Zen Meditation at St. Francis Xavier

Zen Meditation practice is available to all parishioners.  People come to meditate here for different reasons.  Many have a curiosity about meditation, and stay to have it satisfied.  (Beginners are especially encouraged.)  Some use the practice to energize their work in other ministries. Others use it as a way to deepen their own spiritual practices.  All are welcome, whether they come once, occasionally, or every week.

Zen practice raises energy and clarity and reminds us to be fully alive at each moment.   People of many faiths have discovered in Zen practice a profound connection to life.

Through this practice of stillness and awareness, we wake to a world of wonder and gratitude for life in all its aspects- in its splendor, in its ordinariness, and even in its pain.  It deepens our compassion, wisdom in action.

Compassionate action is a central outcome to a meditation practice.  Consequently, this practice is ultimately about service in one’s community.  The form of the action depends upon the unique circumstances and gifts of the individual.  For example, it may inform or put a new perspective on one’s spiritual awareness, or express itself in the social, educational, or spiritual ministries.  Thus, meditation practice does not stand alone, but is integrated or complements the activities of the parish ministries.

Details: Meditation is held each Monday evening from 6:50 pm to 8:30 in the Mary Chapel. (Enter through the Church Office at  55 W 15^th St).  There are two 25 minute meditation periods and a period of walking meditation.  There is usually a short talk and the opportunity to meet individually with a teacher.    Cushions and chairs are provided.  Introductory and refresher instructions activity is always available.  Wear comfortable clothing.  There is no charge and reservations are not necessary.  Parishioners are welcome to bring guests.  Additional information from Peggy and Paul Schubert, schubertnyc@gmail.com

There will be no meeting on Columbus Day, October 12 and December 28.

Zen Meditation at All Souls Church–City Tiger Zendo

“To encounter the dharma (truth) is rarer than encountering a tiger in the City.”

City Tiger Zendo derives its name from this line in the classic Zen koan collection, the Denkoroku.  Zen is an opportunity to encounter and experience the truth or nature of one’s own life.

Zen practice raises energy and clarity and reminds us to be fully alive at each moment. People of various faiths and no particular faith have discovered in Zen practice a profound connection to life. Through this practice of stillness and awareness, we wake to a world of wonder and gratitude for life in all its aspects- in its splendor, in its ordinariness, and even in its pain. It deepens our compassion, wisdom in action. Compassionate action is a central outcome to a meditation practice. The form of the action depends upon the unique circumstances and gifts of the individual. People come to meditate here for different reasons. Many have a curiosity about meditation, and stay to have it satisfied or move on. Beginners are especially encouraged. Some use the practice to energize their activities in other areas. Others use it as a way to deepen their own spiritual practices. All are welcome, whether they come once, occasionally, or every week.

Details: Meditation is held each Wednesday from 6:50 to 8:30 pm at the Unitarian Church of All Souls 1157 Lexington Ave at 80th St. (Enter through the garden at the right of the Church). There are three 25 minute meditation periods with walking meditation between sitting periods.  There is usually a short talk and anopportunity for individual meeting with a teacher.  Cushions and chairs are provided. Introductory and refresher instructions activity is always available. Individual interviews with a teacher are also available. Wear comfortable clothing. Free will offerings ($5-7 suggested) are used to defray costs. Reservations are not necessary. Additional information from Peggy and Paul Schubert, schubertnyc@gmail.com

Using Ignorance Wisely–From Spiritual Teachers to Parents or Managers

Ta-hui Tsung-kao (1089-1163) was a leading Zen Master of the Sung Dynasty. believed that each teaching must fit the person, time, and place.  His writings remain accessible.

Consider this excerpt from Swampland Flowers (Zen Sourcebook, Addiss et al editors, Hackett, Pg 124)

In the conduct of their daily activities sentient beings have no illumination.  If you go along with their ignorance, they’re happy; if you oppose their ignorance, they become vexed.  Buddhas and bodhisattvas are not this way: they make use of the ignorance, considering this the business of buddhas.  Since sentient beings make ignorance their home, to go against it amounts to breaking up their home; going with it is adapting to where they’re at to influence and guide them.

Here, Ta-hui is addressing the use of ignorance wisely as a tool to liberate beings from their attachments and move them in the direction of direct experience of their original nature.

Rephrasing makes it immediately helpful to improve situations at other levels:

. . . . Making use of ignorance, is the business of parents and managers.  Since people are comfortable with what they know, to go against it rankles them; going with it is adapting to where they’re at to influence and help them grow.

Or:

The obvious response to inappropriate action may not be the best.  If you can first recognize what people are thinking and address that, more appropriate actions can follow.

Often teachers, parents, managers impulsively oppose the behavior or ignorance of their students, children or employees, demanding compliance without understanding the situation.   Except in an emergency, that may not be the best action.

Examples of inappropriate, impulsive behavior abound, especially when you begin to look for them. (If this were a book for sale, there would be pages of anecdote examples—but see them for yourself.)

Observing inappropriate responses in situations around you is a good way develop awareness and skillfully use ignorance.

Begin to make the effort to better understand the new situations and then respond, rather than oppose then directly.  It takes some practice, but see for yourself if the results are improved.  (If this were a book for sale, there would be pages of anecdote examples—but who has time for this.)

When this teaching is used skillfully, it is not evident; When not used– a glaring omission.

Offering Zen to Students: Letting the Practice Speak for Itself

Background

1. For most new practitioners, commitment grows, usually in an uneven fashion, until the practice takes over and becomes natural or they move on to something else. This introduction presents the practice to students at its best, in a familiar location and without financial costs. The introduction runs over the length of 1 school term, either as a seminar or an after school activity.  Finally, it has strong practice and primary literature components.

2.  There is a significant minority of students who have an interest either in Zen or other forms of meditation.  Some grew up in families with a meditation tradition; these students particularly welcome the opportunity to be taken seriously.  Others have a genuine curiosity.  A third group follows their friends.

3.  The participants are self-selected and 6-12 people are a good number for the starting group; some attrition is expected.  Each meeting lasts for one hour and has both a practice and literature component.  Between meetings, zazen is encouraged but not required.  A reading and some reflective writing is generally given.   An experienced practitioner can facilitate these sessions.  It is also a great opportunity for the facilitator to work with the literature.

Practice Component

1.  Since zazen is the heart of the practice, the instruction on meditation is rigorous with emphasis on posture, breathing, attention, and returning to the breath. In the following weeks, these instructions are summarized at the beginning of most of the sitting periods.  Since cushions are usually not available, chairs are used.

2.  The first sitting period is for 5 minutes.  (For many young people, this length of time seems to be an eternity.)  Each following week, the period is extended several (2-3) minutes, until 25 minutes is reached.  There are two interesting observations.  First, all agree that they can sit the extended period each week.  Second, at the end of the term, there is genuine amazement that they can readily work for an entire period.

3.  At the conclusion of the sitting period, there is a short group discussion period. This open discussion is crucial since questions that have arisen can be raised from an individual’s experience can be immediately addressed for the larger group.  These few minutes, really help to clarify the practice and grow confidence in their sitting practice.  (As an example, questions about sitting with attention, but without judgment or a goal, were frequently raised.)

4.  Near the end of the term, a visit was made to a local Zendo.   A sangha member gave a tour, an opportunity for the students to use cushions, do kin-hin, chant  and be oriented to the etiquette of the space.  This visit also provided an introduction to extend a welcome those who may be interested in practicing there.

Literature Component

1.  Reading assignments were distributed most weeks. The selections were chosen to cover a wide range of content, time, and cultures.  For example:

Sermons (Buddha)

Commentaries  (Bodhidharma, Dogen)

Visual Art  (Oxherding Pictures)

Sutra (Diamond Sutra)

Poetry (Basho)

Koan (Wumen)

Instruction (Mirror of Zen, So Sahn)

Zen Stories (Reps)

2.  The students read the assignments (typically 5-10 pages) during the week.  They selected a section or sentence that had meaning for them and were asked prepare a typewritten one page response (to submit).  These reflections formed the starting point of the literature discussion.

3.  During the literature discussion period, a wide range of topics naturally surfaced.  These included the impermanence, attachment, direction of practice, compassion, wisdom, original nature, form and emptiness, awakening.  These subjects were discussed by the group in no particular order, but by the end of the term, had some familiarity with them.

4. Reading the primary literature gave the students a perspective of the breadth and depth of the practice.  Secondary interpretative sources were not as well received.   It was significant for them to understand that they had the understanding and maturity to work at this level.  This contributed to confidence that they were fully capable of the practice.

Final Comment

The experience is to provide the opportunity to begin a process for each individual.  At the conclusion, some students have continued with a sitting group, a few sought out established zendos, and the majority move on to other experiences.  There is no success or failure, practice manifests in its own individual way.  Additional information can be made available at the contact address in the header.

The Frog that Lived in the Well

This story, like The Wren and the Cicada, is taken from the Chuang Tzu (in Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China, Arthur Waley, 1939).

There was a frog who lived in an abandoned well. When the giant turtle from the Eastern Sea came, the Frog said “How you must envy my life. When I feel like it, I can hop to the top railing and be in the sun. When I tired, I can crawl into the side of the wall where a tile is missing and take a nap. And when I feel like a swim, I just hop down to the bottom. There may be a few tadpoles down there, but it is my pond. To have the use of the entire water, to have the use of a disused well, this is certainly the most that life has to offer. Please come down and see it for yourself.”

The giant turtle from the Eastern Sea attempted to get into the well, but before his left foot was in, its right foot had become wedged in. He wiggled free, crawled out and said to the frog: “As you have been kind enough to tell me of your well, let me tell you about the sea. Imagine a distance of a thousand leagues, and you will still have no idea of its size. Imagine a height of thousand man’s stature, and you will have no idea of its depth. In the time of the great Yu, in ten years, there were nine floods; but the sea became no deeper. In the time of T’ang the Victorious, there were seven years of drought in eight years, but the sea did not retreat from its shores. Not to be harried by the moments that flash by, nor changed by the ages that pass; to receive much, yet not increase, to receive little, yet not diminish , this is the Great Joy of the Easter Sea.

Will the frog leave the contentment of his well and experience the vastness of the world. The question is asked, but only the frog can respond.

With this question, His current experience and knowledge no longer is sufficient standard to set the boundaries between false and true. But, the well is comfortable.

Limited by Experience: Cicada and the Wren–Story

The fable is from the Chuang Tzu. This translation is from Arthur Waley in Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China, Anchor 1955)

There are birds that fly many hundreds of miles without stopping. Someone mentioned this to the cicada and wren. The two animals decided that such a thing was impossible. “You and I know very well that the furthest one can get, even by the greatest effort is that elm tree over there; and even then one can not be sure of getting there every time. Sometimes, one finds themselves dragged back to earth long before reaching that elm tree. All of these stories abut flying hundreds of miles at one stretch must be shear nonsense.

The cicada and the wren have valid experiences; their thoughts and imagination are shaped by these. Ultimately, their lives are confined by the imagination that comes from mistaking these experiences to be complete.

Life for the cicada and wren is as it seems. It is when the possibility arises, perhaps in a chance situation, that there is a world with potential never imagined. This can be the beginning of a search for the tools to go beyond the current experience.

Similar to the earlier story of The Bird in the Cage, or The Frog that Lived in the Well, the present situation is perfectly acceptable in many respects until the possibility of a different life experience arises.

Effective Quantitative Problem Solving Methods

Solving applied quantitative problems is both an art and a skill. People often give up early even though they have the ability to solve them. Often, it is because they do not have a clear idea of a few key points of the problem solving method. The three topics below can help you to become more effective with solving these problems.

