown by others -
unknown area or unknown self
Miscommunication frequently occurs because our open window is so limited; we are not
in touch with what we feel and cannot respond to what we hear. As the open window
increases, there is not only greater variability in individual’s behaviour, but also greater
openness in interpersonal relationships in the group.
The Johari Window is a useful Model to try and explain what the role is of self-discovering.
This self-discovering is base on two fundamentals:
‣ Feedback from others
‣ Self-disclosure
Both essential elements to ensure my wellness, my ability to disclose information about
myself and my ability to receive and integrate feedback from others and my
environment.
When you look at the theory of the Johari Window, are you ale to plot yourself in the
quadrants with examples in each? Try to do it…
All tasks following, is an attempt to enlarge the Open/free area and to minimise the
unknown area. Bringing you in a better position to connect with yourself and then with
your manage.
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If you are interested in your own level of self-awareness, please click to do a self-
assessment to start your journey.
In the next chapters we are going to look at emotions, where they come from and how
they influence our present. We will also indicate the relationship between our thoughts,
feelings and behaviour and to what extend we have control over the way we feel, think
and act or behave. It might shed some light on the statement I have heard so many times
in the past: “The boss/husband/wife/child makes me so angry...”
Reflection
At the end of the discussion, and afer you have reflected on this specific
topic, summarise your own thoughts and opinions and eventually your
understanding of the topic.�
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FINDING MEANING
There are two important days in your life. That is the day that you were born, and the
day you come to understand why …
Mark Twain
When Daniel Goleman published Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than
IQ in 1995, using the phrase “the new yardstick for success”, this generated an incredible
amount of interest in the role that emotional intelligence can play in our daily lives. There
were, however, a number of people who were concerned that this was just a new fad!
The fact is, however, when Goleman went to press in 1996 with his findings, he had
already assessed more than 2 million employees trying to determine what the
competencies are that predict or determine success in the workplace. With his
publication he clearly indicated that our success in the workplace are only 15%
determined by our technical skills and the other 85% is determined by what he called
emotional intelligence (EI), previously also referred to as emotional literacy.
Now, in order for me to explain what EI is, let me introduce this whole concept to you in
the same way my mentor and colleague, Pieter van Jaarsveld, does as it starts the ball
rolling very effectively...
Think about somebody who has really played an important role in your life. List all the
qualities, traits or characteristics of this person …
Think about somebody who has really played an important role in your
life. List all the qualities, traits or characteristics of this person
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Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to:
Personal
Social
Emotional
Survival skills
Innovation
Though the latest research indicate the following seven (7) social and emotional
competencies of highly effective teams:
Team Identity
Motivation
Emotional
Communication
Stress tolerance
Conflict resolution
Positive mood
Comparing EI with that of IQ, the Difference seems to be...
Cognitive Intelligence: (IQ)
Predicts success at school
Predicts 6% – 15% success at job
IQ peaks at late teens / early twenties
Culture-bound
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Can not be developed
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
No cultural differences
No gender differences on average
Ladies higher: empathy, social responsibility, and interpersonal
relationships
Men higher: stress tolerance, personal mastery
EI can be developed.
From balance sheet driven mentality ...
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within
us.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes
As mentioned earlier when we were discussing leadership and the modern organisation,
there has been a total paradigm shift within the way we do business today and how it’s
going to be done in the future. The change is so dramatic that some experts even use the
word radical. There is a clear shift from the traditional command and control way,
balance sheet driven, to an acute awareness that the bottom-line dollar and the wellness
of an organisation depends on the wellness of the employee and the amount of job
satisfaction and how it adds to the employee’s need for recognition and to be
empowered to participate in his/her own destiny. The only way to become empowered
to control one’s own destiny will be when organisations are focussed on engaging all
employees and addressing the basic need of individuals to succeed and to make a
difference.
There is also overwhelming evidence that there is a positive correlation between the level
of the employees’ engagement in the organisation and financial performance. Further,
people engage best when the following elements are present :
Know yourself
Meaningful Work Page ! I The Da Vinci Institute I AngloGold Ashanti118
Be part of the Solution
Manage Conflict Productively
Learn how to Learn
Manage Change
For years we have only spoken about so-called buy-in of all stakeholders. This concept
forms the basis of leading businesses’ and cutting edge models. People create their own
realities and if people are involved with and in the co-creation of processes within the
organisation, engagement is significantly enhanced. As Tucker (2007) said:
“Engagement is reciprocal: Participation in the co-creation processes enhances
engagement, and enhanced engagement enhances communication, openness to
innovation, and therefore ultimately enhances engagement”.
Now, bearing all that in mind and the fact that we create our own realities, the next stop is
to see what is the influence our perceptions, and how does it determine our realities...
A reality that so often contaminate our ability to live up to our basic (intrinsic) need and
expectation, to succeed. Or as the Transactional Analysts would say: to be a Prinz (a
winner)! As said earlier:
Born to win... Conditioned to lose (Froz)!
The human mind has been created with such potential that no scientist has had the ability
to establish it’s full potential as yet. It is said that we only currently know about 5% of the
human mind. We live in a world that provides more opportunities than we could possibly
pursue. We were created with a free will, to make of ourselves whatever we wish. If this is
the case, why do the ‘clever’ people tell us that we are not using more than between 1%
and 14% of our potential? They say the brain has more than a 100 billion neurones. Each
neurone has the capability of my laptop!
When we look at the life of Leonardo da Vinci, we realise that true utilisation of the brain is
to become whole-brained, which will lead to real brilliancy.
Leonardo da Vinci was undoubtedly the most accomplished person in the following
disciplines: art, sculpture, physiology, general science, architecture, mechanics, anatomy,
physics, invention, meteorology, geology, engineering, and aviation. He could even sing
and compose music! Was he a freak of nature?
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No! If we say we are talented in a specific area and not in others, this does not necessarily
mean that we are unable to do other things. It merely means that our potential in other
areas is lying dormant and could in fact be developed with the correct nurturing and
training.
Buzan says the following about the brain: “The pattern-making capability of the brain is so
great that the writing thereof would take a line of figures, in normal manuscript
characters, more than 10,5 million kilometres in length!”
If we have this incredible brainpower, why are the majority of people unable to do
mathematics? And for interest sake, let’s compare the brain of the humans with that of
the animal kingdom. Let me explain…
So, does this prove that we, as human beings, clearly do not use our utmost potential?
Why not and what went wrong then?
Maybe we should briefly explore possible answers to the above questions.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy
The self-fulfilling prophecy is a very important concept in our daily lives. It implies that other
people have had a major impact on our beliefs and our attitudes.
Conscious and Subconscious Mind
In answering the question of what influences our
perceptions and realities, we need to go back to
the day that we saw first light on this earth and the
events that followed thereafter.... right up to this
very moment. (To understand this space you are in,
and maybe also to start a process in your mind
where you might become aware of or recognise
patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviour that
might keep you back.)
