Attention spans (not just mine), uncertainty, sheriffs and witches, from routine to ritual, curiosity, CEO mindsets and excellence.
Here are six of the reads, views, and listens that have recently caught my attention, stayed with me, and left a mark on my thinking.
1
I subscribe to Gloria Mark’s “The Future of Attention” on substack and am quite taken with her book Attention Span. As someone who grew up at the back of the classroom and has been diagnosed with ADHD (neither of those really at the heart of anything here but perhaps my tendency for run on sentences), the title caught my attention like … well I guess a shiny object. Sigh.
Anyhow, the book is a brilliant look at how our brains and our focus have changed, and continue to change, due to how we interact with technology. This isn’t a technophobe treatise of ditch the devices, connections, and convenience and get back to chopping wood and hewing water, it is a scientific and highly readable exploration of our decreasing attention spans, our increasing distraction and stress, and how we can achieve well-being and balance in a fast-paced technological world.
In this age of anyone saying anything, it’s important to note that Gloria Mark is a real deal scientist and is the Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine.
I recommend checking out her substack and I know that some of you will be interested in her recent interview with Sam Wineburg captured in the post “The Battle Against Misinformation”.
2
This is a wild book by Mervyn King and John Kay that I totally missed when it came out in 2020 but recently stumbled across while searching for an anthology of 16th century English prose and poetry. Which just maybe says something about the internet and radical uncertainty. Or maybe something about the continued importance of sheriffs and witches in modern day London and discussions about economics. Either way, pretty cool.
Anyhow, if like me, you get a kick out of contemplating the unknown, uncertainty, probability (or not), unpredictability, and the impact of how we make business decisions, this book is worth at least a quick perusal.
Two things drew me to this book.
- My experience that when I give preference to curiosity over certitude life decisions turn out better.
- A growing realization that the experience of a global pandemic, with restrictions and the need to create and pivot to new ways of doing business, has left some leadership teams seeking more certainty and iron-clad tactics in their strategic planning. They are choosing a rigid re-working of what they knew in the past rather than focusing on their unique purpose and impact while building a healthy, resilient, and creative organization.
And then I had two questions.
- What leadership skills are key to being okay with uncertainty? And by being “okay” I don’t mean a “whatever” attitude and not paying attention to planning, desired outcomes, risk mitigation, evidence, and assessment. I mean being okay with the idea that we don’t know what might happen and that not everything is a solvable problem. I can’t help but think that I have, if not the total answer, a good start on this over at the Courageous Leaders Project.
- How do we have discussions around uncertainty with optimism? I’m keen on this – optimism is what keeps me in the game.
Give me a shout if you want to chat about uncertainty, resilience, creativity, and optimism in your work. Dollars to doughnuts we’ll have a good time. *
3
Ceo Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish The Best Leaders From The Rest, by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra
Okay, I confess that there was something about this book that just didn’t appeal to me when it came out in 2022. In fact I was quite judgy about yet another we-have-the-secret-to-successful-corporate-leadership book. But I’m looking at it now.
Next confession. I still haven’t read it, but I’m watching the videos about the book on the McKinsey & Company website. While they are brief and intended for piquing interest in the book, I’m enjoying them as ideas for further cultivation. I am impressed with the importance the authors give to mindset and our ability to shift ours to better serve our purpose and our work.
4
Perfect Days
While I suspected that I was going to enjoy Perfect Days (Guardian review) from the German director Wim Wenders, I was still surprised by how much I entered into it’s rhythm and how much it has stayed with me.
I also didn’t expect to include it in this list. That’s right, not everything makes the cut. For example, there is no space in this newsletter to talk about the sugar-high I get from the velvet, silk, and brocade costumes on Bridgerton. No space at all.
But Perfect Days is more than a compelling story and a visual delight. It also has much to say about the power of quiet and the beauty of routines. These two things are often overlooked in leadership literature and discussions. In this film routines are elevated to rituals; challenging our perspective and calling us to honour the dignity of our and everyone’s everyday life and work.
In a world of work defined by striving, speed, volume, and rewards, how do you honour the dignity of quiet and routine?
5
Why Curiosity is a Business Imperative with Scott Shigeoka.
If you haven’t yet, I urge you to listen to this interview from the good folks at IDEOU’s Creative Confidence Podcast.
You can find out more about Scott’s research and the book Seek atscottshigeoka.com.
6
I’m also paying attention to:
- Attending the June 18th webinar “Beyond Free Fruit in the Staff Room: A Strategic Approach to Wellbeing” from Atkinson HR Consulting.
- Making my way through the course “How to Work with a Client’s Perfectionism” from The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (no, I’m not a clinician, but I want to better understand perfectionism as it keeps showing up in the room).
- “Cultivating Safe Spaces” with Naqsmist.
Photo by Ilya Chunin on Unsplash
*I’m here for the friendly chats and you can invite me in to your or your organization’s leadership journey as a facilitator or coach. More about me and what I do at the Courageous Leaders Project.