1. Understand the Problem Solving Process

Expect to be confused and frustrated “I have no idea what to do.”

Confusion and frustration are part of the process of learning. The important point is not to be defeated by them. Everyone in a college course has the ability to do the assigned problems. No exceptions, you have gotten into the college program. The problems may be difficult and require significant effort, but you should be confident that you can do them.

After you work through confusion a few times, confidence (and persistence) will begin to grow.

Experiencing confusion and frustration is similar to weathering a summer storm. The storm often comes on suddenly and strongly, but then it passes and the sunshine returns.

Watching is not doing

Problem solving is a participatory sport, not a spectator sport. Hearing an explanation, or seeing a worked out problem is different from being able to do it. Make the effort to do the problems, not just follow the explanations.

The explanation is the first step, but you must go beyond it. For exams, you will be asked to solve problems yourself and demonstrate that you can do that. You will not be asked if you can understand the explanation given in class.

2. Effective Thinking

Identify a Known Starting Point–The First Step to Ending Frustration

Suppose that you fall down a steep hill. First you grab on something to stop the    fall. Then, you pull yourself back up a step at a time using rocks, trees or whatever is within reach to grab on and use. Getting started on a problem is like that.

Read the problem with the intent to understand the words and content, not to solve it. If you are not clear how to begin, take a step back and find a fact that you do know. The important point is to find a foothold to begin.

Example Starting Points:

A worked out example.

A definition of a key word that is in the problem.

A diagram.

A short conversation with a classmate or a teacher.

It is important that you look and find a starting point to progress, rather than allowing time to go by.

Understand by DOING the worked out examples.

If you have worked examples available, COVER the solution and work it out yourself. If the examples are not understood, it is usually a waste of time to spend much effort on the new problem before understanding this. Go back to the earlier step and find a new starting point.

After doing the example yourself, read the new problem slowly, understand what it is stating and what it is asking. See how the information in the new problem relates to the earlier examples. The examples will show you which formulas or equations are needed. Formulas are the key that turns the words of a problem into symbols. It may help to draw a diagram.

3. Doing the Math

Stay organized so that it is easy to retrace your logic when you make a mistake.

Write slowly and neatly. Sloppy writing leads to errors. Leave plenty of blank space to make it easier to follow. There is the temptation to just write things down and hope for the best. This approach takes more time in the long run. Errors are part of the process and it is much faster to find them when the work can be easily traced back.

Make the units work for you.

Know the units of the final answer to the problem. Keep these in mind so that your solution is consistent.

Every time you write a number or symbol down, include the unit right after it in clear writing. Keep track of the units throughout. Inconsistent units can alert you to logical errors.

When a spicy meal is prepared, the spices are added during the cooking process. They are part of the food. If spices are added when the meal is served, the taste is not nearly as good. Units are like that. Make them an integral part of cooking the problem.

Do the calculations last–after the set up is right.

Get the logic right before you do the math. Then, substitute the numbers for the symbols of the equation. Set up all of the numbers and units before you do the calculation.

Doing the calculations at the end makes it easier to distinguish between errors in the logic applied to the problem and math errors.

Check for reasonableness and unit consistency.

Remember that all of these problems relate to the physical world. In some cases, you may have an idea or estimate of the range that the numerical answer should be. If it is far off, then, you can begin to check.

Keep these points in mind, when you find yourself “losing it” working on a problem. You can surprise yourself by the difference they can make.

Strategies for Difficult Exams may be useful when it comes time for the test.

Coaching for Improving Employee Performance–Imitation, Overcoming Failure, Intuition

Supervisors are generally required develop their employees’ skills. Most supervisors don’t put much creative effort their subordinate’s growth. There are good reasons for this—supervisors are evaluated on more major visible projects and have their own careers and ambitions to consider. Challenging an employee takes effort and time, with few immediate rewards. In addition, many employees are not particularly interested in being challenged to develop skills. Finally, the development component has become so ritualized with required courses and checklists that training requirements can be satisfied with little real effort.

On occasion, by chance or design (for example: Looking for a Teacher, Asking for a Boss ), there is a match between a supervisor who has the interest and ability to challenge for growth and an employee ready to respond to it. It can be an exhilarating period for both.

The three areas outlined below are not emphasized in the standard texts. However, developing these skills can increase the employees’ performance for their entire career. You, the supervisor, can coach these skills as situations arise during the work process.

1. Imitating My Success is Failure–Work to Meet the Goals, not the Style.

If you are a great boss, others will try to match success by imitating you.

There is some basis for imitation. Children are taught to imitate role models, often their teachers and others in authority. This tendency to imitate often extends into adulthood. Also, imitation is a good strategy to follow in the first job, for a short time, to get one’s bearings and understand the work environment. But this also is a temporary situation. Further, some bosses like to be imitated and it is well known that such people reward their clones. But in the long run, a tendency to imitate will hold people back and dull performance. Imitation is black and white; originality is technicolor

Employees should be challenged to meet the goals by their own methods. You, the supervisor, have your own unique blend of intelligence (i.e. analytical or interpretive skills, style of learning), personal style (i.e. speaking and interpersonal skills, political awareness, introvert/extrovert etc), and response styles to the immediate conditions (impulsive, more considered). This blend has worked for you.

The employees each have their own mix of skills. Rather than allow them follow your example, challenge them to meet the same goal by maximizing their mix of skills. People should be pushed to understand their strengths and to maximize their effectiveness in specific work situations. They should be encouraged to shore up their weaknesses to the point that they are not a liability.

Your real contribution is to challenge and coach them to use their blend of skills, not yours, to achieve the same goals.

2. Nine Times Down, Ten Times Up

Mistakes are a part of life. People have learned to fear the consequences of making an error of commission. This approach leads to tepid responses and eventually an erosion of initiative. Also, regardless of best efforts, outcomes of events often turn on conditions well out of reasonable control. These failures can be devastating.

The employees have to expect to be knocked down by events on occasion. It is important to learn not be crushed by them, but to stand back up, and move on.

Coaching not to be attached to the defeat and the inevitable blame can be emphasized. This attitude means that no setback is ever in vain. The event changes the situation and by taking the learning from that, the future events can move in a more favorable direction.

There is always the nagging concern that a setback is a “career-ender”. A single event rarely is; time moves on and memory fades. New situations and opportunities will always arise.

3. Go Beyond Thinking–Use Intuitive Skill

People generally prefer known approaches to solve problems. A rote approach leads to a rote solution. Using intuitive skills has a mystical overtone that is not always welcomed by quantitative business. However, breakthrough results often rely to some extent on acting from an intuitive sense of the situation.

The fact is that intuition is a sense like the more familiar ones (touch, feel, thinking) and can be developed to be more effectively used. Intuitive skill provides another tool, like a turbocharger, to more effectively get the job done. Intuitive skills allow you to go beyond your rational imagination.

Intuition can be developed and strengthened over time. You can start by reminding the employee to be quiet and still immediately before making a decision. Then, encourage them to find their own way to encourage this skill. (Note that Intuitive Skill is different from the overused “Thinking Outside the Box”; intuition goes beyond thinking.)

The most effective coaching for growth comes when a real situation demands a response. As a supervisor, have Imitation, Failure, and Intuition ready for the appropriate time.

Stuck with a Bad Performance Review—Making It Worse

A bad review can be a temporary set back or it can be the beginning of a quagmire and drag you down. There is a lot on the line here—money, prestige, future prospects, so it is important to understand the consequences of your actions in the weeks following the review.

Regardless of the reason (Dealing with a bad employee performance appraisal) ,you are stuck with this review for a year. It is not the end of the world or of your prospects for a good career with the employer. The first impulse to change employers is never the best immediate option.

Career consultants have a lot of classical advice on how to get on track; People usually ignore it or cannot use it. The opposite approach is considered here. There are three actions that will make your situation worse. Watch yourself to see if they apply to you.

Complain

No doubt about it, you got an unfair deal. The reasons that it was unfair are specific to your situation. It may be that your work was not valued, your boss was out to get you, or that they don’t like your personal style. Make sure your side of the story is told so that you can be vindicated. Take opportunities to get the story out. Some people hedge on this and only tell “trusted” friends. Complaints can be made in e-mails to a few select friends.

Negative comments have an interesting way of making their way back to the managers. This news tends to harden their position that you are an underperformer. The opposite approach is to keep your negative opinions out of the light. If possible, even send messages that things are going to improve.

Take It Personally

Ouch. A lower than expected review hurts emotionally as well as professionally Don’t see the performance evaluation for what it is–an opinion about you that serves different purposes. The real way to make the situation worse is to take it as an attack on your personal self worth. This approach allows the hurt to fester and internalize so that the pain continues to renew itself. That way there is no opportunity to put the experience behind and move on. Eventually, a negative air occupies the space around you. Your energy will decrease. Your co-workers will notice it.

If you are having trouble moving on, talk to someone outside of workplace who can help you.

Stay the Course

Make no changes and hope that the situation rights itself.

Sure, some conditions improve on their own, such as a cold that runs its course in a week. Other situations just lead to more trouble. The odd sound from the automobile engine doesn’t go away. The situation is similar here. The bad evaluation is just the first noise; Your situation will likely get worse if you just keep plugging along. Just persevere and be confident that that management will see the error of their ways and reward you.

Don’t make the effort to calmly follow-up and understand what has to change from the arbitrary and unfair perspective of the bosses. Ignore the fact that managers like to see improvement and tend to reward it significantly in the next review cycle. If your boss cannot help you, actively seek someone who can. (Looking for a Teacher, Asking for a Boss)

Getting a bad review is like finding a footprint in newly poured concrete. You can ignore it and let it harden or do some work to smooth it over, with no long term consequences. It is a matter of the right efforts at the right time to minimize the effect of the review.

Teaching Schedule

Sensei Paul Seiko Schubert, a resident of New York City, is a dharma successor to Roshi Robert Kennedy of the White Plum Asanga. He received transmission from Roshi Kennedy in August 2007.

Zen Teaching Schedule-- Paul Schubert (Updated 12/1409)

Home Groups

Zen at Xavier (Link)

Mondays 7:00 p.m. St. Francis Xavier, 55 W. 15th St., New York

(Holiday break:  No Meetings:12/21,1228 1/4   Resumes 1/11)

(Peggy/Paul Schubert, schubertnyc@gmail.com)

City Tiger Zendo (Link)

Wednesdays 7:00 p.m. All Souls Unitarian Church, Lexington Avenue/80th St., NYC (Peggy/Paul Schubert, schubertnyc@gmail.com)

(Holiday Break 12/16,12/23,12,30  Resumes  1/6))

Visiting Teacher–Regularly Scheduled

White Plains

January 26
Last Tuesday of the month
Tuesday 7:30 p.m. White Plains Interfaith Zen at St. Bartholomew’s Church, White Plains, NY (whiteplainszen.tripod.com; Russ Michel russmichel@gmail.com)

Fordham at Lincoln Center

January 5
First Tuesday of the month (Resumes in September)
Tuesday 6:00 p.m. Fordham University at Lincoln Center, The Chapel (Room 221), 60th St. and Ninth Avenue, Manhattan (Sheila Ross: sross@fordham.edu)

Manhasset

Wednesday December 16

Third Wednesday of the Month
Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Inisfada Interfaith Zen Center, St. Ignatius Retreat House, Manhasset, NY (Anne McNeill 516-294-3156.)