Over the last ten years, wonderful research was done to help us to understand a little
better. Particularly research confirming the ability of the human mind. I would like to stop
here for a while as I want to make you aware of how our thoughts, feelings and behaviour
could be hijacked by a part of our brain called the Amygdala, depending how it was
programmed. Yes, you heard correctly, how it was programmed. We will, however, be
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Conscious Mind Can only distinguish between right and wrong and true and false
Subconscious Mind Cannot distinguish between right and wrong and true and false
coming back to the ability of the human mind and its ability to either give us wings or
bring us down confirming that we are losers.
Heard the Recent News? You have been Hijacked!
Many years ago, when we were all still in the trees only
a small part of the brain as we know it today existed –
called the Amygdala. And the function of the
Amygdala (I like to refer to her as Mrs Amygdala) was
to scan the environment for danger and make sure we
are safe. So, as this part of the brain was the only
known part, pathways that stimuli followed within the
brain were very simple: scan…if danger, instruct to
run!). But as we became more complex the rest of the
brain developed, called the new cortex and with this, pathways became more complex
as “other neighbours” moved into the “top storey” with Mrs Amygdala. These “other
neighbours” started to deal with some specialised functions. Stimuli therefore did not go
like in the past directly to Mrs Amygdala, but to a part of the cortex responsible for
decoding it into brain language, then off to another part and eventually sent to Mrs
Amygdala who would then use the information to determine whether we are safe or not
(remember she still has the function to protect us…or one of her functions).
As to ensure our safety, one can understand that this complicated business in the top
storey led to Mrs Amygdala’s neurosis. So, in a way she felt that she lost too much control
and that the complex pathways (the way s that stimuli follow in the brain before we can
give meaning to...) within the brain took too long to get to her, placing her host (you and
me) at risk. Mrs Amygdala decided she needed to take things in her own hands to get this
information into the brain quicker and faster. Her solution was literally to eavesdrop on all
the information coming into the brain.
Now the only way for me to explain the consequence of her eavesdropping is to
compare it with someone who is listening to a conversation through a door. What’s the risk
in listening to a conversation in this way (apart from the fact that you might also be
caught out)? You might not get the full story! Or you might only get the tail end of the
conversation. Keep in mind that she now makes major decisions on the information
available to her…
Keeping in mind that every experience you and I have had since birth, good and/or bad,
is literally stored in little pictures in the Amygdala: what I call Mrs Amygdala’s art gallery.
So, when she scans the environment for danger using information available to her and she
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might find a slight match on a picture of the past, she will start tapping! To illustrate this,
let’s use an example.
To understand why our potential and achievement are reflected by conditioned beliefs
we need to look at our conscious and subconscious mind. Without going into
psychological jargon, for our purposes it can be said that our mind consists of the
conscious and subconscious.
It is like an iceberg: the conscious is the smaller part and the subconscious the bigger part.
A very important factor that must be kept in mind is that the conscious can distinguish
between what is right or wrong, true or false, whilst the subconscious cannot differentiate
between right and wrong or true or false. It is like the memory of a computer. Whatever is
put in, will stay there. It cannot even be deleted or destroyed by a virus. The only way to
get rid of the information is to reprogram it.
The subconscious is, therefore, like a plot of fertile soil - whatever is sown will grow. We all
know that if you plant bean seeds, you cannot expect to reap anything other than beans.
If negativity is programmed into the subconscious, you will get back negativity and self-
critical behaviour. It is, therefore, logical that whenever your subconscious has accepted
a belief or an idea, be it true or false, it will continue to feed you with thoughts to support
that belief. You will see later on how these ideas/beliefs/pictures/patterns of thinking can
affect your brain and of course your behaviour. At this point in time, it is enough for us to
realise that the subconscious, which is the bigger part of the mind, affects our thoughts,
mind, attitude and behaviour.
Conditioned Beliefs
Depending on how the subconscious mind has been programmed, is what determines
the glasses that you and I put on our faces and how we look at the world…creating our
reality.
Le Roux & De Klerk (2001) tried to explain conditioned beliefs as follows (though they refer
to it as assumptions in an attempt to reiterate that assumptions are not always based on
facts or rational processes):
“Consider the following: A person’s core beliefs (that includes our assumptions,
preconceptions and prejudices) can be described as his “truth”, his belief about how
things work and ought to work. These convictions are learnt from early childhood onwards
and form a large part of a person’s make-up. People are brought up with certain
preconceived ideas with which they test life”.
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With this they mean that all these socially learnt and conditioned beliefs together forms a
very strong system that is used as a paradigm to assess, understand (explain) and give
meaning to our environment and all thoughts, feelings and behaviour. How we assess,
understand (explain) and give meaning to space we find ourselves in at a specific
moment, will create our reality. This reality might therefore differ from person to person
depending on a person’s programmed belief system (all stored in the subconscious mind.
Using one’s belief system in giving meaning to our perceptions and experiences, we
attempt to file all in little boxes with a label so that we understand it. It seems to be very
important to the human being to be able to ‘box’ experiences and perceptions and it
creates a feeling of having control over one’s environment and destiny. As soon as we
have difficulty in fitting these elements into our created boxes, the feeling of not
understanding increases, also then the feeling of not having control which most often
increases anxiety. Behaviour might reflect the difficulty of coping with our own realities.
These belief systems are so strongly imbedded and real and form part of our daily
existence that we very seldom actually challenge them or just think of the possibility that
some of these belief systems might be either distorted, untrue or irrational. Confronting
one’s own belief system and facing up to a possibility that it could be untrue, confronts
one’s whole being and existence. In order to keep the ship more even keeled when
waters might become somewhat rough, we often rather stick to past conditioned beliefs
to give meaning to our own realities. The thought of changing these beliefs are so
traumatic that people might even prefer to abdicate their own realities, no matter how
destructive it might be. The fear to move to a different reality (by changing irrational
beliefs), even knowing that changing might lead to a more constructive, fulfilled and
meaningful life, might be so deeply routed that they might decide to rather “keep things
as is”.
An example: Why do you think a woman who gets beaten-up and is abused by her
husband goes back to him every night? Simple! It is easier to live with a certainty that
when her husband comes home tonight, it’s most likely that he is going to be drunk,
verbally and physically abusive towards her (it’s near a guaranteed fact), and it creates
less fear than considering the option to move into an unknown reality, even though the
evidence might be strong enough to indicate a better life. Eventually accepting a belief
that this is how life is – difficult, intended to suffer – and though they might acknowledge a
different meaningful reality, they have also come to believe that this different reality is for
other people and not meant for them.
Beliefs are usually the result of absolutist thinking about yourself, others and the world and
promote beliefs like: “If something bad can happen in this situation, it will happen to me”
or “I must be the best in everything in order for other people to accept me”, or “I should
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not say too much because others will notice how little I know.” And as indicated earlier,
these destructive and irrational belief systems become a self-fulfilling prophecy! We will
later come back to this idea during our journey.
!
