Monthly Archives: April 2020

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

The numbers game

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Since January we have been bombarded with numbers related to the Covid pandemic.  Statistics ranging from the number of active cases in a country to the number of deaths and everything in-between.

Analysis of numbers is a bit of a passion of mine.  For me, interpreting the story being told is in some ways like reading a good murder mystery.  Can I figure out what they are telling me and I guess I will only know with certainty when they confess?

If they don’t confess, in other words, there is no definitive proof my interpretation is correct (it is only a theory, not a law) I might believe I have figured out the story, but have I?

Same Facts, Multiple Conclusions

Typically strong arguments can be made supporting a variety of conclusions based on the same set of facts.  Facts used to decide courses of action do not, therefore, provide an absolute or unwavering solution.

Until your theories based on a data set are actually confirmed they are just well-educated guesses.  An abundance of data does not necessarily improve the quality of the conclusions.  It may even provide some obfustication.

Pandemic Data Overload

Given the huge variables involved in measuring the progress of the pandemic, from the level of testing to severity of the illness and ultimate impacts, it is almost impossible to arrive at supportable conclusions.

In some cases governments are using the data they have to create fear that enables them to implement the actions they feel necessary but given the lack of control data and measurement standards, this is really unconscionable.   Honesty about what we do and don’t know should be the byword of the day.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Bad News Overload

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Everywhere in the world, the current pandemic has created an overload of bad news.  From the price of oil to job loss and economic destruction, there is a broad choice of worrisome news.

Keeping current about what’s up is probably a best practice. Ignoring or avoiding the news might appear to be a way of reducing your stress but there could well be more danger in not knowing.

Post Bad News Stress Syndrome

I recently read an article about the impacts of bad news on our mental states.  The author compared what he called post bad news stress disorder (PBNSD)  to the more commonly known post trauma stress disorder (PTSD)

I view this view as a bit of an exaggeration.  PTSD is much studied and well documented while considering our over reaction to an abundance of bad news as a potential mental disorder is a bit much and too hypothetical for me.

Maintain Your Perspective

Without a doubt a constant stream of disturbing news, particularly when it is close to home and impactful, is stressful.  We do need to both be able to absorb and understand the news content while maintaining perspective.

We can survive and overcome, allowing stress to drive ourselves to illogical behaviour can be harmful  and actually worsen the situation.    It is an over used mantra but I encourage everyone to keep calm and carry on.

It’s really important to remember, don’t be stressed about the things you can’t control (what could you do anyway).  Focus your actions on things that are realistically within your prevue and achievable.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Empathy

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Understanding the feelings of others coupled with the ability to imagine their current  emotions and the impact there-off is the cornerstone of positive human interactions.

One of the best ways to contain an interpersonal interaction from exploding into violent disagreements or  spiralling out of control is to acknowledge how others feel and work toward understanding why and what it means.

Understanding/Not Acceptance

Empathy focuses on understanding others thoughts and associated feelings, this does necessarily equate to acceptance or agreement.   It is through shared understanding that we can build collaboration.

Sensitivity to your own feelings and actions impacts on others is a key part of empathy.  Empathetic people use their awareness of others feelings for the betterment of all.

Typically,  acting with empathy provides benefits to  all parties and while it is an unselfish way to behave it can increase your own personal enjoyment as well as that of others .  Basically a win win behaviour.

Collaboration

Empathy can be a very powerful go to behaviour for both leaders and followers who wish to benefit from the best everyone has to offer.

Working together to produce or create something can produce high quality results but is to be effective the process is very much dependent on all parties sensing and acting on the needs of others.

A lack of empathy does not mean good results will not be attained but the most efficient and effective results will always come from situations where everyone is empathetic to others.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Not Knowing

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We do not know everything.  Is it a failure to not know?  Absolutely not.  Acting without knowing everything is normal.  Allowing the fear of the unknown to limit your actions reduces your capabilities.

Acting in your best interests is a balance between what you know and the risks associated with the things you are not aware of or misunderstood.

Balanced Behaviour

Most importantly, to be effective we must overcome our fear of failure but not at the expense of proceeding without full confidence.

Blasting ahead like a bull is probably not the most effective approach but neither will hiding your head in the sand like an ostrich.

Outside Influences

Everyone serves somebody (Bob Dylan song title) even it is only none but God.   Our leaders can play a significant role in how we behave.

Micro-managing others often reinforce their natural inclination to caution.  That is taking a chance and trying something where you might fail is unlikely.

If your boss, leader, colleague, etc is unsupportive and likely to be derisive if you make a mistake or do something incorrectly possibly because you just didn’t know, it’s most probable you won’t try.

Effective leaders need to encourage us to be empowered and take action.

Taking a Chance

Making an attempt at anything, taking the initiative and giving it a try is a positive behavior as long is it is tempered with logic and reason.

I advocate taking chances but not high-risk ones.  In leadership situations, the best results arise when your followers understand the fact that you support them and won’t fault them (within reasonable limits.).

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Maintaining Focus

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The current pandemic represents a significant distraction for everyone.  Pandemic related stories have pushed virtually everything else that is newsworthy aside.

From experience I have found the best results, those achieved most efficiently and of the highest quality are derived from being the center of our interest or activity (i.e., the focus).

 Prioritize

Even with lots of serious highly and impactful events going on around us, being able to concentrate and act on whats really important is a best practice.

 

Dealing with more than one task at time can result in the spreading of your attention to an extent that although everything might get addressed,  important aspects could be overlooked leading to mistakes.

Perhaps surprising, as well, studies haves shown  multitasking can actually result with more overall effort being expended than if each task was addressed separately although overall duration is greater.

Distractions

Recognizing distractions and allocating appropriate attention to them lets you ensure your focus is on the things that matter most at that point in time.

Things that don’t require your immediate attention, albeit worrisome and nagging at you, rising to that call for attention could easily negatively impact the effectiveness of resolving your priorities.

That is, the  things that provide the greatest value at any point in time are the things that are bested served by getting our prime focus.

Pay Attention

If you recognize yourself trying to pay full attention to multiple things concurrently, press the pause button.  Think it through.  What can I change and what is largely out of my control.?  What should I focus on?  Answer the question and act accordingly.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Enjoy the Moment

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Relative to the age of the universe, as best we can guess it, our earthly human lives are but a brief moment in time.  We can speculate what happens after this life but it is not definitively known.

During our short lives, we have the opportunity to experience joy and pleasure.   Of course, we can also experience pain and unhappiness and every range of emotion in-between.

Control

What we experience is not totally in our control.  Events, the activities and interventions of others and perhaps extra-sensory factors are not always fully in our control.

How we react to the things going on around us, what we feel can be controlled by us consciously albeit sometimes requiring quite a bit of effort.

Our sub-conscious can take over sometimes without us even realizing it.  Hence negative emotions and feelings can arise within us before we are able to take control and quench them.

Blind Happiness and Joy

I firmly believe how I feel at any point in time is up to me and fully my choice however reality does intrude and I do find this is not always the case.

Or perhaps it is and I choose (even to a largely sub-conscious extent) to worry, be fearful, sad and unhappy on occassion.   Given the negative context of these feelings though, I wonder why I would ever choose this route (but maybe that is part of life).

I wonder if joy, pleasure, and happiness can be continual and uninterrupted if I choose to make it so.  My experience seems to lead to the conclusion this is not the case.

That being said, taking control of how I feel and channeling my thoughts and behavior to the positive is always worth the effort although sometimes it is not always doable.