Union Theological Seminary

Sunday December 20

7pm
Lampman Chapel
Broadway at 121^st St.
(Kyeongil kj2157@columbia.edu)

Scheduled Visits:

Ridgewood, New Jersey

Monday December 21

Monday 7:45 p.m. 113 Cottage Pl. (Unitarian Church)
Ridgewood, NJ (Carl Viggiani 914-428-8506)

Oratory Church of St. Boniface

190 Duffield Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

(christopher.smith@oratory-church.org)

Community Church

40 E 35th St, New York, New York

Morning Star Zendo, Jersey City, NJ

Support of  Independent Sitting Groups–Commitment to sit with people where they are

Zen is the great gift to experience life directly by being present fully in the moment and to express the experience in appropriate, spontaneous, and even creative responses to the time and conditions as they arise.

The symbol of  my teaching practice is a walking stick.  Here, the walking stick represents a commitment to go,  sit and work with people where they are.  It is visiting in their home groups and sanghas.

These groups are open to all, provide beginning instruction, and request, at most, a nominal free will donation. On the scheduled dates that Sensei Paul Schubert is the visiting teacher, a short talk is given as well as the opportunity to all for individual interview.  He also works with students independently of these groups.

Beginners are especially invited to visit any of these  sitting groups.  (Contact information provided above.) The intent is to welcome all, provide support, and allow each to develop in their own way.  Beginners and new practitioners are encouraged to meet with the teachers. It is our experience that clarifying the basic directions of practice and meditation at the beginning is especially valuable to build a sustainable practice. This is an important reason to support the independent groups.   Providing guidance  to deepen individual practice, not talks or explanations, is the primary purpose of the visit.  The specifics are dependent upon the individual, but all activities have only the refinement of the life experience as the motivation.  This service is offered without charge.

A recent example is:  Offering Zen to Students: Letting the Practice Speak for Itself.

–Contacts: Paul Schubert can be contacted at schubertnyc@gmail.com. There is other information about him at the link About PS. You are welcome to browse his other articles on many different subjects (Zen Stories, Working, Perception Skills; index on the bar above) on this site. Finally, the link to Roshi Kennedy’s home site is attached.

Zen Lightning

Lighting can jolt our reality

Lightning strikes in a moment with force and sound.  Then it is over and there is no way to hold on to it.

What is the source of lightning?  Where does it come from?  Why does it jump from clouds?  A meteorologist can give an answer.  “It’s due to a combination of air currents in the clouds, ice particle colliding, and temperature changes.”  Sounds reasonable—but it does not get to the crux of the matter.  It is just an explanation.  But still we listen to the words and repeat them often enough to believe them to be the fact.  The words don’t reveal where the lightning comes from, or even what it is.   The fact is that no one knows where lightning comes from.

Our life is like this.  We shine brightly for the moment.  We can have stories about where we come from, whether it is the birth of an individual or the birth of the universe.  But these words are just explanations also.  Again, no one knows.  We just say it.  We are just here.

But we have been given the gift to be born humans—to have the capability to raise questions that go directly to our nature–Who am I?  Why? What? 

But more, we are fortunate to have the time and opportunity to explore, not explain, these questions.  The time is now.  The opportunity is our practice.  Zazen, quieting the mind and bringing attention back to the moment, is at the heart of the practice.  This practice begins to loosen the attachment to words and explanations.  It allows us to raise the energy needed for transformation and to have an active insight into our nature.

Active insight expresses itself directly and usefully in all of our activities — work, taking care of others, cleaning, eating.

This is the opportunity and time.  It is ours to make the most of it.

Working Smart—Strategies for Difficult Exams

Most students give away a half a letter grade by not showing all that they know on tests, particularly those requiring problem solving skills.  It’s worth a few minutes to improve the strategy to do well.  Here are some suggestions.

Just pick one or two that is appropriate for you to keep in mind.

Take a deep breath before beginning in order to calm your mind. Racing forward in the first few minutes can lead to careless errors that are difficult to identify and correct.

Preview the test before you answer anything. This gets you thinking about the material. Make sure to note the point value of each question. Quickly estimate how much time you should allow for each section according to the point value. This preview should only take a minute or two.

Read the directions Never assume that you know what the directions say.

Underline with a pencil what you are asked to do. This will force you to focus on the answer.

Keep track of the time and progress during the test.

Answer the easy questions first. This will give you the confidence and momentum to get through the rest of the test. You are sure these answers are correct.

Go back to the difficult questions. While looking over the test and doing the easy questions, your subconscious mind will have been working on the answers to the harder ones. For problems with multiple parts (i.e. a, b,c,d), and use the earlier sections for hints to solve the later parts.

Answer all questions.  

Avoid careless errors—Think before you start writing.  When the writing starts on the wrong track, it is very difficult and time consuming to rethink the problem and start over.

Review the test carefully, especially the easy questions.

Use all of the time allotted for the test.

Show all your work (especially when partial credit is awarded) and write as legibly as possible.

Strategies for working on quantitative problems are outlined in Effective Quantitative Problem Solving Methods

The Monk’s Test–Story

This open-ended story appears in many forms. In the published versions, the teacher is Nan-in and the monk Tenno.

The monk had been summoned to see the Zen teacher. It was the custom in the monastery for the teacher to meet individually with the monks in order to test their understanding. The monk had worked with the master for 10 years; He had worked hard, both in mindfulness and reading. Possible questions and scenarios of questions that may come from the teacher raced through his head. He was ready for them all.

The day was rainy, but his spirits were high. At the appointed time, he walked over to the abbot’s quarters. The master immediately asked: “When you entered the building, did you put your shoes to the right of your umbrella or to the left”? The monk hesitated; he wasn’t sure. He had just done taken his shoes off moments earlier. Before he could consider further, the master ended the interview; he had not been aware; The monk remained with his teacher for another 10 years.

Comments:

Scenarios racing through the mind lead nowhere. Yet, the habit of this mental activity seems to be the way to prepare. The reality always seems to be different from the scenarios.

At first look, inventing scenarios seems like more useful than developing awareness. The scenarios fill the mind and block the reality. With awareness, there is room for spontaneity and creativity.

In this story, it is a rare event that the monk saw his own confusion for himself and then did something about it.

Dealing with a Bad Employee Performance Appraisal/Review

The ritual of the employee performance appraisal brings with it anxiety and surprise. Sooner or later, almost everyone receives a review that is disappointing and confusing. The immediate reaction to the situation, the accuracy of the subsequent analysis, and follow-up actions can have a major impact on your future performance, evaluations, and compensation. Just in case a bad review comes your way, consider the points below

1. Immediate actions–Getting the bad news

It is not pleasant to hear that performance and contributions have been below standard. However, the immediate reactions are crucial to both understanding and later resolving the performance issues.

First, recognize that the decisions have been made and reviewed with higher levels of management. The decisions will not be reversed, particularly at a review meeting. It is a losing strategy to argue for a change at this time.

Similarly, expressions of hostility and anger are also inappropriate. These emotions tend to make the supervisor defensive, harden negative positions, and “confirm” that the low rating was deserved. Disappointment and frustration can be appropriately expressed. Actually, it is important to inject the right amount of tension into this type of discussion. This meeting should not be easy on anyone.

Two important responses

Listen carefully to the comments of the supervisor. Do not accept vagueness or clichés. Ask detailed questions to clarify the situation. Take notes. This information will be important to really understanding the situation.

Also, take the initiative to establish a follow-up meeting to occur after you have digested the news and have developed some plan to take action.

2. Analysis–Understanding the Situation

Keep in mind that everyone in an organization has their own agenda. Particularly at a performance review meeting, comments can not be automatically taken at face value. An analysis is necessary.

Review your notes and supplement it with other input, particularly the comments of trusted co-workers. Often, the spontaneous comments made by a supervisor in response to a question provide the most revealing information. Weigh all of the information against the scenarios listed below to refine your perspective on the situation:

—7 Scenarios for a Poor Performance Review

Chronic Absolute Underperformance

This possibility for a poor evaluation is difficult to accept, but it is important to look into it fully. It is not sufficient to accept management’s comments. You need to find some trusted people with whom you have worked with and ask for their frank input.

If, in fact, the objective evidence does suggest that your work does not measure up, then it will be a downhill slide until corrective steps are taken. True underperformance is tough to own. However once it is recognized, the next step is to decide whether you are willing and able to make required changes. Sometimes it is just not possible. Alternatively, there may be some other situation you can transfer into where you can excel.

Chronic underperformance is not generally an emergency requiring a rash action; there is time to consider alternatives and take constructive action. However, over a longer time frame, it is unstable to remain in a position where your contributions do not measure up to the norm.

One-Time Project Failure

Not every major project works out according to the objective. Time and conditions have their way of disrupting the best plans and actions. If this happened in your work for the review period, accept the result and have confidence in your ability to return to a high level of performance. However, a run of bad luck begs for another explanation. This is no place to hide.

Valuing Different Activities

From the meeting discussion, there should be a good idea of what was rewarded. Compare this with what you actually accomplished. Sometimes the two are different. Of all of the things that you do in your job, the supervisor is most concerned with approximately 20% of your work. Know what that 20% is! These activities carry the most weight. Check to be sure that your crucial priorities are the same as the supervisors.

Not Trusted by Management

Performance can be fine, but if, for rational or irrational reasons, you are not trusted, the performance review may be their opportunity to send the message. In this case, working harder to improve performance will have no consequence. Once trust is lost, it is difficult to regain and then only at a great cost. The choices are either accept the situation and wait for current management to move on or to find a new situation in which this bias is not against you.

Relative Underperformance

Most organizations, whether they admit it or not, use a forced ranking system. Similar employees are grouped together, ranked from first to last, and reward appropriately. In this system, it is the relative performance that is measured. The superstars come out on top, with the star performers below them.

The argument that you a star in a group of superstars gets you nowhere. Just accept the situation as a short term loss. If you really are a star, just do good work and your light will be seen, either in this group or in a different setting.

Arbitrary Positioning

A cousin of relative underperformance. In some organizations with uniformly strong employees, misguided management may choose to rotate people to the top or bottom over a period of time in order to keep everyone relatively happy. Is it your turn? No one will confirm this to you.

Easy Mark

As noted previously, in a stack rank system, some individual have to come out at the bottom. Weak managers occasionally select the person, other things being equal, they can most easily assign it to. That is why it is important to keep some tension in the meeting. It may have happened this time, but already you need to lay the ground work so that it doesn’t happen again.

3. Strive for a Balanced Response

No matter what your analysis and conclusions are, do not do anything rash. Actions taken in anger or haste invariably lead to a poor outcome for the individual. On the other hand, a bad performance review cannot be accepted without a response. Use your resources—the information that management has stated, comments from trusted co-workers, the list of scenarios above, and your own intuitive ideas in order to do begin to change the situation.

Then, a poor evaluation is just a temporary set-back and a wake-up call to both fully understand the situation and take control of it.  Or you can make it worse.  (Stuck with a Poor Performance Review–Making It Worse.)

Others on this topic: Struggling to Give a Good Performance Review Maintaining Credibility

Employee Performance Appraisals Ranking Methods –Lessons from Arrows Paradox

Working Beyond Everyday Expectations—Learning from Rain

It is not a popular idea these days to do a task without a specific reward or compensation. There is nothing wrong with that. People need to be compensated for their effort.

The possibility for an outcome beyond imagination or expectation is often overlooked, yet experience shows that such results happens all of the time.

It is often not recognized that the approach to doing the activity can have a major effect on an unlikely positive outcome. There are many different attitudes towards performing any activity. The trick is to harness as much energy into the activity as possible. Nature is a guide here.