As a manager our belief systems will give meaning to:
What do I believe about... Relationships... Own and others’ needs…The world… My or
others’ rights… The roles I play…
Mistakes… Feelings… Problems…Trust…
Said differently, depending on my own programmed / conditioned beliefs whether
positive or negative, I will take information (rational or irrational) from my environment that
will either confirm old beliefs I have or disproof new options to a perceived reality. For
example: If I have a limiting self-belief dating back to when I was a child where my father
continuously told me that I am just as stupid as my mother’s family, every perceived failure
in the present and future will be an confirmation that my father was right! I am as stupid as
my mother’s family! Keeping not only your own low self-worth in place but it also defines
your criteria for success.
Here is a short exercise Le Roux & De Klerk (2001) suggests that might help: Page ! I The Da Vinci Institute I AngloGold Ashanti124
Test your negative deep-seated assumptions as hypotheses – take all the information into
account:
All words, situations and events which could prove that you are accepted even when you
are not the best. Experiment in order to prove your assumptions incorrect. Look at the
way people react to you in testing the assumption “I am without value.” When you
accept a new assumption (belief) e.g. “I am valuable,” be open to facts which prove this
correct, such as people greeting you, caring about you or your doing something of value
for another person. Start with a low risk assumption and test it.
A new belief may be the opposite of the old one or the absolutist belief may be qualified;
for instance:
“I find it difficult to cope with new situations, but I am able to if I really try.” It takes time to
believe in a new assumption. Be on the lookout for evidence (events/experiences) from
your past which prove your new assumption to be correct. It may be that people have
always talked to you easily and cared about you, but that you have lost sight of this. Your
assumptions and convictions have developed over a long time and they may take long
time to change.
The first step is just to realise that they might be wrong! It is important to get to the bottom
of your assumptions. You can do this by asking yourself a few questions about them, for
example: “I should not say too much because others will realise how little I know.”
Ask yourself: If that is true what will happen? “They will not like me.”
If that is true what will happen? “I will be alone and will feel rejected.”
Do this until you come to the heart of it in order for you to do something about it or to
realise how irrational your assumptions are.
CONVICTIONS/ASSUMPTIONS/PREJUDICES
ARE LEARNT BY
CONDITIONING
(Continues reinforcement and repetition)
WHICH LEADS TO
CERTAIN EXPECTATIONS
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WHICH HAVE CERTAIN
BEHAVIOUR AS A RESULT.
THIS BEHAVIOUR BECOMES A HABIT.
If you live according to a certain frame of reference, e.g. “I will always have a problem
and will never be successful,” you’ll have the expectations that this will always be true.
Everything which happens around you and to you will be from this perspective and you
will only see that which confirms your expectations.
You will ignore the positive events or think of reasons why they are not applicable to you.
You only believe in what you want to believe and what proves your convictions to be true.
When your employer gives you a compliment you will reject it with various reasons as to
why he did it, e.g. “He wants something from me.”
“Be careful what you look for because
you will find it.”
- Anonymous
Positive assumptions give energy to enjoy yourself and your relationships. Look carefully at
the following quotation from Victor Frankl:
“I discovered the ultimate freedom, the ability to choose your attitude irrespective of
circumstance.”
The following quotation relates to this as well:
“Attitude is the mind’s paintbrush – it can colour any situation.”
- Anonymous
Your interpretations regarding situations/events are strongly influenced by your beliefs
(assumptions/convictions) that you have. Irrational assumptions give rise to negative
interpretations. The fewer irrational assumptions you have, the more energy you will have
to enjoy yourself and your friends. Irrational assumptions are learnt early in life. They are like
a bad habit that can’t be unlearnt. Take a look at the following :
Beliefs
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Read the following general assumptions* and decide which of them describe how you
feel. Re-read them and indicate which are rational and which irrational.
Everybody must always like me,me and approve of my actions otherwise I feel
absolutely miserable and totally useless.
It would be pleasant if everybody liked me, but I can survive without the approval of
most people. It is only the approval of close friends and people with “power” over me
(like my employer) about which I should be concerned.I have to be perfect and
competent in all respects before I will regard myself as worth something.
My personal values do not depend on how perfect or competent I am. Although I try
to be as competent as possible, I am a valuable person irrespective of how well I do
things.
People who are bad, like myself should be blamed and punished to prevent them from
doing bad things in future.
It is important mot to repeat the same mistakes in future. I need not blame or punish
myself for what happened in the past.
It is a total catastrophe and so intolerable that I cannot bear it if things are not the way
I want them to be.
There is no reason why the world should be the way I want it to be. It is important to
cope with life as it is. I should not complain about the fact that things are not just or the
way I want them to be.
If there is a possibility that something really bad might happen, I will constantly think
about it as if it is indeed going to happen.
I will do my best to avoid future unpleasantness. Thereafter I will not concern myself
about anything. I refuse to be frightened by the question: “What if it happens?”
It is easier to avoid problems and the responsibility they entail than to cope with them.
In the long run it is easier/better to cope with problems and the responsibility they entail
than to avoid them.
I need someone stronger than myself to rely on.
I am strong enough to rely on myself.
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I have been like this since childhood and I cant change.
I can change myself at any stage during my life when I decide that it is in my interest to
do so.
I should get miserable and depressed when other people have problems.
To help other people and have empathy with them does not mean that U should get
depressed about it or get involved in their problems. How can I help them if I am
depressed myself?
It is bad and unbearable if I have to do things that I do not want or like to do.
I will not allow things that I cannot change to upset me.
OK, let me mention some facts to illustrate my point of what the impact of our
subconscious mind and the way it has been programmed has on our daily lives. Before I
go further, please understand that I am
not using the following examples to
illustrate how bad we were parented or
how bad we are parenting, but rather
to make us aware of how we were
conditioned. Also to have a laugh or
two as we start to understand this
process better. So first I want to share
this short video clip i got from an student
of mine... well, you will understand! It’s
called THE MOM’S SONG...
What can I Say...?!
Statements we grew up with
Taking the above into account, listed below is a number of remarks made by parents
whilst bringing up children. Please tick those that are of relevance to you, and think about
what these remarks have led you to believe about yourself and about life (PP van
Jaarsveld):
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Statement Yes No
“Be careful … you will get hurt.”
“Don’t interrupt me.”
“Children should be seen and not heard.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Be quiet.”
“Be nice.”
“Don’t be angry.”
“Don’t be lazy.”
“Remember God is watching you.”
“If you are naughty I am going to call the police.”
“Only sissies cry.”
“Don’t you question me.”
“What will other people think?”
“Don’t try to be smart with me.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“Be grateful for small mercies.”
“If you only get 65%, it means you did not know 35% of
the work”
“I did not expect that from you.”
“You may not be pretty, but at least you are clever.”
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Things that only a mother can teach …
Also for the fun of it, look at the following table: Things that only a mother can teach. Can
you associate with it? The way we think actually imprints on a cellular level...
My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION:
“Just wait until your father gets home.”
My Mother taught me about RECEIVING:
“You are going to get it when we get home!”
