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Author:Desconocido
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Published: 2006-08-29T07:24:05+00:00

7

Thinking Like

a Scientist

Samantha couldn’t believe her staff’s poor attitude or declin-ing performance. She’d say to me, “If only I had done things differently” or “I should’ve never let them get away with that.” Her distress would soon devolve into mini-tirades where she’d lash out at herself, her bosses, her employees, even her parents!

After a few sessions with her, I knew she needed more than to vent. So I told her, “Make your emotions work for you, not against you.” I suggested that she transform her agitation into energy—intellectual fuel she could use to think of creative solutions.

When you’re facing a problem, weighing what action to take to solve it empowers you to charge ahead. But if you dwell on your regrets, anger, or irritation, you won’t get very far. As I like to tell managers who are stymied by problems, “How you feel matters, but what you do matters much more.”

Many managers react to problems on an impulsive, emotional level. When they discover a mishap, they may think: 81

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82

The Manager’s Survival Guide

“That was so stupid of me!”

“I’m so fed up with these things happening!”

“This will make me look bad!”

Sadly, it doesn’t stop there. When you mentally kick yourself and think, “That was so stupid of me!” it’s often followed by a litany of other self-berating thoughts such as “I’m a goner in this job” or “I wonder how else I’ve screwed up.” It’s like eating potato chips: one bad thought isn’t enough so you get hooked on them. Within minutes, you’re stuck in a downhill spiral of gloom-and-doom hopelessness and mounting agitation.

While it’s unrealistic to remove all emotion from solving problems, you can work your way out of a mess more quickly by thinking dispassionately about what to do. Complaining, chastising, and blaming yourself—or others—wastes time and usually compounds whatever problem you’re already up against.

Consider how trained scientists respond to setbacks. They don’t stomp their feet when experiments fail or let their tempers interfere with their ability to assess problems appropriately.

Instead, they identify what caused the unwanted result and what actions to take to achieve a better outcome the next time.

Scientists thrive on measurable data. They devote great care to tracking data, tabulating it, and confirming its accuracy.

When things go wrong, they review the information they’ve collected and look for answers buried in the data.

That’s an excellent

First Reactions

model for managers in

When you discover a prob-

search of a sound strategy

lem, notice the first thought that

for solving problems.

pops into mind. If you think, “What

If you’re going to think

next?” or “What do I know and what

like a scientist as you con-

do I need to find out to solve it?”

front problems, you need

you’re on the right track. But if you

fret, panic, or instinctively think about to adopt a careful, disci-who’s to blame, you’re already setting plined, logical system to

yourself up for even more disappoint-

guide your analysis. The

ment and frustration down the line.

material presented in this

Thinking Like a Scientist 83

chapter provides a blueprint

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