Nature just operates according to its own truth. Watch the rain for example. It falls from the sky, wets things, and in doing so, nourishes them, and allows them to grow. Then the rain moves to the lowest position, disappearing into the ground, just to repeat the cycle. The occurrence of the rain has effects, usually positive, but at times negative. However, the rain takes no note of these effects, does not compliment itself on the result, or wait for a reward; it simply and directly continues the cycle. There is only direct activity

Our activities can be just as direct as those of nature. This is true for all activities—projects at work, at home doing the laundry, driving, playing with children,

Actions are often not direct however–there is scheming to be done, ambitions to be achieved, goals to be met, expectations to be fulfilled, and frustrations to be vented. Scheming, ambitions, expectations, and frustrations have their place in the human activities. However, they dilute the energy available for the activity itself and dull the potential for unexpected positive results. The mind sticks, the energy is compromised, and there is a loss of creativity.

Typical of the distractions are the internal conversations that begin with questions and lead to an on-going story that runs at the same time as the activity. For example:

“Why am I doing this?

“What am I going to get out of this?”

“How will this help me?

“Will this project ever work?”

“What is for dinner?”

Instead of allowing these distractions to grow, simply acknowledge them, allow them to drop off, and return attention fully to the primary task at hand.

This approach to an activity takes discipline and an effort. It means becoming aware of and suspending the normal processes of mind activities of mind. Repetition and practice may be needed.

Then, there are the consequences of the activity. In the ordinary perspective, there are planned results to be obtained. Sometimes things work out according to our plan, but on occasion things just go in their own direction. From a different perspective, the consequences are the due to time and conditions beyond planning and rational control.

The approach of bringing full attention is simply to harness our own energy so that the effects are more likely to be creative and useful.

 

The Prince Who Became a Cuckoo

This story, “The Prince who became a Cuckoo: A Tale of Liberation” (by Lo-Dro, translated by Geshe Wangyal, (1982) is long out of print in English. It is a well known tale, evidently from Tibet. However, even in its bare bones summary, it raises some open-ended questions:

 

The prince, as heir to the throne, was provided with many opportunities to prepare himself to rule. Together with a friend, he practiced the mystical arts. They both developed the ability to transfer their minds to other bodies. His friend was deceitful and saw the possibility of taking power. Using the mind transfer method, he tricked the prince into taking the body of a cuckoo bird. Then, he trapped the prince inside the body with no hope of his escape. The friend then took the body of the prince and assumed the position in the court. The real prince, now locked into the cuckoo body, discovered that he was able to communicate with both the animals of the forest and humans. He accepted his situation and remained in the forest to teach them the truth of the Buddha.

Comments:

In this “Tale of Liberation”, what is liberated? Many would say that to have a regal position such as a prince (or a CEO) would be the means to freedom as expressed in the everyday terms of power and wealth. But, the spirit of the prince is now independent of the body or situation, and is free to express itself fully– in this case as helping others attain their own freedom.

As the prince-cuckoo shows, many situations are not of choice or control. Life moves on. But to be unaffected by our position and put full energy into the moment is to be in accord with nature.

The call of the bird has the potential to call one’s attention back from distractions to the here and now. It can be a call of awakening. Or the call may be a reminder of the magnitude of mystery, of how little is known. At other times, it may be dismissed as a sound of a bird, or not heard at all.

 

Digging Deeper for Ideas (2)–Playing with Syncretism

For people who believe their current perspective is sufficient, there is no incentive to dig deeper. Their ideas remain static. However, new ideas and insights are always arising. The simplest approach, especially when the new ideas have opposing elements to the current perspective, is to ignore the ideas or push them aside. However, something is lost and, ultimately, success will be limited.

There are several methods that use opposing ideas in order to achieve more innovative results. One is the Dialectic Method (Thesis –> Antithesis–> Synthesis), which was previously discussed (see Digging Deeper for Ideas—Stealing from Hegel).

Syncretism is another antidote to simplistic solutions. Syncretism is the attempted reconciliation of contradictory ideas or principles. The result may preserve the differences, using opposing elements as appropriate. Thus, the resolution may not be an unambiguous statement, but a fragile system that simply works better than the ones that served as the foundation.

The process holds fewer certainties, but more opportunity for innovation. Syncretic solutions are not merely looking for compromise on the common elements, but using the opposing elements and building bridges to them. Internal contradictions are permitted.

In references, the syncretic process is usually described for large issues that evolve historically over time. As a consequence, the underlying principles are not often considered for resolving conflicting ideas at work or at home.

Below, two examples of global scale syncretic issues are briefly described in order to give a flavor the applications. Then, a method to use the concepts of the syncretic approach to analyze everyday problems is outlined.

Two Classic Examples

(1) In the area of world political systems, a static idea is that the American model of democracy is the best system to be exported to other countries. This transition is “accomplished” by sending experts to teach the people about democracy and hold elections. The results of this naive belief are obvious.

The static approach neglects the fact that people in these countries have lived for centuries in different cultural conditions opposed to democracy. A new government must also reconcile the opposing elements of the cultural heritage with the principles of freedom. For example, India has a participatory democracy, but the political process is different from America since the major parties represent traditional religious faiths. It works in its own way.

(2) There are syncretic possibilities for the practice of medicine on the global scale. Western and Chinese medicine each have demonstrated strengths. However, there are significant differences. Their descriptions of the functions of the body are in non-reconcilable concepts. Also, Western medicines are relatively recent, developed in the laboratory, and evaluated in defined clinical studies. Chinese treatments, such as acupuncture and herbs, evolved over centuries by observation and experience.

Currently, the two disciplines are practiced separately. However, the current approach to medicine will change as information and expertise in both disciplines becomes more common. What form will medicine will take, particularly in developing countries, remains to be seen. From a static view, the western standards could be retroactively enforced on the Chinese methods. However a syncretic approach, which allows contradictions and preserves the differences of the two disciplines, seems to hold most benefit for patients.

Playing With Syncretism—Application to Everyday Problems

The principles can be applied to problems which routinely arise and can lead to better solutions.

One method to take advantage of these differences is to analyze the opposing ideas with a set of questions based on sycretism.

—-Why does each approach have merit?

—-What do the two approaches have in common?

—-What are the specific non-reconcilable elements of each approach?

—-Under what circumstances does each opposing element provide an advantage?

—-How can the advantages of both opposing elements be preserved, even in a fragile structure?

—-Do the new proposals preserve the advantages ?

 

Such questions are rarely asked since there is a bias to force a solution.

Working with these questions requires both a re-examination of one’s preferred approach as well as considering the problem using a different framework. However, without really much use of time or energy, a different, perhaps better, result can be obtained.

The Monk Challenges His Teacher

A young monk went to a private instructional talk with his Zen teacher. The teacher and monk sat, on the floor, directly across from each other. After they sat in silence for several minutes, the monk asked “What do you see?” The teacher replied: “I see a buddha.” Silence again for several minutes, then the teacher asked: “What do you see?” The monk gave a quick response: “ I see a useless bag of bones.” The teacher said nothing, but placed his palms together and made a deep bow to the monk. The period was over and the monk left.

The monk was exultant. He had bested his teacher in a one-to-one exchange. He could not contain his excitement. Later, in the day, while working in the kitchen with a senior monk, he retold the story of the exchange in a triumphant tone. It was a sign of his progress on the path.

The senior monk simply smiled: “No, it was the teacher who has taken you. When he spoke, he showed what was in his mind, and when you replied, you revealed what was in yours!” The young monk had no further response.

Comment:

Our everyday experience suggests that there is an objective world, with distinct objects, an inside and an outside.

The teacher suggests that everything that is seen or experienced is our own life. The possibility is shown to the young monk for the first time. Then, there is no inside or outside, or even an objective world.

The teacher’s response comes to each person. “How do we experience the world? How can that experience be refined”. It is a crucial question, driving to the heart of the matter.

As with all open ended stories, each individual has a unique response.

Meditation, Science, and the Western Perspective

Each person who begins a meditation practice does so for their own personal reasons. However, for those who pursue it in a serious way, the direction of meditation is to deepen awareness so that the individual can be fully present and respond appropriately to the experience of the present moment.

Meditation methods of various traditions are similar, but may emphasize different techniques. In Zen Meditation, for example, there is emphasis on a still body posture, attention on the breath, and an awareness of the activity of the mind. As thoughts and distractions arise during the meditation period, these are acknowledged, released, and the attention returned to the breath. This simple but difficult practice has had profound affects on lives of people since well before the time of the Buddha, over 2500 years ago.

In a recently published article, “Mental Training Affects Resource Use” (Synopsis, Full Article), Richard Davidson et al. at the University of Wisconsin demonstrated the effects of meditation on attention by the western scientific method. Below is an excerpt from the Author Summary:

Meditation includes the mental training of attention. One of the major limitations of the attentional system concerns the ability to process two stimuli. When the second (stimuli) is presented within a half second of the first one in a rapid sequence of events, it is often not detected. (Missing the second stimuli) is thought to result from competition between stimuli for limited attentional resources.

We measured the effects of intense meditation on performance. We found that three months of intensive meditation enabled practioners to more often detect the second target with no compromise in their ability to detect the first target.

These findings demonstrate that meditative training can improve performance on a task that requires trained attention abilities.

The paper describes both measurements of electrical charges in the brain as well as a detailed mathematical analysis. These results may help the understanding of the physical function of the brain and be an advance in the neurosciences. In a related newspaper article (NY Times 5/8/07), the author said that this was the first study to examine how mediation affects attention.

 

Perhaps it was the first study, but countless people who have meditated have seen such beneficial changes in their own lives by direct experience. There is a tendency to give formal studies more weight than one’s own experience. However, if such studies encourage people to try the practice for themselves, they have a larger impact than to the science

Western Perspective: Finally, it is important to be aware of bias of our Western culture. These findings document by western methods the benefits that have been previously known to much of the world. There are many examples of methods that work in the world, that have not yet been documented in the western sense. One example is Chinese Medicine (see Common Sense, Carpal Tunnel Treatment Options and Acupuncture ). The important point is to recognize the bias and use information and judgment in considering these methods.

Managing Multiple Projects—A Jugglers View

“Too many balls up in the air”

People like to use the juggling analogy to convey the impression that they are not just busy but on the edge. It makes for good theater.

Jugglers do put on a good show. They also give the impression that they are on the edge of chaos, but it is also part of the performance; they are in full control.

If you want to benefit from the juggling analogy, a better place to look is in the methods that they use to develop their skill. Those lessons can be applied to managing multiple tasks or projects.

Juggling skills require:

Confident and focused attention.

A heightened sense of awareness is needed to be able to react to the immediate situation. Both the mind and the body need to be in a comfortable position. Jugglers develop these skills.

Excess tension and distraction leads to dropped balls and mismanaged projects.

Following only on the critical activity.

It is impossible for the juggler to follow the complete track of each ball. The juggler though looks through the top arc and makes the required adjustments in the movements to catch and throw based on these observations.

Similarly, in managing multiple projects, identify the key elements and put the attention on those elements, delegating the others.

Anticipating and controlling an upset.

On occasion, the juggling sequence is interrupted (perhaps by a mis-thrown ball) and the juggler sees that he will have to stop. Since he anticipates this, he can choose which balls to catch.

When an upset occurs with multiple projects, all of the projects often suffer, similar to balls being dropped and bouncing in all directions. However, if the right priorities are known, the appropriate actions can be taken to minimize the effect on the most important projects.

Systematically Developing Skills.

Anyone who has picked up three balls and tried to juggle them, finds that it doesn’t go well at first. There is a learning curve. But as their skills develop, adding one ball at a time and an impressive skill develops. There is alot of effort though just picking up balls from the ground during the practice.