My Mother taught me ESP:
“Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold!”
My Mother taught me HUMOUR:
“When that lawnmower cuts off your toes, do not come running to me.”
My Mother taught me about GENETICS:
“You are just like your father.”
My Mother taught me about my ROOTS:
“Do you think you were born in a barn!”
My Mother taught me about JUSTICE:
“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.Then you’ll see
what it’s like.”
My Mother taught me RELIGION:
“You had better pray that stain comes out of the carpet.
My Mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL:
“If you don’t straighten up, I am going to knock you into the middle of next
week!”
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My Mother taught me FORESIGHT:
“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re involved in an
accident.”
My Mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS:
“Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”
Considering all the above, it becomes more evident that our minds and bodies are
inseparable. My colleague, Pieter van Jaarsveld, after a visit to the USA, tells the story
about a woman who had a heart transplant…
He began to read more about this and found several examples of cases to support this.
There are many people who have received a donor kidney, liver or heart and have in fact
begun to relive the memories of the donor. Still somewhat in disbelieve, he was
confronted by a person attending one of his workshops in Cape Town with the following
story…
These stories all point to one inescapable fact: that our mind and body are inseparable!
Our beliefs and thoughts affect our bodies, and are completely interrelated.
Looking at other research, Chopra refers to research where placebos were given to
patients. 30% of these patients experienced the same relief they would have, had they
been given the genuine painkiller tablet. The body is, therefore, capable of producing
almost any biochemical that the mind suggests.
This has remarkable implications for our well-being. We are able to programme our minds
to have a positive physical impact on our bodies, i.e. the mind can compel the body to
secrete positive hormones. We can even programme our minds to retain youthfulness,
through the power of the mind! It is enough to know that the mind and body are
intricately interlinked. Let’s investigate how this incredible fact can be used to determine
our well-being. Before we get to this, it may be interesting to look at the mind-boggling
evidence regarding the intelligence of the heart.
Intelligence of the heart
Children and Martin say that for many of us, the heart is merely an organ that pumps the
blood through our bodies – a function that is controlled by the brain through the
autonomic nervous system; nothing more than the pump house of the body. We are
inclined to forget that the heart begins beating in the unborn fetes long before the
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emotional brain or rational mind is formed. The emotional mind is in
existence long before the rational mind. The beating heart is there
before either of these. This tells us a great deal about the relationship of
thought to feeling!
Neuroscientists have discovered that the heart has its own independent
nervous system that can actually be called the ‘brain’ of the heart. There are signals sent
from the heart that can affect the Amygdala, thalamus and the cortex.
The brain usually sends a message to the heart, and the heart responds to this message. It
is, however, evident that the heart responds selectively to the message from the brain and
can even slow down its response, rather than merely responding automatically to the
message. The heart’s response is thus dependent on the specific task of the moment. The
heart can even send a message back to the brain, which the brain obeys. A message
from the heart can actually influence a person’s behaviour. The heart can influence our
perceptions, emotions and awareness.Intelligence and behaviour
Intelligence and Behaviour of the Heart
Research has shown that human beings, by focusing on the heart area and experiencing
feelings such as love, appreciation and care, can shift their heart rhythms, which leads to
the secretion of biochemicals that can affect every organ in the body.
Positive emotions such as happiness, appreciation, compassion, care, and love increase
the secretion of a very important hormone, namely DHEA. The level of DHEA is increased
and this boosts the levels of IgA (immunoglobulin P), which makes us more resistant to
infections and disease. The secretion of DHEA suppresses the stress hormone, cortisol.
Excessive cortisol is not only an indication of high stress levels, but can attack your
concentration, as well as your memory. It can even result in brain damage. DHEA, on the
other hand, is a vitality and anti-ageing hormone. It is not only a precursor of the sex
hormones oestrogen and testosterone, but research shows that people with major
diseases have low levels of DHEA. This emphasises the importance of DHEA for a healthy
body!
As previously mentioned, it suppresses the secretion of cortisol.
We will go into too much detail regarding how the feelings of the heart reduce the
activity of the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for higher heart beat and the
release of stress hormones), and increase the activity of the parasympathetic nervous
system (slows the heart rate, relaxes the body), since that is for the academics. Page ! I The Da Vinci Institute I AngloGold Ashanti132
From the quantum-physics we know that our thoughts are changed to biochemical
messages. These biochemical messages are distributed through the blood to all the cells
of the body. Every “cell” thus feels exactly what we are feeling. We must remember that
our thoughts allow us to have control over the functions of the cells. It is important that we
remember the following, for both our physical well-being and stress management:
The mind and body are inseparably one.
Our thoughts affect our entire body.
The heart has an intelligence that can be used to determine our physical well-being.
The use of emotions such as love, compassion, courage, tolerance, patience, sincerity,
forgiveness, appreciation, and care can reduce symptoms of stress, such as a high
heart rate, insomnia, fatigue, tension, indigestion and body aches.
Negative thoughts and feelings, such as anger, jealousy and judgemental thoughts
tend to deplete our energy.
We need to be able to manage our emotions if we want to live a healthy and fulfilling
life.
DHEA and IgA are positive hormones, necessary for a healthy life.
Cortisol is the stress hormone, and a high level of this hormone has damaging effects on
the body.
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Techniques to Overcome Emotional History
Reframing
In its purest form, reframing is an applied thinking technique, where you change the
context under which a person would view something. Having set this new context, you
then ask that the person to imagine the issue at hand from this new context. This means
that you ask an individual to examine something from a completely different perspective
from their usual comfort zone. An applied example would be to ask security officers to
look at their areas of protection from the perspective of criminals - this approach gives
new insight and often leads to applied creativity. In essence you create a number of ways
of looking at assumptions.
Changing Self-Talk
Out of control emotions can make intelligent people behave in a stupid way. A more
realistic self-talk can lead to a higher emotional competence and more effective
behaviour. Unrealistic, negative self-talk can lead to negativity, negative feelings, and
depression. Negative feelings lead to the secretion of cortisol and suppress the secretion
of DHEA, affecting the body’s immune system (Ig A).
Read
Reframing Organisations (Bolman & Deal, 2008)�
Reflection
At the end of the discussion, and afer you have reflected on this specific
topic, summarise your own thoughts and opinions and eventually your
understanding of the topic.
�
Reflection
At the end of the discussion, and afer you have reflected on this specific �
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Visualisation
Through visualisation, we can use our mind power to achieve our desires and goals.
Visualisation is the use of one’s imagination to see oneself in a future situation that has not
yet occurred. A person pictures the results he wants to achieve. Through visualisation, a
person is able to mentally achieve what he physically wants to achieve. The reason for this
is the nervous system cannot tell the difference between an imagined or real goal. A
major reason for people not achieving their dreams and desires is that they do not utilise
visualisation.
