Scientists at Stanford have made an entire mouse brain transparent so they can view the neurons in stunning color and explore the structure without using a knife. They call this process Clarity. Thank goodness the clarity I dispense requires neither knife nor death! Uncommon Clarity is for those who are very much alive and want transparency all around them so they can see more clearly and improve their: Critical thinking Strategic thinking Communication Decision-making Ability to lead, manage and collaborate Problem solving Planning Clarity keeps you focused and progressing toward your goals. Uncommon clarity reveals the shortest path so you can move ahead with laser-sharp focus. Aren’t you glad I don’t have to change your brain to Jell-o to help you create clarity? Stick around here where Uncommon Clarity™ is free and your Return on Clarity™ is infinite!
When people confuse apples with oranges, fling wildly disparate invectives at a single argument, and conflate facts, my foghorn goes into overdrive. Our political system seems intent on eliminating both clarity and facts. Consider the following “facts” that you may have heard in the past week and the incredible coincidence that almost all seem to involve 47% of the people! 47% of Americans are moochers 47% pay no taxes 47% are victims who will never be convinced to take personal responsibility 47% support Obama 47% are lost to Romney 47% are dependent on government Which is it? Where is the clarity? Are seniors on social security and medicare, to which they’ve contributed their entire working lives, moochers? Are sales tax, gasoline tax, state tax, excise tax, and real estate taxes not taxes? If you make too little money to pay income taxes are you a moocher, a victim, and dependent on government? If you are rich but have found enough loop holes to pay no taxes are you a moocher, a victim, and dependent on government? If you pay no taxes, are you guaranteed to support Obama and be lost to Romney? Let me add a few more claims while we are abusing the number 47: 47% love apples 47% love oranges and 100% can’t tell the difference between apples and oranges! When clarity is so clearly missing, I wish the politicians, media, and people in general would quit talking! Better to ask clarifying questions than to repeat inflammatory and misleading claims. Stand up for clarity! At least 47% of the time!
When Michael Phelps won his 19th medal in the 200 meter freestyle relay, he became the most decorated Olympian ever. That is an indisputable fact. When Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian ever, a debate began. Is Phelps the greatest Olympian? The greatest athlete? Ask either question and enthusiastic voices promote favorite alternatives. The debate revs up. And it goes on and on. This debate is a perfect example of a trap people get sucked into every day, but one that is easily avoided.
Whom should you invite to your decision? I’m glad you asked! Most people invite the same old group to all their decisions. The whole department, the same old management team, the entire marketing team, etc. Standing meetings with default attendees too often determine who is “invited.” The result is wasted time by those with little to contribute, poor decisions if the group is uninformed or ill-equipped to make the decision, and anger from those who thought they should have been included. In order to invite wisely, there are two main considerations: making a good decision and ensuring the decision is accepted.
Want a good decision and an accepted decision? Then you are smart to ask this question and smart to watch this 4-minute video.
When there is too much to do, things fall through the cracks, delays become epidemic, and stress spirals out of control. If others are involved, discord brews and respect erodes. The result is rarely pretty. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When there is too much to do, there are only six possibilities. The good news is that five of them are effective. The bad news is that most people choose the sixth. Here are the five effective ways of dealing with overload: Accomplish more Delegate/outsource Cut corners Postpone Abandon What is #6? Choosing none of the above. The sixth choice is the only ineffective option. It’s called wishful thinking.
If you can’t agree on objectives, you’ll never agree on alternatives. The debt ceiling fiasco is a perfect example. Regardless of the outcome, the process is completely flawed because the debate is all about alternatives, not objectives: No tax increases No Medicare or Social Security cuts Smaller government “No tax increases” is an alternative, not an objective. We all pay good money for services every single day. Taxes are just one way of paying for services – one alternative. There may be a better way, but let’s agree on the services needed first and then examine our alternatives. In countries like Norway, people and businesses are happy to pay taxes because they believe they receive good value for their money. Why aren’t we focusing on the value – the objectives? No Medicare cuts, no Social Security cuts, and smaller government are also just alternatives. Lawmakers of all stripes have locked onto these and similar alternatives and have no intentions of budging. Where is the discussion of objectives? What do we want for the American people?
The word of the day is “mugwump.” According to Dictionary.com, it means “a person who is unable to make up his or her mind on an issue, esp. in politics; a person who is neutral on a controversial issue.” By the sound of mugwump, I wouldn’t want to be one. But as someone who is an expert at helping people make decisions, I know that people who struggle with a decision are suffering from one or more of three possibilities: They have insufficient information They have given too little attention to the objectives of the decision and are likely focused on too few immediately proffered options They are not assessing the risk of the options
In Eve Tahmincioglu’s article, Take this job and shove it!, on msnbc.com, she relates tales of employees quitting their jobs without notice, violating non-compete clauses, and generally letting their emotions get the best of them. This is a sad state of affairs for all involved. If you feel betrayed or cheated, you will undoubtedly feel angry. However, there is no value in letting your anger make the situation worse.
Should the government bail out the automakers or let them go under? Should schools close in response to a single swine flu case or not? Should we discount prices to boost sales during the recession or hold firm? These are common debates and perfect examples of decision making gone awry. If you find yourself having similar debates, you may already be down the path to a bad decision. Most people can dramatically improve and speed their decisions by answering 4 questions: What decision are we trying to make? What criteria, priorities and limitations are important to that decision? What alternatives do we have? What are the risks of the favored alternative?