Learn to do one project well, then add another.

Jugglers’ underlying skill is real, developed by practice. The frenzy of the performance is an act. That skill should also be the goal of people managing multiple tasks. Sometimes though, the manager’s frenzy is real and the underlying skill is an act. Without the developed skills, projects, like juggling balls, are dropped.

Recognizing Flawed Concepts

It was four years ago that Bush was photographed with the “Mission Accomplished” sign in the background. This photo opportunity marked the high point of the rhetoric. It was for others to suffer and continue to suffer the real consequences. However, even with politics aside, his concept was flawed from the beginning.

Incompetent conceptual planning brings failure at any scale—international, business, or personal. The flaws can initially be masked by rhetoric, emotion, or fabrication. However, sooner or later, the consequences are there for all to experience.

Even though the planners are often adept at disguising it, such incompetence is not difficult to recognize if there is an evaluation of a few key points.

Early recognition of the flaws can help to either correct the project before it gets underway or, at least, minimize the consequences to yourself and others.

These points can be used as a reality check both for politics and personal projects.

Three Points to Check

Clear Thinking

Clear thinking is missing if:

• There is little expertise or experience in understanding the situation. (Further, it is worse if those with expertise are excluded.
• There is fuzzy or deluded thinking. (One symptom of deluded thinking is that the ideas have not been tested by others.)
• The proposal is a response to emotional issues or hidden agendas.

Flexibility

Flexibility is missing if:

• New information is not considered as it becomes available.
• Key assumptions may prove to be wrong.
• Unforeseen events can not be accommodated.
• There is no provision for making changes as events unfold.

Perspective

Perspective is missing if:

• The concept is based on an individual perspective, usually viewed as superior
• The concept does not account for the resources or different sensibilities of the different groups.

The difference in perspective can be seen by example. Consultants can not just instruct people who have lived under an authoritarian rule to hold elections and become a democracy. Cultural roots are much deeper and difficult to change. Such an approach is naive and simplistic.

All of this sounds like common sense. However, in the heat of the moment, it is too easy to barrel ahead without a reality check. These considerations can be used to slow down the process, ask a few explicit questions, and then proceed. It can be used to evaluate our leader’s ideas as well as personal projects.

A related post: Recognizing Incompetence Early–Pretending to be a Manager /

Foam Blocks for Bath time—Good Clean Fun

A while back, there was an article here “Stacking Cups for the Imagination—A Great Toy Not Found in (Many) Stores”. Simplicity, better play value than many marketed toys, and low cost conspire to limit its shelf space. These are a great first toy.

Babies grow and pretty soon they are in the bathtub, looking for activities. Here, there is another simple toy, foam blocks which float, but also stick to the side of the tube or wall when wet. The blocks themselves are pretty simple. They are just EVA foam cut into different shapes about 2 or 3 inches. As with any blocks, you need a bunch of them to really have a good time.

The possibilities are endless. At the beginning, the kids take delight in just sticking them on the wall. Then the adults can build stick figures, houses, or anything with imagination. Pretty soon, the child is doing it also, and by the end of the toy cycle they are making elaborate structures of their own. (These blocks are sometimes advertised for use on dry land. They do not work out so well there, since there light weight causes the “buildings” to be very unstable, easily knocked over and frustrating to children just learning finer motor skills.)

These foam blocks are not available, at all stores, but are a more often found than the stacking blocks. What is remarkable is wide range in price. Most often, they seem to be sold at a price that averages $1.00/ block (say $20 for a box of only 20). A buck a block seems a little steep, especially in view of what they are. But looking around, some places have them for a price that averages 12 cents a block. A factor of almost 10 times cheaper! Perhaps there is a difference, but both float and stick to the wall!

If it makes bath time more enjoyable, it’s worth a try.

Presenting Quantitative Information Well—Lessons from Playwrights

Quantitative information must be communicated accurately and clearly in order to allow the audience to understand its significance and then act appropriately. Clear information leads to better decisions, actions, and results. Conversely, misunderstood information often results in an unsuccessful project. However, in many presentations, more effort is required to communicate the content effectively.

Quantitative information–sales and marketing results, financial reports, survey data, and experimental results–are factual, but it is also open to interpretation and analysis. This article focuses on methods to sharpen the presentation and interpretation of the information. An earlier article dealt with improving the performance of the individual (Another Lousy Presentation at Work).

The principles of dramatic playwriting are a different place to look for guidance. Playwrights have similar concerns to a business speaker. In a dramatic play, there is a fixed amount to time to captivate the audience and make the points of the drama. Every dialog and action must move the play forward. If the play is successful, energy is generated. However, if the characters of play are poorly conceived, not even the most talented actors can rescue it.

The principles that dramatic writers use to shape a play can also be adapted to help guide the presentation of the quantitative information. Examples include:

Character Definition

Pacing

Formatting

Engaging

Here are some comparisons for the theater and information presentations:

Character Definition

The playwright introduces the main characters early and then works with the characters to add dimensions and interest.

Information is the main character for the presentation. It must be put on a solid foundation, so that the audience can use the information during the presentation.

Just as with the characters in the play, it is important that the information be made readily available at the outset. The presenter must clearly show the quantitative information and then assist the audience in coming to understand what the information means. Too often, the presenter reveals the information itself slowly. The talk then deteriorates into a guessing game.

—Give the information and analysis tools early.

Pacing/Formatting

Pacing—In a play, the plot has to proceed at a pace that is reasonable for the audience. A slow development leads to boredom, mental lethargy, and the loss of energy.

Pacing is also important for information transfer. For the presentation, the information should be transmitted at the customary rate that brain is used to receiving it. Matching rates allows the content to be internalized more effectively.

As an example, consider the difference between a printed page (100 characters per sq. inch) and a power point slide (5 characters/square inch). Relying on Power Point slides to transmit quantitative information is just too slow to hold the audience’s attention. One sheet of paper can replace 10-50 slides of information.

Quantitative information is best presented as individual handouts.

Formatting—Viewing a theater set, the eye takes both in the entire stage and then moves back and forth to the individual details. This movement helps to establish a context for the details to become significant.

In the case of understanding information, the eye-mind combination works effectively when all of the information data can be viewed the same time. The eye can freely travel among the details. There is benefit to formatting the content in an information rich display that can be viewed on only a page or two.

The information format must be made efficient and stripped of decoration that does not advance the understanding.

For example, when designing the handout, require that each of drop of ink contribute to the information. In this approach, many of the superfluous decorations that distract the audience disappear.

—Work from a handout designed with an information rich format.

Engage the Audience

A great play engages the audience by inviting them to compare their impressions with the author’s perspective and draw their own conclusions. This process generates the energy of the performance.

For quantitative information, reveal your view of the relationships to the audience. The relationships are revealed by methods such as comparing, contrasting, testing cause and effect, and challenging your own conclusions. The audience can mentally work and play with the relationships as they are discussed. This process leads to tested, sound conclusions. Energy will be generated, just as in a fine play.

—Reveal and test the relationships with the audience

In summary, the focus is on the content—presenting it early, pacing, formatting, and engaging the audience. When the information is in good shape for presentation, you are free to let your own style shine through, just as the actor with fine material.

 

(A useful reference for quantitative information displays is Edward Tufte)

The Monk Hakuin and the Baby—Just the way it is.

Zen stories are entertaining in their content, but they really are about the reader. This story is an invitation to see our own situations from a fresh perspective. Although they can be read for a moral or a point, a key aspect is to experience how the story resonates with our own situations.

“Hakuin and the Baby” or “Is That So?” can be found in many versions, both on the web and in print (Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, Paul Reps)

There was a monk named Hakuin who was well respected for his work among the people.

In the village, there lived a young woman, the daughter of the food sellers. The young woman became pregnant by her boy friend who worked nearby in the fish market. When the parents found out about this, they were very angry and pressured her to reveal the name of the father. She wanted to protect the young man and blurted out the name of Hakuin as the father.

After the baby was born, the parents took the baby to Hakuin. They told Hakuin that he was responsible for the baby and left the infant with him. He responded: “Is that so?” And he simply accepted the responsibility for the child without further reaction.

The monk had no experience with babies. But he began to care for its needs, finding food, clothing, and warm shelter. The other villagers became very angry with Hakuin for his offense and his reputation was trashed. These comments did not affect Hakuin, who continued to put his effort and attention into the care of the baby.

After several years, the young woman was filled with remorse. She confessed to her parents the name of the true father. They immediately went to see Hakuin, apologized, and took the baby back with them. Hakuin watched as they returned to there home with the child he had cared for since birth and replied “Is that so?”

 

Comments:

“Is that so?” reflects the acceptance of what the moment brings. Acceptance in the sense that one responds appropriately to the situation with a calm mind and spirit. There are no calls of fairness or unfairness, of being experienced in the task or not, of complaining about a lost reputation, of wishing that it were different. The needs of present are simply addressed.

More than the physical situation, it is the spirit of the monk’s mind at the initial instant that the situation arises that makes his actions so compelling. It is not passive acceptance; there is direct action here. The calm mind allows effort to be fully directed to the situation without dispersal of energy.

The same tasks of caring for the baby could also be done with resentment or a turbulent mind. Then, there is room for fairness and unfairness, complaining and wishing it were different. Same tasks, but the energy is completely different.

All of these stories are about the reader, not a fiction story about the monk. The situation may be one at work, home, or with a friend that brings the same apparent unfairness and inconvenience to an individual at the moment. Responding with a calm or turbulent mind makes all the difference.

The calm spirit is within the potential of all humans.

Setting Priorities to Improve Productivity—Busy may be necessary, Complications are optional

While multitasking is the proclaimed mark of importance, multitasking is really effective only for relatively mundane tasks. More difficult projects, requiring thought and insight, benefit from focused attention. People recognize this difference, and research is beginning to confirm their observations. A recent article about productivity and multitasking (“Slow Down Brave Multitasker” NYTimes 3/25/07 Pg 1) contained two relevant examples:

In a recent study, a group of Microsoft workers took, on average, 15 minutes to return to serious mental tasks, like writing reports or computer code, after responding to incoming e-mail or instant messages “I was surprised by how easily people were distracted and how long it took them to get back to the task,” said Eric Horvitz, a Microsoft research scientist.

“Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes. Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information.” (David E. Meyer, a cognitive scientist and director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan.)

The loss of productivity begins when simple tasks are allowed to interrupt the more mentally demanding projects. This intermizing of tasks adds complication and leads to inefficiency.

The outline below can help to increase productivity by clearly separating priorities and complexity:

1. Make a list of ALL the activities that you may have to work on. Be sure to include even low priority projects that you may never get to. A complete list ensures that no projects have been inadvertently forgotten. 2. Divide the activities into two categories–Complex and Straightforward. This distinction is important, especially in view of the above research. The two categories serve to separate out the items that can be “multitasked” from the more complex project tasks requiring focused attention.

Examples of straightforward tasks are: checking e-mail, completing routine paperwork, returning phone calls, instant messaging, reading standard reports. More complex projects have a longer time frame and are not clearly defined—developing a strategy, designing a product, writing a milestone report.

3. Separately rank the priority for projects in both the complex and straightforward categories.

4. Set out time for the highest priority complex project and put full attention into that project. Defer all straightforward tasks, including e-mail, until that work period is complete.

People can do one thing at a time; concentrate first on the highest priority complex project. Since it is the most important, there is no need to be concerned with the other activities during this period.

 

In summary, being busy is not enough. Avoiding the complications of mixing priorities with the difficult tasks can lead to higher productivity without more effort.

