THE THINKING WE DO, the ideas we have and the decisions we make are the prerequisites for taking effective action – and in order to deliberate properly we need to have some dedicated time and a clear mind. If we rush, or try to think in a pressured, distracted environment, the quality of our reasoning will suffer. We won’t come up with the best ideas, we won’t have fully thought things through and we’ll make poor decisions.
Yet many of us don’t feel we have the time and space to do the deeper contemplation that our complex, high-responsibility jobs require: There are three elements we need to address to create the space for such high-quality thinking:
First we need to Create Space to Reflect. This is what psychologists call ‘meta-cognition’ or ‘thinking about thinking’: being able to mull things over and test our conclusions. We need to do this before we make decisions and afterwards, so that we can constantly improve the quality of our thinking. Raku, in our first story, feels a pressure to take action quickly, but in doing so short-circuits the examination that is required before she rushes forward.
Second, we need to Create Space to Learn. In a world of uncertainty, change and endless innovation, we can’t rely on what we already know. We need to learn new things and make new intellectual connections. We’ll meet Rachel, who doesn’t want to look foolish or make herself vulnerable, so she fails to learn the things that are required for success in her new role.
Finally, we need to Create Space to Decide. We must eventually let our reflections and learning inform a clear goal that we are going to aim for. This requires a deep understanding of the business context we operate in and the resources at our disposal. Deciding is the act of turning your internal thoughts into an action that will impact on the external world. In Hans’s case he doesn’t have the confidence and inner freedom to take this final, crucial step.
In all three stories we will see how a failure to create space to think can cripple people’s ability to perform well and succeed, and how creating space to think provided the means for Raku, Rachel and Hans to get moving again. It gave them a greater understanding of themselves and the world, and they felt more certain of their opinions and decisions. In short, their minds had been opened up, rather than being prematurely closed down. The depth, breadth and quality of their thinking had improved and that became visible for all to see.