Positive Affirmation
By programming the subconscious in a more positive manner, negative and self-critical
attitudes can be changed into a more positive belief system that would lead to a more
positive outlook on life, as well as higher levels of self-confidence and self-regard. Personal
mastery would lead to star performance. Positive self-esteem would generate more
positive emotions, resulting in the secretion of positive hormones such as DHEA and
endorphins, as well as an increase in Ig A levels.
Reflection
At the end of the discussion, and afer you have reflected on this specific
topic, summarise your own thoughts and opinions and eventually your
understanding of the topic.�
Reflection
At the end of the discussion, and afer you have reflected on this specific
topic, summarise your own thoughts and opinions and eventually your
understanding of the topic.�
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Some help..
More Accurate/Rational Beliefs
Reflection
At the end of the discussion, and afer you have reflected on this specific
topic, summarise your own thoughts and opinions and eventually your
understanding of the topic.�
More Accurate/Rational Beliefs False/irrational Beliefs
You have the right to change your
mind
You do not need the approval of
others in order to cope
You have the right to say you “don’t
know” or “don’t understand”
You may make decisions without using
logic
You must never make mistakes as they
can inconvenience others
You should never change your mind
once you have committed yourself as
you will be seen as irresponsible
It is very important that people like you
as you need the cooperation of others
to survive
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More Accurate/Rational Beliefs False/irrational Beliefs
You have the right to say “I don’t care”
You have the right to choose to help
someone or not – others problems do
not have to become yours
If you don’t know or understand the
answers to any questions you are
irresponsible and need to be controlled
by those who know better
You must follow logic because it makes
better decisions than any of us
You must always strive to be perfect
You cannot refuse someone asking for
help
Any Others you can think of... Any more you can think of...
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Time to Practice
A B C D E F
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Let’s start at the beginning – with myself!
“The longest journey we will ever take”
My levels of Influence (how I impact on my world…)
Now, as leadership refers to someone’s level of influence or impact, let’s do the following
exercise:
Level of influence : Closer to home
Now, lets bring it even closer to home. Think about the level of influence (impact) YOU
have at :
Please think of a person, anyone who you would say had a great impact
on your life. This maybe in a personal or occupational capacity. Then
think what that impact was and why; and also how it still impacts on your
life today�
Marital Relationship
�
Children :
�
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Your Community
�
Now, please list some of your sub-ordinates, and think how you might
impact on their lives (personal or occupational) – difficult one, but I need
you to think about it…
Name How do YOU influence their life’s
�
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Your reflection after this exercise ….
�
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Change Readiness : A Metaphor of understanding
Capture your transformation journey
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Current Story?
Write your personal storie that will reflect your current state of functioning. You are most
welcome to write or show case your story in any format you wish to. If you struglle, use
the folowing questions to (only) guide you with writing your story?
Introduce yourself
Start by introducing yourself. Consentrate to introduce the person who
you are today; not the persoan you were or even who you would like to
be. The person modt peole would recognise as you introduce yourself.
State who you are, where you live, work and what you do for a living.
Describe yourself :
Physically
Your Personality (the type of person you are …)
The things you enjoy in life
Things that gets your back up in life
With whom do you share your life with (important others) …
�
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How would you describe the quality of the relationships your have in your life and indicate how importnat these relationships are to you…
How do they make your life different? How do they influence your life?
How would you judge your current experience of personal life :
Based on your judgement above, and explain why you chose to rate your current life experience as “………………………………”
Do you think it can change (Improve or getting even better?)
What do you think needs to happen in order for you to inprove on your current state of happiness?
�
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Your current work environment
Please go ahead and do exactly the same with your work situation, as you have just
done reflecting on your current state of your personal life.
How would you describe the quality of your working relationships and indicate how importnat these relationships are to you…
Thinking about the above, how would you judge your work experience :
Based on your judgement above, list the things in your life that currently contribute to your current experience.
What do you think needs to happen in order for you to inprove on your current state of happiness?
What have you done up to now to change your experience of your current state?
�
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How you relate to change
The intent of the following section is to reflect on how you perceive change and how it
impacts on you both personally as well as at work. Remember this is for your eyes only;
so please be as honnest with yourself as you can.
How do you perceive change?
Discibe how change effects …
You?
Your family?
Your relationships?
Your work environment?
Your ability to be an effective supervisor and execute your accountabilities?
�
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List the areas of your work that change effect most
How does change effect you :
Emotionally
Behavior
Thoughts
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Finding Purpose and Meaning
There are two important days in your life … The day you have been born and the day
you find out why …
Mark Twain
Unfortunitely too many people look for this answer their whole life, never to arrive at in
this space where meaning, happiness and the ability to grow into your true potential
How do you perceive change?
Discibe how change effects …
You?
Your family?
Your relationships?
Your work environment?
�
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Your ability to be an effective supervisor and execute your accountabilities?
List the areas of your work that change effect most
How does change effect you :
Emotionally
Behavior
Thoughts
The law of attractionPage ! I The Da Vinci Institute I AngloGold Ashanti149
The law of attraction
What do you really want from/out of life?
�
On a personal level?
�
Occupational level?
�
What stands in my way?
�
What have/can you do about that?Page ! I The Da Vinci Institute I AngloGold Ashanti150
Challenge you to watch
After you have watched the Secret, please go back to my earlier question on : What do
you REALLY want?
Do you want to adjust / change your answers? Then do it!
Now, how does your experience of the video impact on or add to the subject at hand? (If
any)
What have/can you do about that?
�
Other additional comments…
�
Now, how does your experience of the video impact on or add to the
subject at hand? (If any)
�
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The Programming of the Amygdala
With this task you are going to explore past experiences in your life as well as past FIRST
HAND EXPERIENCE being managed! To do this I need you to think explore the following
(Hopefully I will remember where this road is leading us shortly…)
Your feeling/perception of managed by your manager as a result of past experiences
within your working environment. Also consider the following before formulating your
answer:
Positive Experiences you had with your manager, with an example.
Negative Experiences you had with a manager, with an example
Looking back over your long career path (some of us cant even remember how long…),
think of two positive events that really added value to you as a person either personal or
professional.
Any other experiences…
�
How does that still impact on your way of doing still today?
�
Now do the same with your negative/traumatic experiences by naming
two examples and how does that still impact on your life today?�
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Now do the same with your negative/traumatic experiences by naming
two examples and how does that still impact on your life today?
�
As a Supervisor, think of (with examples) situations where your superior
gave you positive feedback/recognition for a task well done. How did
that impact on you then and still now?
�
Now do the same with examples of the most traumatic experience within
your working environment. How does that still impact on your life still
today?�
Now lets do the same with childhood experiences. First the positive and
then the negative. And how did that impact on your life and still today?
Past experiences impacts on our mindsets (the glasses through which
we look at Coaching). Determining our Attitudes towards Coaching
and Direct impact on the effectiveness and outcome (success)�
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We all have a history…
!
Keeping all the above in mind, how did that influence your …
My general view of the world. How I perceive and experience people in general, my
expectations from them (including husband, children, superiors, colleagues and sub-
ordinates) and this ONLY ADDS (=) UP to:
The way that I think about them will determine the way I will feel towards them and eventually will act/behave towards!
