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Archive for June, 2009

Jun 19

Your Daily Life as an Artist’s Canvas

Just as I enjoy water infused with a little pomegranate juice or lemonade, I think life with creativity adds that extra satisfying flavor and zest.  Typically, when you think about  ”being creative,” artistic pursuits like creative writing, painting and photography come to mind. When challenged, however, to view our daily moments, habits and interactions as our unique art, creativity becomes much more expansive.

SO, what does it mean to live life artistically or creatively, moment to moment?  Of course, each of us will need to carve our own “masterpiece” in that regard, but here are a few ideas to get your started:

Add new color, spice or dimension to your routine.  Whether your getting dressed for work, crunching numbers in excel, or cooking Monday night dinner, try adding new ingredients and/or combining things in a new way.  You might not add fuschia to your excel headings, but you can certainly find simple and creative ways to spice up what feels mundane.

Turn your ideas on their heads. Edward DeBono, the famed creativity expert, suggests that we create provocative statements to help our brains get out of patterned way of thought, and invent fresh approaches and ideas.   So whatever it is you take for granted to be the “right order or “right way” to do something, turn it around and look at the possibilities in what seems absolutely ridiculous. For example, the idea that the “passenger directs the driver,” led to a discount cab company in London where local passengers tell new cab drivers the route to go.  Pick up the book, Serious Creativity, by Edward DeBono to learn more.

Play like a child.  The more time I spend with my 1-year old, the more I find myself playing like a kid again.  You may not  balance a milk bottle on your head and walk an imaginary tight rope or rock out to Music Together tunes for toddlers as I do these days, but I encourage you to incorporate your own version of play in your life.  Maybe you take a salsa class; maybe you buy some watercolors and make a birthday card; or maybe you play (or make up) a board or card game.

Observe like Jane Goodall.  Whether you’re commuting to work, analyzing your office environment, or traveling in a foreign land, an anthropologist’s lens can be a healthy way to stay present, positive and curious.   Finally, and most important, it is sure to bring you lots of material to write about when you finally sit down to write that book of yours.

Jun 6

Five Levels of Thinking – Coaching and Leadership Model

One of my goals with Jump Big postings is to share coaching tools and approaches with you, my readers. Coaching is a valuable skill set in any role or profession, whether you are a CEO or a parent, whether you’re looking to develop your direct report or support your colleague, best friend or your life partner.

David Rock, author of Quiet Leadership; Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work and renowned coach and founder of Results Coaching systems, draws much of his coaching methodology from neuroscience insights.  In particular, his Five Levels of Thinking model has stuck with me, and is a valuable coaching mindset for moving someone forward with solutions, as opposed to allowing someone to stay stuck in the weeds of the past, the details and/or the problem. In addition, this framework is helpful in thinking about or communicating any work project. The model allows you to identify “which gear (you) are thinking from, and choose another way to think.”

The Five Levels of Thinking are:

1. VISON 

2. PLANNING 

3. DETAIL

____________

4. PROBLEM

5. DRAMA

In coaching, I work with individuals above the line, in the Vision (goals and objectives), Planning (how to get there) and Detail (the specific actions required) gears of thinking.  It can be natural for individuals (not us, of course!) to go below the line, dwelling on what is going wrong and who’s to blame.  In addition, when there is a lot of emotional energy, we often resort to bottom rung, to the drama of any particular situation or relationship.  In coaching, we look to focus on the problem and the drama from a visioning or planning perspective, meaning we ask questions which raise awareness and move you up the ladder, like “How long do you want to stay here venting? What do you ultimately want here?”

So, in looking at the five levels of thinking, how often do you or others in your life get stuck below the line? How might this model support you and/or others in “staying above the water line”?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this model and whether/how you applied it to yourself or with others!