 

Recognizing Incompetence Early—Pretending to be a Manager

Acting Presidential—a term not heard much these days—gives the impression of a confident leader, using power in a bold manner with great results. Leadership is about being in charge, respected, competent.

Unfortunately for many people in responsibility, “Acting” is as far as it gets. These people crave the trappings of power– the compensation, the status, the perks–but not the difficult decisions, responsibilities or pressure. When it comes time to actually do the job, they are somewhere else.

If these people remain in their position long enough, the consequences of incompetence catch up. There is no place to hide either for them, or for the people working with them.

There is much information about with the causes of managerial incompetence (i.e. deficient skills, lack of effort, personal insecurities etc.) That information often does not help. Sometimes, it is really not about trying to address the problems of these people, but about trying to do the job as best as possible.

The first step is to recognize incompetence early. Incompetent managers have developed other skills that have allowed them to survive and prosper. This early recognition can enable people to take the next steps to minimize the effects on project as well as the effect on reputations when the consequences of incompetence hit.

Here are some behaviors to help identify these managers early:

Decisions about even minor issues are difficult to get.

Managers are paid to make decisions.  The first warning sign is if it is difficult to get a decision from the manager.   When an unpopular decision is made, passing the responsibility away from himself, is another early indication that this person is not competent.

Success is declared early and by proclamation.

Credit is taken at the first successful milestone and extrapolated to the end of the project. They then move on to a new area before the full consequences of the work unfold. Others inherit the mess later. Check with the people in these earlier projects and see what was left behind.

Alternate perspectives are not fairly considered.

Responses are dogmatic and serve to end the discussion. Criticism is often harsh. The criticism often degenerates into a personal attack, particularly when the other person is not in the room.

There is advance planning for distributing blame for set-backs.

A particularly telling clue is that other people are positioned to take the blame, even before the project fails. (This is forward looking management as viewed by the incompetent.)

Perks are disproportionately sought.

In some cases, acquiring perks take up more effort than the core business.

Speaks differently to subordinates, peers and supervisors.

The difference is in both tone and content.

Encourages secrecy, particularly with like-minded cronies.

This withholding of information allows the manager to distort the situation.

Backstabbing is not quite the same as incompetence, although some of the behaviors are similar. Related points can be found in Backstabbing 101.

Cleaning House–Saving Memories, Losing Junk

Being surrounded by out of date possessions slows the mind and drags down the spirit. It is easy to get lost in them.

The easiest approach is to store them somewhere, the attic, basement, or garage. Increasingly people are renting external storage space, at significant expense to store junk. A recent statistic indicated that twice as many families rent external space now than ten years ago. Interestingly, professional organizers often advise against renting external storage space. Once that sink hole opens, there is no turning back.

At some time though, it’s time to move or just dig out. Then, it may be difficult to distinguish items which have real economic or sentimental value from outdated stuff. Here are some ways to get a grip on the situation.

1. Sentimental Objects.

The joy of these objects is in the occasional discovery and the memories triggered by them. Keep the emotion of discovery alive, even if the object is not kept.

Most sentimental objects are stored out of sight and only occasionally rediscovered. It is the discovery, not the use that is the fun. But you can keep the possibility of discovery alive. Use that digital camera to take pictures of all these sentimental items before they make their way out. Burn a few disks and send them to the family members. They can stuff the disk in their drawers and every now and then stumble across it with pleasure. Actually, more people may share in the delight of discovery

Some of these items can never be used again, like the stuffed animals that have gotten musty or are now recognized as dirty. Others could have great value for people right now. Find these a new home.

2. Select Rather than Sort.

Select from scratch. A key question is: “Would you select this item if you did not already own it?” It may be nice to have, but would you actively choose it now? Suddenly many items become expendable. Why find a new place for something you would not choose?

Usually, people tend to sort through things into keepers and junk. This sorting approach favors keepers since the criteria for declaring something junk is much higher. Selecting is a more efficient process.

3. Assess Usefulness and Value.

There are so many things that might come in handy someday and are worth something. This stuff surrounds us. However, when the items are viewed in terms of the chance that they will actually be needed and the replacement cost, it becomes easier to shed these items.

Books are a good example. They just accumulate. Some are extraordinary and we will always want them around. Others, particularly gifts, have little interest but take their place on the shelves. If you look at a hundred books on your shelf, pick the ten best. Then select out the obvious losers for discard. There may be upwards of half in the gray area. The first instinct is to keep them. After all, there is some chance that you may want to reread a few of them at some indeterminate time in the future. There are two things to keep in mind. First, used books are much easier to replace than in the past. Almost any used book can be obtained relatively inexpensively over the web. So the real value of the books we may use again is really only a few dollars. As many as 90% of the books can be let go without much potential cost.

And clothes. If the clothing has not been worn in a couple of years, the question to ask. “When would this be worn again?” Without a specific answer, it can be let go.

If all of the items that have a small probability of being used again are grouped together, the pile is large. In fact however, there may only be a small expense in replacing those few items that will actually be needed again in the future.

A realistic view of probability of use against replacement cost changes the balance and allows the large amounts of marginal stuff to go.

These guidelines can help to clean house and make mood lighter and faster.

Two Monks and a Woman–Story

The story of Two Monks and a Woman is a very well known Zen story. There are many versions of it, but the origin is not clear.

Here, this story can both stand alone and also provide a different perspective to the post immediately below this one (Eliminating Mental Bias Decision Errors).

A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her.

The senior monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her down on the other bank. The junior monk was very upset, but said nothing.

They both were walking and senior monk noticed that his junior was suddenly silent and enquired “Is something the matter, you seem very upset?”

The junior monk replied, “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”

The senior monk replied, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.”

Comments:

The older monk, his mind free, saw the situation, responded to it, and continued to be present to the next step after letting the woman down.

The younger monk was bound by ideas, held on to them for hours, and, in doing so, missed the experiences of the next part of the journey.

Reference to Decision Making:

Mental attachment to an idea or earlier experience blocks the full experience of the present here and now. Attachments slow the mind, interfering with appropriate responses to the immediate situation.

In order to evaluate a situation requiring a decision, the mind must be open to the possibilities. Being anchored in the past restricts the choices. Examples of holding on, outlined in the Mental Bias post, are favoring current conditions and giving disproportionate weight to old information.

The mind cannot will itself to be free. There are methods to calm the activity of the mind in order to be more open. The first step is to develop awareness.

Eliminating Mental Bias (Cognitive) Decision Errors

“The decision made sense at the time.

How did we get stuck with such a bad result?”

Good decisions look forward to the future in an unbiased way. However, human decision makers tend to hold to the present and their individual perspective. The unrecognized clash of these two facts often leads to a mediocre decision and poor results.

In order to increase the likelihood of making the best decision in the future, watch for this clash. The first step toward improvement is become aware of these biases. Then, deliberately make an effort to change behavior in order to compensate for them.

Here are five specific examples of mental biases followed with suggestion actions to compensate and help make a better decision.

Examples of holding to the present.

1. Giving disproportionate weight to the first information received.

The initial set of facts, by virtue of their familiarity, tend to be reassuring. Consequently when additional information is received, the new information is evaluated against a higher standard and may not be properly considered. Make the effort to fully value the new information.

2. Favoring choices that allow current conditions to continue.

The status quo also has its familiarity. There is often pressure to continue with the current path. It is important to value the current situation objectively. Question if the current situation, evaluated on its own merits, would be selected now or continued.

3. Favoring choices that justify previous decisions or actions.

There is a tendency to make choices that confirm previous actions, even if the earlier decisions or actions were flawed. This bias can lead to a compounding of errors and a deteriorating situation. It is particularly important to guard against this bias since the negative consequences can be so severe. An opinion from someone not involved in the previous actions can serve to provide objective balance.

Examples of Individual Perspectives.

4. Selecting Confirming Evidence.
It is natural to favor information that supports the individual view. It is very easy to ignore, or not fully evaluate, information that does not fit well into one’s perspective. Make the effort to ensure that all the information is being examined fairly. Allow others to fully evaluate all the facts.

5. Asking the decision question in a distorted way.

Very often, the questions leading to a decision are posed in a misleading way that emphasizes one preferred direction. Then, the discussion follows the logical consequences of the biased question. Check to see if the question has been properly formulated in a neutral way and revise if necessary.

 

It is important to keep in mind that the above five examples of mental bias are simply behavior habits. Such habits only contribute to a poor decision when people are not aware of them. Watch for these tendencies and make adjustments when possible. It is far more rewarding to catch these behaviors as they happen rather than deal with a poor result influenced by mental errors.

Other articles in this series can be found by clicking the Thinking /Perception Skills category in the right box or through the links below:

(2) Use of Working Theories

(3) Listening for Consequences

(4) Put Aside the First Idea

 

 

 

These types of decision errors can often be traced to the tendency to mentally hold on to old ideas that interfere with appropriate responses to the present situation. A different perspective to this type of attachment can be seen in the Zen story Two Monks and a Woman.

 

 

 

Common Sense, Carpal Tunnel Information, Treatment Options, and Acupuncture

In almost every large office, it seems that you pass someone wearing a wrist brace and a report of carpal tunnel. Some people suffer for years. Then, they may find that they did not get the most appropriate information or treatment.

If you search the web for “carpal tunnel treatment options”, a prominent site is published by the Mayo Clinic. The available progressive treatment options:

Splint or brace

Non-steroid anti-inflammatories

Cortisone injection

Surgery (open incision or endoscopic)

The same progression is listed on a number of similar sites such as the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

There is something missing here. For example, we know a number of people who have gotten excellent results using acupuncture procedures. These are real people, with actual experiences, but their treatment method seems to be ignored in the searched options.

This omission of information has to do with the way medicine is merchandised. If a physician or institution doesn’t sell the procedure, it’s not listed as an option. Other established procedures not available there may be mentioned with doubt or vague anecdotes. Disinformation may not be good medicine, but it is good marketing.

The sufferer must get the full background information himself. No one else will do it. The most reliable way is ask and learn from people who have had personal experience. It only takes a few questions and contacts to have access to the network of sufferers out there who have used acupuncture. Track down these professionals who have a record of excellent results treating carpal tunnel so that you can choose whether it fits into your treatment options. Anecdotes about unknown people, advertisements, commercial web references generally have little value.

Common Sense Approach to Treatment Options

Sufferers generally follow a prescribed program working through the options until the results are satisfactory. It is important to consider the options early, since after people begin a treatment or engage a physician, they tend to remain with it rather than evaluate new information and make a change.

With full information, different perspectives for treatment options can be considered. The objective is to reduce pain as fast as possible by working through the options in an appropriate order.

1. Methods with speed and no side effects

Acupuncture methods may not be familiar, but progress can be evaluated over a relatively short time period.

Braces and Splints

2. Drugs

Non-steroid anti-inflammatories, Cortisone injection

3. Invasive–Surgery

Open incision or Endoscopic

The important point is to recognize that no group will provide the sufferer with the full range of options available. However, to obtain information about less familiar methods, such as acupuncture, find the people who have had actual results and the professionals who did the treatment. Then use the information as appropriate .

Cold Remedies, Miso Soup, and the Influence of Advertising

There have not been many advertisements for miso soup. However, miso with scallions is a stronger cold medicine than most of the common remedies that are more profitable for the healthcare industry.

The ingredients in miso soup have a long record of warding off colds. Miso with scallions is an old Chinese herbal remedy. Its documentation goes back to the 4^th century when the famous Chinese herbalist Ge Hong (284-363) wrote about it in a book “Zhou hou bei ji fang”, rendered in translation as “Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies.”