A. View of yourself:
�
B. Your Beliefs
�
C. View others
�
D. View the World�
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D. View the World
�
E. How you view your people reportig to you and how you influence
them…�
F. Impacts on how they work & perform
�
G. How they succeed …
�
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The research is very clear about this indicating how our Past Experience becomes the
glasses through which we look at managing people). Determining our attitudes towards
how you would interact and has direct impact on the effectiveness and success you will
have a s a supervisor.
Thus : Without patronising you, would you please translate this for yourself, what this
means for you as manager and how that relate to your levels of influence…
NOTE:
You remember the Lady living in the top story…? Remember the Five EQ Competencies:
Personal
Social Competencies
Emotional Wellness
Innovative Abilities
Ability to deal with Stress
All of the above have a direct impact on the success I would have as a leader or in this
case, how successful I would be as a manager.
Now, please list some of your sub-ordinates, and think how you might
impact on their lives (personal or occupational) – difficult one, but I need
you to think about it…
Mindset
Attitude
Altitude
�
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May I conclude this short introduction of our exploratative journey into ourselves before
continuing onto the next learning ?
We all have baggage! It means that we are not so different than anyone else… Just as
the past often (for us that are less emotionally intelligent) contaminates our behaviour in
the present, the same goes for my subordinates or those I will have to coach. The other
lesson from this is to remember that our past experiences does not only have the possibility
to hijack present behaviour it also impact on
How we Listen and what we Hear
And What we see ...
Please spend some time on the following questions (on your own). When you come back,
I promise I will not put you on the spot with specific content… So really be as honest as
you can and let your mind go…
Be very brave with yourself! Can you think of how the above principle
plays/playing itself off in your workplace. Situations where your attitude
actually could have limit the outcome/behaviour of a sub-ordinate?
Remember the examples again…�
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Prejudices
Let me ask the question again after your thoughts on the above:
Insert clips on Perceptions of our worlds
What is your view and prejudices impact on your relationships with people
and how will it impact on (add to/hinder) your process of becoming a good
Manager?�
Be very honest with yourself! Can you think of how the above principle is
enacted in your workplace? Situations where your attitude actually could
have limited the outcome/behaviour of a subordinate? Remember the
examples again…�
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Biases
The role of the most advanced “Tool” you and I have on our ability to recognize and
develop potential and human talent … (and this has NOTHING to do with how good or
how bad we are …!)
(Learning from the Neuro Sciences)
The 12 cognitive biases that prevent you from being rational
GEORGE DVORSKY on IO9SUPERLIST 1/09/13 10:20am
The human brain is capable of 1016 processes per second, which makes it far more powerful
than any computer currently in existence. But that doesn't mean our brains don't have
major limitations. The lowly calculator can do math thousands of times better than we
can, and our memories are often less than useless — plus, we're subject to cognitive
biases, those annoying glitches in our thinking that cause us to make questionable
decisions and reach erroneous conclusions. Here are a dozen of the most common and
pernicious cognitive biases that you need to know about.
Before we start, it's important to distinguish between cognitive biases and logical fallacies.
A logical fallacy is an error in logical argumentation (e.g. ad hominem attacks, slippery
slopes, circular arguments, appeal to force, etc.). A cognitive bias, on the other hand, is a
genuine deficiency or limitation in our thinking — a flaw in judgment that arises from errors
of memory, social attribution, and miscalculations (such as statistical errors or a false sense
of probability).
Some social psychologists believe our cognitive biases help us process information more
efficiently, especially in dangerous situations. Still, they lead us to make grave mistakes. We
may be prone to such errors in judgment, but at least we can be aware of them. Here are
some important ones to keep in mind.
Confirmation Bias
We love to agree with people who agree with us. It's why we only visit websites that
express our political opinions, and why we mostly hang around people who hold similar
views and tastes. We tend to be put off by individuals, groups, and news sources that
make us feel uncomfortable or insecure about our views — what the behavioral
psychologist B. F. Skinner called cognitive dissonance. It's this preferential mode of behavior
that leads to the confirmation bias — the often unconscious act of referencing only those
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perspectives that fuel our pre-existing views, while at the same time ignoring or dismissing
opinions — no matter how valid — that threaten our world view. And paradoxically, the
internet has only made this tendency even worse.
Ingroup Bias
Somewhat similar to the confirmation bias is the ingroup bias, a manifestation of our
innate tribalistic tendencies. And strangely, much of this effect may have to do with
oxytocin — the so-called "love molecule." This neurotransmitter, while helping us to forge tighter
bonds with people in our ingroup, performs the exact opposite function for those on the outside — it
makes us suspicious, fearful, and even disdainful of others. Ultimately, the ingroup bias causes us
to overestimate the abilities and value of our immediate group at the expense of people
we don't really know.
Gambler's Fallacy
It's called a fallacy, but it's more a glitch in our thinking. We tend to put a tremendous
amount of weight on previous events, believing that they'll somehow influence future
outcomes. The classic example is coin-tossing. After flipping heads, say, five consecutive
times, our inclination is to predict an increase in likelihood that the next coin toss will be
tails — that the odds must certainly be in the favor of heads. But in reality, the odds are still
50/50. As statisticians say, the outcomes in different tosses are statistically independent
and the probability of any outcome is still 50%.
Relatedly, there's also the positive expectation bias — which often fuels gambling addictions. It's
the sense that our luck has to eventually change and that good fortune is on the way. It
also contribues to the "hot hand" misconception. Similarly, it's the same feeling we get
when we start a new relationship that leads us to believe it will be better than the last one.
Post-Purchase Rationalization
Remember that time you bought something totally unnecessary, faulty, or overly expense,
and then you rationalized the purchase to such an extent that you convinced yourself it
was a great idea all along? Yeah, that's post-purchase rationalization in action — a kind of
built-in mechanism that makes us feel better after we make crappy decisions, especially
at the cash register. Also known as Buyer's Stockholm Syndrome, it's a way of
subconsciously justifying our purchases — especially expensive ones. Social psychologists
say it stems from the principle of commitment, our psychological desire to stay consistent
and avoid a state of cognitive dissonance.
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Neglecting Probability
Very few of us have a problem getting into a car and going for a drive, but many of us
experience great trepidation about stepping inside an airplane and flying at 35,000 feet.
Flying, quite obviously, is a wholly unnatural and seemingly hazardous activity. Yet virtually
all of us know and acknowledge the fact that the probability of dying in an auto accident
is significantlygreater than getting killed in a plane crash — but our brains won't release us
from this crystal clear logic (statistically, we have a 1 in 84 chance of dying in a vehicular accident, as
compared to a 1 in 5,000 chance of dying in an plane crash [other sources indicate odds as high as
1 in 20,000]). It's the same phenomenon that makes us worry about getting killed in an act
of terrorism as opposed to something far more probable, like falling down the stairs or
accidental poisoning.
