Leadership training - my notes
Paradigms That Guide Thinking
Paradigms are mental models that provide a structure for our thoughts and guide our thinking. They help us make sense of all of the information that we encounter by telling us what to pay attention to, how to arrange what we pay attention to, how to draw conclusions, and how to interpret things. This process is guided by a set of unconscious assumptions that we carry to make sense of what we experience.
~ We develop our paradigms over time from our family, region of the country, cultural niche, or organizations-any environment in which we learn the written or unwritten rules that guide our behavior.
~ Paradigms are useful in that they help us structure how to think about and act in a situation. They cause problems when we think that our paradigm is the only paradigm. When we view people who have different paradigms as thinking in confusing, unpredictable, irrational, immoral, or unethical ways, it frequently creates conflict.
Tips for Encouraging Authentic Feedback
People may be reluctant to give you honest feedback if they don't trust you.
Before you ask for feedback, be clear in your own mind why you're asking.
Ask for feedback only when you are open to hearing it.
Listen to what the others have to say. Take notes.
Avoid being defensive. Don’t try to explain yourself during the feedback process.
Restate what the speakers have told you, to make sure that you understand what they've said.
Ask followup questions to gain clarity; get specifics. For example:
“Can you give me some specifics?”
“What impact is that having?”
“Can you tell me more about that?”
Thank them.
When possible, make changes as a result of the feedback.
Initially, ask infrequently until others see that you’re willing to make changes based on earlier feedback given you. Remember that you need to build trust in the fact that you really want to hear what they have to say and that you will do something to change.
Paradigms are mental models that provide a structure for our thoughts and guide our thinking. They help us make sense of all of the information that we encounter by telling us what to pay attention to, how to arrange what we pay attention to, how to draw conclusions, and how to interpret things. This process is guided by a set of unconscious assumptions that we carry to make sense of what we experience.
~ We develop our paradigms over time from our family, region of the country, cultural niche, or organizations-any environment in which we learn the written or unwritten rules that guide our behavior.
~ Paradigms are useful in that they help us structure how to think about and act in a situation. They cause problems when we think that our paradigm is the only paradigm. When we view people who have different paradigms as thinking in confusing, unpredictable, irrational, immoral, or unethical ways, it frequently creates conflict.
Tips for Encouraging Authentic Feedback
People may be reluctant to give you honest feedback if they don't trust you.
Before you ask for feedback, be clear in your own mind why you're asking.
Ask for feedback only when you are open to hearing it.
Listen to what the others have to say. Take notes.
Avoid being defensive. Don’t try to explain yourself during the feedback process.
Restate what the speakers have told you, to make sure that you understand what they've said.
Ask followup questions to gain clarity; get specifics. For example:
“Can you give me some specifics?”
“What impact is that having?”
“Can you tell me more about that?”
Thank them.
When possible, make changes as a result of the feedback.
Initially, ask infrequently until others see that you’re willing to make changes based on earlier feedback given you. Remember that you need to build trust in the fact that you really want to hear what they have to say and that you will do something to change.