The soup has great value when used at the very first indication of a cold—headache, stuffy nose, slight fever, dry, scratchy throat. It should be taken immediately, not to even wait for the next meal. Then rest in bed, covered to induce sweating.

The first 4-6 hours are crucial. The formula can knock the cold out then, but later, after the cold develops, it’s too late. Other remedies are necessary.

It doesn’t matter if you believe this or not. Miso is just healthy food so anyone can try it for themselves and decide based on their own experience.

This information came to me recently. It worked. It is not described on the medical reference sites for colds on the web (i.e. Mayo Clinic, Wellness Letters etc.). Few people have ever heard this since there is no money to be made selling small amounts of soy bean paste and scallions. Perhaps someone will package it up, advertise, and sell it for a good profit. Then people may take notice.

In case you decide to try, here is the simplest recipe. Be sure to include the rootlets of the scallions.

Miso Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water.

1-2 Tablespoon Miso or red soy bean paste (usually sold in the refrigerated section).

6-8 green onions stalks also known as scallions, (white part) chopped. It is important to include the little rootlets from the scallions in the soup.

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add the miso & scallions.

Simmer for 5-10 minutes, no longer.

Lie down to rest covered up for a couple of hours to induce sweating.

 

Natural History, Natural Mind

(Zen and Science 3)

Few people visit the old exhibits, assembled before the age of computer interactions, that are found in every Natural History Museum. These display cases chronicle the history of understanding the earth. People of with extraordinary insight and dedication began to unravel the mystery of their home—the molten core (Oldham, 1906), ice ages and glaciers (Agassiz, 1840), Continental Drift (Taylor, 1908), magnetic pole reversals (Brunhes, 1906). Their names are largely forgotten but the extensions of their work are common knowledge to grade school students today.

This science began replacing ignorance with an understanding of the processes of nature. The processes of the earth were found to just occur naturally and continuously. Each event in the earth’s chronicle is independent, but interconnected. There can be no prediction of the results or direction. Just unceasing interconnected change. Nature operating in its own incomparable, perfect splendor.

Zen Comment:

Bodhidharma was a fifth century Buddhist monk credited with bringing Zen from India to China. His surviving writings are few, but to the point:

“The way is basically perfect, it does not require perfection.”

Comment:

Human life is nature itself, not distinct or apart from it. Our activities are also the processes of nature.

Humans also have the gift to be conscious of these activities. Ideas about the activities arise. Ideas of progress, goals, comparisons, and judgments arise. It is easy to get caught up in these and to judge the result of the activity. Such ideas have their place, but the balance is often lost. Allowing these functions undue emphasis leads obscures the splendor of our own natural activities.

When fully present in the activity or process of the moment, there is no room for comparison, for ideas. It is complete. The perfection of the moment can be experienced.

How do we regain our natural gifts? Slow the mind to experience the natural process each in their own way.

** (If a Natural History Museum is not convenient, you can find details out on the Web, Wikipedia, or in the very readable book “A short history of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson)

Others in this category: The Moon Illusion; Feynman Asks a Question

 

 

 

 

 

Managing Priority Conflicts for Productive Results

“My priorities are the most important. That’s why my way is only one that will work!”

Priority conflicts are an essential and a routine part of doing business. The key is to resolve these conflicts efficiently in order to get the most benefit. Unfortunately, the resolution is often unpleasant. However, an individual with some skill and initiative can make a huge difference in managing the resolution.

People’s perspectives are based both on their understanding and priorities. Since each person has a different role and focus in the organization, priorities conflict. Sometimes, it is difficult to resolve these conflicts so that activities can proceed. Consider the example below:

In a business, the production people must make the product efficiently. The Quality department must determine if the product is acceptable. The two groups must agree on the compromise point of production efficiency and quality.

Often, there is no obvious criteria to determine the compromise point. Frustration develops. Emotions begin to flare. Cooperation drops off. Positions harden. Supervisors are called. A big meeting to “settle” the issue is scheduled. The meeting room is filled with tension. Positions are dogmatically stated. The discussion becomes a test of wills with the strongest finally dominating. Usually, it is not the best solution. Further, there are winners, losers, and payback at a later time.

These scenarios play out every day. However, a skilled individual can make a dramatic difference in both the outcome and the way that people work together. There are three steps:

1. Understand and Defuse the Situation

2. Build an Outline of the Resolution in Stages

3. Confirm Agreement

 

1. Understand and Defuse the Situation

The most critical step is to dispassionately understand the situation from all perspectives. The best way to understand the situation is to speak individually with each of the key people in an understated way.

Listen to positions contrary to your own opinion without comment or criticism. (This is a real skill!)

If possible, the conversation should be held in their office. People respect that someone else made the effort to visit them.

Avoid e-mail exchanges. Complex problems do not get resolved by e-mail.

Set the tone. Most people can not focus on listening to others until after they have spoken. Accommodate this. On occasions where emotions have festered, time to vent these emotions may be needed. Again, this is approached in a listening mode which does not feed into the negative energy being released. After people calm down and have an element of trust, you can get a better understanding of what is essential and what is negotiable

Find areas of agreement. In such conflicts, the disagreements are of such high visibility that they completely dominate the view. By identifying areas of agreement, perspectives are clarified. The conflicting areas appear more manageable. When people see that there is general agreement in many other areas, there is more confidence that the remaining problems can be resolved.

Emphasize that this is an exploratory conversation. Positions are open to explore what is really essential, without concern that these are actual proposals. It is important that opinions do not harden at this time.

Listen for consequences. In order to understand what they are communicating, it is necessary to use the content and be aware of the consequences of what they are saying. (Reference Post: Listening for Consequences

2. Build an Outline of the Resolution in Stages.

The solution will not be one of the original suggestions, but must be teased out of the understanding obtained in the first step. This is a process involving thinking, making proposals, obtaining feedback, and making revisions.

First, there are bits and pieces information from the earlier discussions to be reviewed. Look at the edges where people expressed positions that were more flexible to begin to craft a proposal. Start with what is negotiable for each group and build what you can. Put aside your first ideas to stretch the thinking and keep the ideas from hardening too soon.

Take an outline of a proposed solution back to a key individual for discussion. Emphasize that it is a hypothesis to be developed. It is essential to have their input at several stages during the construction of the solution.
Test the elements with questions such as:

Will this approach work?

What changes in your position be made to become acceptable?

Encourage suggestions.

Once people realize that they are not going to be railroaded, positions soften and possibilities for concessions and compromises increase rather surprisingly.

Incorporate appropriate revisions, especially concessions and take the new information to another individual to continue building an acceptable approach.

The objective is an informal general agreement for addressing the conflict of the key areas. Hold discussion on details for the next step.

3. Confirm Agreement.

After an informal agreement has been obtained with the individuals, schedule a meeting the different individuals or groups represented. The meeting is essentially to obtain an informal consensus that the proposed solution is acceptable. A group discussion is needed to confirm that the approach is understood and accepted by the group.

This meeting is significantly different from the meeting in the above production/quality example that was called to try to solve the problem–without having spent the effort to develop a foundation.

(A written agenda is useful as a tool to focus the discussion on the important points. Reference Post: Disrupting the Cycle of Inefficient Meetings)

An informal consensus is all that is needed by the group. Details, which are important but do not change the decision, can be worked out by selected individuals as follow-up actions. Participants will generally be satisfied with both the resolution of the priorities and the process to settle the conflict.

 

In summary, priority conflicts are a normal part of business. Conflicts often lead to disruption. However, taking the time to understand and build a consensus with the individuals can lead to a productive resolution.

Feynman Asks a Question–Story

Zen and Science (2)

It is easy to presume that reality is the way that we say it is. After all, it is what we appear to know. A different response can interrupt our routine thoughts and begin to change the perspective.

Richard Feynman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. He was well known as a great scientist, original thinker, and author of both scientific and popular books. This story is taken from his book What Do You Care What Other People Think.

As a young boy, Feynman was playing with his wagon. The wagon had a ball in in it which was free to roll. He observed that when he pulled the wagon, the ball rolled to the back. However, when he stopped the wagon suddenly, the ball rolled to the front.

He asked his father: “Why is that?”

His father’s response: “That, nobody knows. . . . But the general principle is that something that is moving tends to stay in motion and that things that are standing tend to stay still. . . .”

Buddhist Comment

Bodhidharma was a fifth century Buddhist monk credited with bringing Zen from India to China. His surviving writings are few, but to the point:

“If speech isn’t tied to appearances, it’s free. … Language is essentially free.”
“Freeing oneself from words is liberation.”

Comment:

Nobody knows for sure, but this is what we say. . . .

It is easy to forget the first phrase and believe firmly in the content of what we say. The content of our speech allows us to function in our world, but how can there be certainty that we know with the surety of our manner.

Where is the certainty! “Nobody knows for sure” serves as a reminder that absolute meaning attached to the words can limit understanding. The possibilities are reduced. The experience may be larger than the words can express. But the content of the words give the appearance and comfort of standing on firm ground. How firm is that ground? How is it tested?

It is the attachment to the speech and content that restricts the freedom and potential. If speech is not tied to appearance, the spirit can flow.

Why is that?
There are no limits to the response: “Nobody knows for sure.”
What is our reply to ourselves, to our children?

Related articles: Moon Illusion,

Natural History, Natural Mind

The Moon Illusion–Story

Zen and Science (1)

A full moon rises, large and luminous against the horizon. But later at night, when the moon is high in the sky, it has shrunk to a small circle. For centuries, people have tried to explain this observation.

It is easy enough to convince yourself it is an illusion. For example, a photograph taken of a horizon moon will be smaller than that remembered by the observer. The size of the moon in the photograph will remain the same when taken at different heights in the sky. More simply, just compare the size of the moon to the tip of your little finger when held at arm’s length. First, check the moon against your finger when it is first near the horizon, and then check again later when the moon is high in the sky and appears smaller. The relative size measured against the finger remains the same.

There are many theories about the underlying cause of this illusion. An entire technical book, The Mystery of the Moon Illusion, examines these theories. (H.E. Ross & C. Plug, 2002, 275 pgs). The authors conclude that no single theory has emerged victorious. They further observe that “The moon illusion is one of the few perceptual phenomena that tap a broad spectrum of sciences: astronomy, optics, physics, physiology, psychology, and philosophy.

Buddhist Comment:

Bodhidharma was a fifth century Buddhist monk credited with bringing Zen from India to China. His surviving writings are few, but to the point:

“Using the mind to look for reality is delusion. Not using the mind to look for reality is awareness.”

Remarks:

Apparently all human beings are wired to make the same perceptual error. The senses may not accurately register what is actually out there. The moon illusion is evaluated against our normal understanding. The assumption is that everyday perception and understanding is accurate. Is that the case? Having seen one inconsistency, there are very likely other illusions, even if we are normally unaware of them. These illusions further distort reality. We may not know what is out there as reality, or even if there is an out there.

Bodhidharma’s comment points in this direction. A mind distorted by illusions from the senses can not explore itself with accuracy. Such an exploration just adds error to error.

In such case, the Buddhist method of examination of reality is through refined awareness, developed by quieting the mind.

 

Related posts: Feynman Asks a Question

Natural History, Natural Mind

Minimizing the Frustration of Working for an Indecisive Manager

Indecisive managers survive, even prosper. They have a good job. It’s working for them, so there is no motivation to change.

Although there is plenty of advice offered to understand or encourage these managers to change, the effort of an employee to change them is usually pretty futile.