This is what the social psychologist Cass Sunstein calls probability neglect — our inability to properly
grasp a proper sense of peril and risk — which often leads us to overstate the risks of relatively
harmless activities, while forcing us to overrate more dangerous ones.
Observational Selection Bias
This is that effect of suddenly noticing things we didn't notice that much before — but we
wrongly assume that the frequency has increased. A perfect example is what happens
after we buy a new car and we inexplicably start to see the same carvirtually everywhere.
A similar effect happens to pregnant women who suddenly notice a lot of other pregnant
women around them. Or it could be a unique number or song. It's not that these things
are appearing more frequently, it's that we've (for whatever reason) selected the item in
our mind, and in turn, are noticing it more often. Trouble is, most people don't recognize
this as a selectional bias, and actually believe these items or events are happening with
increased frequency — which can be a very disconcerting feeling. It's also a cognitive
bias that contributes to the feeling that the appearance of certain things or events
couldn't possibly be a coincidence (even though it is).
Status-Quo Bias
We humans tend to be apprehensive of change, which often leads us to make choices
that guarantee that things remain the same, or change as little as possible. Needless to
say, this has ramifications in everything from politics to economics. We like to stick to our
routines, political parties, and our favorite meals at restaurants. Part of the perniciousness
of this bias is the unwarranted assumption that another choice will be inferior or make
things worse. The status-quo bias can be summed with the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix
it" — an adage that fuels our conservative tendencies. And in fact, some commentators
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say this is why the U.S. hasn't been able to enact universal health care, despite the fact that most
individuals support the idea of reform.
Negativity Bias
People tend to pay more attention to bad news — and it's not just because we're morbid.
Social scientists theorize that it's on account of our selective attention and that, given the
choice, we perceive negative news as being more important or profound. We also tend
to give more credibility to bad news, perhaps because we're suspicious (or bored) of
proclamations to the contrary. More evolutionarily, heeding bad news may be more
adaptive than ignoring good news (e.g. "saber tooth tigers suck" vs. "this berry tastes
good"). Today, we run the risk of dwelling on negativity at the expense of genuinely good
news. Steven Pinker, in his book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, argues
that crime, violence, war, and other injustices are steadily declining, yet most people
would argue that things are getting worse — what is a perfect example of the negativity
bias at work.
Bandwagon Effect
Though we're often unconscious of it, we love to go with the flow of the crowd. When the
masses start to pick a winner or a favorite, that's when our individualized brains start to shut
down and enter into a kind of "groupthink" or hivemind mentality. But it doesn't have to be
a large crowd or the whims of an entire nation; it can include small groups, like a family or
even a small group of office co-workers. The bandwagon effect is what often causes
behaviors, social norms, and memes to propagate among groups of individuals —
regardless of the evidence or motives in support. This is why opinion polls are often
maligned, as they can steer the perspectives of individuals accordingly. Much of this bias
has to do with our built-in desire to fit in and conform, as famously demonstrated by the
Asch Conformity Experiments.
Projection Bias
As individuals trapped inside our own minds 24/7, it's often difficult for us to project outside
the bounds of our own consciousness and preferences. We tend to assume that most
people think just like us — though there may be no justification for it. This cognitive
shortcoming often leads to a related effect known as the false consensus bias where we
tend to believe that people not only think like us, but that they also agree with us. It's a
bias where we overestimate how typical and normal we are, and assume that a
consensus exists on matters when there may be none. Moreover, it can also create the
effect where the members of a radical or fringe group assume that more people on the
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outside agree with them than is the case. Or the exaggerated confidence one has when
predicting the winner of an election or sports match.
The Current Moment Bias
We humans have a really hard time imagining ourselves in the future and altering our
behaviors and expectations accordingly. Most of us would rather experience pleasure in
the current moment, while leaving the pain for later. This is a bias that is of particular
concern to economists (i.e. our unwillingness to not overspend and save money) and
health practitioners. Indeed, a 1998 study showed that, when making food choices for the
coming week, 74% of participants chose fruit. But when the food choice was for the
current day, 70% chose chocolate.
Anchoring Effect
Also known as the relativity trap, this is the tendency we have to compare and contrast
only a limited set of items. It's called the anchoring effect because we tend to fixate on a
value or number that in turn gets compared to everything else. The classic example is an
item at the store that's on sale; we tend to see (and value) the difference in price, but not
the overall price itself. This is why some restaurant menus feature very expensive entrees,
while also including more (apparently) reasonably priced ones. It's also why, when given a
choice, we tend to pick the middle option — not too expensive, and not too cheap.
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The use of Self-Assessments in our learning journey
Referring back to the intent of the Johari Window, to enlarge the Open Area (increase
self-awareness …
Formal self-assessments of psychometric assessments is an objective way to come to
understand our own needs, preferences swell as those who reports to us.
Preference Profile
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Myers and Briggs were a mother-daughter team, both novelists. They were interested in
finding ways in which they could get to know what a reader’s preferences were, so that
they could write best sellers. With this question in mind, they went searching for answers in
different psychological theories and eventually ended up with Jung.
As they began to develop this questionnaire, the American Psychological Association
decided to become involved in the project. Their function was to see that this
questionnaire was scientifically founded.
Three factors are of the utmost importance when developing a questionnaire that is
scientifically founded:
One needs to know this is not a Huisgenoot/You questionnaire that has been thought
out overnight and published the next day.
If a person is tested today, in two weeks time or in two years time, the results should be
more or less the same.
If, for instance, we were to measure morals, we would have to make sure that we were
in fact measuring morals, and not aptitude for that matter. We must be able to
compare apples with apples, and more specifically, red apples with red apples.
Over the years a lot of research has been done on the MBTI and it is widely used in
industry. It is utilised to look at compatibility of teams, spouses and partners. This is not to
say that people are incompatible, but rather that because people differ from each other,
we are so much richer, as we can look at one problem from different angles and can
bring different creative solutions to the table. Because we differ from one another,
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however, we will be more prone to conflict. And because of this, we need to have
certain conflict management systems in place to deal with that conflict.
Today there is an international society on the MBTI, and an international conference was
held in South Africa in Sandton.
This project involving the development of the questionnaire was a life-long task.
Eventually the mother passed away and the daughter completed the project after 45
years. Most definitely not a huisgenoot/You questionnaire!
What is it all about?
It is important to note that the MBTI is a preference questionnaire, meaning that there are
no right or wrong answers. An example of how preferences work is: “I like coffee, but I
prefer tea” – this does not mean I don’t like coffee. In terms of the theory, there are eight
(8) preferences that cluster on four (4) poles:
!
For more information on the MBTI, please follow the link.
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The first letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the first letter of the
preference of general attitude – “E” for extraversion and “I” for introversion.
The second letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the preference within
the sensing-intuition dimension: “S” stands for sensing and “N” stands for intuition.
The third letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to preference within the
thinking-feeling pair: “T” stands for thinking and “F” stands for feeling.
The forth letter in the personality type acronym corresponds a person’s preference within
the judging-perceiving pair: “J” for judging and “P” for perception.
