In any work environment, attitude separates winners from
losers. This does not mean that winners move from one to win to another but
that when things are going bad, they don’t crumble. They remain positive long
enough for times to change in their favor. So, why do positive people always
see the sunshine when things are going well and silver lining on the worst
days?
According to some studies, it’s just the way our brain works.
We have a very strong tendency to see what we want to see and what we expect to
see. Do you remember the last time you had to make an important decision, for
example, buy a new car? You may have liked a particular model but had to wait
till you got your hands on it and in those days, all you noticed is how many
cars in the model you liked are on the street. They were in front of you,
honking impatiently behind you, overtaking you. They seem to be everywhere! The
way we think, determines what we see. The subconscious mind is still often
underrated especially in any workplace. This has huge implications when
studying our customers, markets, competitors, and other data that influences
key business decisions.
When we only see what we want or expect to see, we miss
competitive threats because our brain ignores the possibility of danger from that
direction. For similar reasons, we miss opportunities because we only see what
has worked in the past rather than what could be. We miss major market shifts
and changes in customer needs that seem obvious in hindsight but are easily
overlooked when focusing on what we already know.
We humans are wired such way that we have a natural affinity
for set patterns and make connections (have you noticed face of your deity on
your toast lately?). Our brain is constantly filling information gaps. What was/is
a very important function for our safety also makes us vulnerable to jump at
the first answer/solution that pops to our head rather than take the time to
examine all the data. This is especially true in today’s world where we receive
more information every day than we have time to assimilate. Important facts are
that the brain doesn’t always get it right and it is possible to re-train your
mind.
Most
people know that yoga and martial arts not just work on the body but on the
mind too. They both have the same underlining philosophy, calm the mind. A calm
mind is more focused when not panicking at the first appearance of a problem
real or imagined. For those who are as impatient as I am, when faced by a
dilemma that makes you want to throw your hands in the air and lament, “what
can I do?!” ask yourself, “what else can I do to take care of XYZ problem?”
This is the most basic brain training. The minute you pose the question
differently, your brain opens up and starts to search for other possibilities.
It is easy and possible. An example from real life is when I had just started working
and I had to send some documents urgently to an author who had no mobile phone
and was not attending his landline number either. All I had was his address and
when our peon, who had gone to deliver the documents, got confused between two
very similar addresses not too close each other, I had to figure out a way. Once
I managed to calm my agitated mind, it struck me that taxi and auto drivers are
usually familiar with routes and addresses. I phoned the local taxi stand
closest to the address (thanks to Google!), I was able to speak to a friendly
driver who explained the route and important landmarks, which I was then able
to communicate to the peon. The work got done within minutes. Had my colleague
been handling the situation, he would have asked the peon to return with the
documents (as he was advising me to do) and cribbed about people who don’t
attend to their phones.
As
for attitude at workplace that I discussed at the beginning of this post,
positive people are already tuned to the part of brain that is open to other
possibilities. They believe that things will be OK and they often don’t even realize
when they have started on a new/unknown road to recovery. Of course, there are
situations beyond one’s control but an open and calm mind is listening to every
opportunity and is waiting for it to knock.
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