If you are working for an indecisive, it is important to take care of yourself. The loss of positive energy shows itself in frustration, less effort, reduced creativity, and an erosion of skills. These factors ultimately reduce your effectiveness and the ability to contribute and be rewarded. The focus should be on maintaining energy and effectiveness in a frustrating situation.

You may not be able to get a decision from the boss, but there are a number of actions you can try in order to maintain your effectiveness and mental well being.

Simplify the situation.

Frame the decision situation for the supervisor in relatively clear terms so a path is obvious. Propose the direction. Make it as simple and straightforward as possible—even to a yes or no response.

Understand the decision schedule.

There is a misconception, often embraced by the indecisives, that decisions should be made at the deadline. The question “When is this due?” seems to be their first response.

There is a myth that the passage of time somehow leads to better outcomes, even if nothing is done during the interval. This myth provides a rationale for not making a timely decision. In reality, the earlier that the decision can be made, the better chance for a good outcome:

(i) Decisions should be made as soon as there is agreement that all of the critical information or experience is at hand. Work to get an agreement that the all the information is available. Filter out secondary information that would be reassuring to have, but is not critical to determine the direction.

(ii) A decision, even if not the “best” decision, that permits action is more effective than waiting for a decision.

(iii) The earlier the decision is made, the more time there is to change it if the initial actions indicate it is not correct.

Ask no more than twice, then move in a different direction.

In general, when requesting action from someone, it is a good policy to ask a second time if there is no activity after the initial request. It is always possible that the person did not understand fully the significance of the first request. Consequently, during the second follow-up conversation, take care to ensure that the details and significance are understood. (One method: Listening for Consequences).

Then, if no action is taken after the second conversation, it is clear that the request is consciously being put aside. Further requests are not likely to improve the situation. There is little to be gained by pestering. Continued ignored requests lead to frustration.

It is a more productive approach to consider other directions for action. Finding them takes some creativity. Usually, people are focused on the first idea. Alternatives exist, but are not apparent at first. It takes some real thinking to identify them. Make the effort. (Example: Reject the First Idea)

Act, than apologize if necessary.

Some indecisives prefer it when the action is around them. Things get done and they do not have accountability. If the direction is clear and the decision reasonably within your competence or responsibility, start the activity in the selected direction, then check back.

Channel your energy in other productive directions.

Look out for yourself. Think about how to constructively release the energy that builds up under the frustrating condition of a boss who will not do his job. Rather than knocking your head against the wall about this situation, see what alternative actions can be taken. It is better than stewing or complaining. Put the energy into exploring areas that you can do something constructive.

It is never fun working for people who cannot make a clean decision. Sometimes, it is like being in quicksand. Some, but not all, are clever enough to find their way out.

 

Tewa Initiation and Clifford Geertz: Story

Clifford Geertz was a well known anthropologist at Princeton University. His gift as a teacher was to help students go against the grain of their own cultural experience and explore other ways of thinking.

The Tewa people in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico have their own cultural perspectives that inform their rituals. Geertz demonstrated this in a recently recounted story about the Tewa initiation rite. (R. Darnton, New York Review of Books 1/11/07 Pg. 32.)

Initiation

Adolescent boys were awakened unexpectedly in the middle of the night. They were taken into another building, covered with a blanket, and made to climb down a ladder into the most secret room in the pueblo. There was a loud noise above and the elders covered the ladder with a blanket. When the blanket was removed, the chief deity wearing a terrifying mask, stood directly in front of the boys. He asked them if they were prepared to be finished as men. After they agreed, he began to strike them with a whip using full force and raising red welts on their bodies. Finally, when the boys were reduced to terror, he pulled off his mask. The boys saw the face of an elder relative or neighbor laughing at them.

The question Geertz posed to his class: “What was the nature of the revelation?” All the students agreed that the boys were initiated into a confidence game. By removing the mask, the elder exposed the human being hiding behind the false deity.

Geertz did not agree with the students. It was a different culture and worldview. He explained that the boys had learned that the elder was a god, not that a supposed god was only the elder.

Comments:

Did you agree with the class interpretation? As Geertz noted, the straightforward interpretation from our own perspective may not apply to a different worldview.

These different cultural interpretations are a step to being open to the wisdom that can be learned elsewhere and being able to reevaluate the basis of one’s own perspectives.

How does one begin to learn to think or experience outside of their own culture? The paths may be different for each person.

Manager’s Performance Appraisals—Assessing Contributions to Subordinates’ Professional Growth

The strong leader makes his mark, puts his vision into action, and then moves on. It is the expectation that the vision continues to grow in the future. Often though, when the leader moves on, there is no successor who can continue and expand the implementation. This break in leadership is a consequence insufficient effort to the development of the next generation. As the example below shows, this is an old problem.

Genghis Khan spent almost forty years in constant warfare to build his Asian empire. In his 60’s, he was at the height of power, without competition either from within his tribe or from an external enemy. He realized that he had a problem—there was no clear successor. He had not devoted enough attention to developing the leadership skills in his four sons. These four men did not get along, did they have the vision of his leadership principles, and were resistant to change. Genghis Khan, ruler of most of Asia, tried many methods to develop his sons, but it was too late. The succession plan was a compromise. Even in the first several years after Genghis Khan’s death, the battle campaigns were less effective and the resources began to be looted internally. The Mongol empire did endure, for a long while, but it was a shadow of Genghis Khan’s vision.

Similarly in a modern organization, when a visionary manager is replaced by a person who cannot meet the increased responsibility, the direction is lost. The performance of the organization suffers.

Strong managers are often not seriously evaluated for employee development. Their ambition and energy are elsewhere and they may not appreciate the importance to the organization. Lesser caliber managers may take the view that, as they individually move upward, they will not be accountable for what they leave behind. Both approaches lead to inadequate training of the next generation. Some starting points for assessments are needed.

An individual responsible for evaluating the manager’s contributions to subordinates’ growth can observe a number of different actions to gauge the performance. Looking in specific directions is the key.

Actions to Observe

Does the manager map out the projects, set the directions, and then assign small pieces to the subordinates?

Do the subordinates actually make decisions comparable to their abilities?

At meetings, do subordinates express their opinions or confirm agreement?

Comment: Managers who do not delegate may achieve results, but do not develop competence in their subordinates.

Which type of questions do the subordinates tend to ask?

“What does (the manager) want?” or “What does this situation require?”

Comment: Subordinates, who are trained to look to the manager for direction, are not gaining the skills required for leadership.

Does the manager rely on a small inner circle, excluding others from responsibility?

Comment: Favoritism certainly has advantages, but staff development is not one of them.

For subordinates who have been reporting to the manager for at least one year, can you, independently, observe unusual skill growth in the subordinates?

Comment: If the change is observed independently, then query about the manager’s role in the skill growth.

Does the manager encourage or criticize individuals who have opposing positions?

Comment: Criticizing legitimate dissent stifles others.

 

Observing actions such as the above examples provide a starting point for assessing the manager’s contributions to the subordinate’s skill growth. It also provides a real foundation for a discussion during the appraisal interview. Most importantly, the crucial issue of leadership development can be addressed.

 

Related Posts on Evaluations:  Dealing with a Bad Employee Performance Appraisal 

Struggling to Give A Good Performance Appraisal 

 

 

Creative Procrastination—Less Work, Less Worry

“Procrastination is the thief of time”

That whimper has been heard too often to goad children and adults into action.

Habitual procrastination with every activity does have negative consequences. Also, there is the nagging worry of having projects hanging over your head.

However, procrastination, used as a selective tool, can really be used to benefit. It just requires a clear understanding of when procrastination adds value. The trick is to spend a few minutes and see what the consequences for procrastination are for the activity at hand. The activities tend to fall into groups. Some examples are shown below:

Procrastinate based on the Effect of Time on Consequences

Progressive—The negative consequences of not acting increase with time. There is no benefit to delay.

Example: A young patient has cataracts and the eye doctor reports that they will require surgery within the next year

Comment: This is a progressive problem as there is continued decrease in vision until the operation. In progressive cases, there is greater benefit in acting soon (in order to restore better eyesight) rather than later to have the same result.

Self-limiting—The consequences do not change with time, but there is a deadline.

Example: A child’s birthday party has space for 10 people, but 12 or 13 have accepted.

Comment: This is a self limiting problem, since the consequences are known and reasonable. It is also, the experience that cancellations of known acceptances to parties, weddings etc. are generally about 10%. There are always ways to handle an extra person. Consequently, no advance action is required for self-limiting projects.

Schedule dependent—At a known time, an event occurs and time for action is over.

Example: A progress report is due in two weeks.

Comment: This is fully schedule dependent. The important point is to begin work at the right time. If you start too early, the effort drags on and consumes additional work. Habitual procrastinators begin work too late and end up in a crush. Schedule dependent projects are best handled by initially making a reasonable estimate of the amount of work required and then putting the work on hold until the appropriate time.

Chronic–Minimal negative consequences, no end date. If the consequences are acceptable, there is no reason to devote energy to it.

Chronic projects, such as cleaning the house, tend not to happen. Life can go on without them.
However, other chronic projects, such as contacting an old friend, also fall into the chronic category. However in these cases, the consequences of regaining contact with a friend are fully positive. Activities without deadlines that have positive consequences tend to be undervalued. Additional emphasis on the value of positive consequences may be needed to determine whether procrastination is of use.

In summary, the approach is to estimate the effect of elapsed time on the consequences and take the appropriate action. The nagging worries of an undone project have been addressed.

Two perspectives of worry

1.Write down the pressing concerns on a sheet of paper. Put the list aside for a week, and then look at it again. Note how many have disappeared on their own. Work on those that remain.

2. “If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.” (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

Project Reality Checks—Keeping Perspective or Heading in the Wrong Direction

At the beginning of a vacation trip, there is always something exhilarating about getting on a clear Interstate knowing that you are finally on the way. When that first highway sign marking direction appears, a doubt can creep in—is this the right direction?

A new project at work has a similar feel. There is always energy and excitement in the early phases. People have ideas, good energy, and build on each others ideas. There is some support from management and project direction is beginning to take shape. People are anxious to move down the path and get things done at a good pace.

The difference between the vacation trip and the work project is that there are no road signs to remind people to check the direction. People have to build their own markers. This step is often not taken, with the risk that, over time, the project can go off track as conditions change.

One approach is to have selected individual, who are so inclined, to explicitly take the responsibility to check the perspective in a more dispassionate way and probe the larger project group with their doubts as needed. This probing can be done by Listening for Consequences during the discussion or considering the project through nagging background questions.

Examples:

What flaws in the basic assumptions have come to light since the project started?
New information always becomes available. The check is to determine if this has an affect on the work.

What is known, but not being discussed?
There are sometimes concerns that people would just prefer to avoid. The direction is to address them before they become major problems.

What is being missed here? What is being overlooked?
These questions are the most challenging and creative of all. It takes some insight and effort to bring to light things that have not yet been on the table for discussion.

What other ways can this work be done?
Once people have momentum, it becomes more difficult to consider a course correction. This question raises this possibility

Does this level of detailed effort matter to the project?
Sooner or later, work creeps in that really has little effect on the goals. This question forces consideration of this possibility

There is a tendency to make perspective checking a group responsibility. Often this approach simply doesn’t work. Generally, the group should be pushing forward. Otherwise, there will be a tendency to just planning and fretting and frozen into paralysis. Also, by diffusing the activity, no one is responsible for the analysis. Finally, many individuals do not have the temperament to change mental directions so quickly and hence it is inefficient to ask them to do this.

It’s really not much more effort, but occasionally asking a few nagging questions are effective to keep the project going in the best direction.