A Summary of Characteristics Frequently Associated with Each Type
Sensing Types Intuitive Types
ISTJ
Quiet, serious, earn success by
t h o r o u g h n e s s a n d
dependabil i ty. Practical,
matter-of-fact, realistic and
responsible. Decide logically
what should be done and work
towards it steadily, regardless of
distractions. Take pleasure in
making everything orderly and
organized – their work, their
home, their life. Value traditions
and loyalty.
ISFJ
Quiet, friendly, responsible, and
conscientious. Committed and
s t e a d y i n m e e t i n g t h e i r
o b l i g a t i o n s . T h o r o u g h ,
painstaking, and accurate.
Loyal, considerate, notice and
remember specif ics about
people who are important to
them. Concerned with how
others feel. Strive to create an
o r d e r l y a n d h a r m o n i o u s
environment at work and at
home.
INFJ
Seek meaning and connection
in ideas, relationships, and
material possessions. Want to
understand what motivates
people and are insightful about
others. Conscientious and
committed to their firm values.
Develop a clear vision about
how best to serve the common
good. Organised and decisive
in implementing their vision.
INTJ
Have original minds and great
drive for implementing their
ideas and achieving their goals.
Quickly see patterns in external
events and develop long-range
exp lanatory perspect ives .
When committed, organize a
job and car ry i t through.
Skeptical and independent,
h a v e h i g h s t a n d a r d s o f
competence and performance
– for themselves and others.
ISTP
Tolerant and flexible, quiet
observers unt i l a problem
appears, then act quickly to
find workable solutions. Analyse
what makes things work and
readi ly get through large
amounts of data to isolate the
core of practical problems.
Interested in cause and effect,
organize facts using logical
principles, value efficiency.
ISFP
Quite, friendly, sensitive, and
k ind. En joy the present
moment, what’s going on
around them. Like to have their
own space and to work within
their own time frames. Loyal
and committed to their values
a n d t o p e o p l e w h o a r e
important to them. Dis l ike
disagreements and conflicts, do
not force their opinions or values
on others.
INFP
Idealistic, loyal to their values
a n d t o p e o p l e w h o a r e
important to them. Want an
external life that is congruent
with their values. Curious, quick
to see possibilities, can be
catalysts for implementing
ideas. Seek to understand
people, and to help them fulfill
their potential. Adaptable,
flexible and accepting, unless a
value is threatened.
INTP
S e e k t o d e v e l o p l o g i c a l
explanations for everything that
interests them. Theoretical and
abstract, interested more in
ideas than in social interaction.
Quiet, contained, flexible and
adaptable. Have unusual ability
to focus in depth to solve
problems in thei r area of
interest. Skeptical, sometimes
critical, always analytical.
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Get to know your profile …
The MBTI is a non-threatening, learning document that you can now use to look at both
the positive areas, as well as your developmental areas. To help you with this, please do
the following:
1. Please read through your profile and highlight all that is applicable to you as a person.
Remember, this profile is written from the general population.
2. Then give it to someone who knows you very well. Other people often see aspects
within us that we are not aware of.
3. With all the information you have now, please summarize your profile:
ESTP
Flexible and tolerant, they take
a p r a g m a t i c a p p r o a c h ,
focused on immediate results.
Theo r ie s and conceptua l
explanations bore them – they
want to act energetically to
solve the problem. Focus on the
here-and-now, spontaneous,
enjoy each moment that they
can be active with others. Enjoy
material comforts and style.
Learn best through doing.
ESFP
O u t g o i n g , f r i e n d l y , a n d
accepting. Exuberant lovers of
l i fe, people, and mater ial
comforts. Enjoy working with
others to make things happen.
Bring common sense and a
realistic approach to their work,
and make work fun. Flexible
and spontaneous, adapt rapidly
t o n e w p e o p l e a n d
environments. Learn best by
trying a new skill with other
people.
ENFP
Wa r m l y e n t h u s i a s t i c a n d
imaginative. See life as full of
possibilities. Make connections
b e t w e e n e v e n t s a n d
information very quickly, and
confidently proceed based on
the patterns they see. Want a
lot of affirmation from others,
and readily given appreciation
and support. Spontaneous and
flexible, often relying on their
ability to improvise and their
verbal fluency.
ENTP
Quick, ingenious, stimulating,
a l e r t , a n d o u t s p o k e n .
Resourceful in solving new and
challenging problems. Adept at
g e n e r a t i n g c o n c e p t u a l
possibilities and then analyzing
them strategically. Good at
reading other people. Bored by
routine, will seldom do the same
thing the same way, apt to turn
to one new interest after
another.
ESTJ
Practical, realistic, matter-of-
fact. Decisive, quickly move to
implement decisions. Organise
projects and people to get
things done, focus on getting
results in the most efficient way
possible. Take care of routine
details. Have a clear set of
logical standards, systematically
follow them and want others to
do the same. Forceful in
implementing their plans.
ESFJ
Warmhearted, conscientious,
a n d c o o p e r a t i v e . W a n t
harmony in their environment,
work with determination to
establish it. Like to work with
o ther s to complete task s
accurately and on time. Loyal,
follow through even in small
matters. Notice what others
need in their day-by-day lives,
and try to provide this. Want to
be appreciated for who they
are and what they contribute.
ENFJ
Warm, empathetic, responsive,
and responsible. Highly attuned
to the emotions, needs and
motivations of others. Find
potential in everyone, want to
help others fulfill their potential.
May act as cata ly s t s fo r
individual and group growth.
Loyal, responsive to praise and
criticism. Sociable, facilitate
others in a group, and provide
inspiring leadership.
ENTJ
F r a n k , d e c i s i v e , a s s u m e
leadership readily. Quickly see
i l l o g i c a l a n d i n e f f i c i e n t
p rocedures and po l i c i e s ,
d e v e l o p a n d i m p l e m e n t
comprehensive systems to solve
organizational problems. Enjoy
long-term planning and goal
setting. Usually well informed,
well read, enjoy expanding their
knowledge and passing it on to
others. Forceful in presenting
their ideas.
Summary of My Profile
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Summary of My Profile
�
After doing so, please list all the positive qualities within your profile
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Now do the same with the pitfalls within your profile. These are the
developmental areas you need to integrate into your greater development
plan.�
Bearing in mind the above, what is the value that you bring to the team?
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Get to know your profile …
ENFJ ENFP
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Teacher The Champion
ENTJ ENTP
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Commander The Visionary
ESFJ ESFP
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Provider The Performer
ESTJ ESTP
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Supervisor The Dynamo
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Get to know your profile … (comtinued)
INFJ INFP
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Counselor The Healer
INTJ ISFJ
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Mastermind The Protector
ISFP ISTJ
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Composer The Inspector
ISTP INTP
Overview Overview
At Work At Work
Relationships Relationships
Resource Resource
Video Clip Video Clip
The Craftsman The Architect
http://www.truity.com/ Blog
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