Shift Your Mental Spotlight

We make thousands of decisions every day. It’s a natural part of life and decision making rarely is a conscious decision.

Even when we think we’re making a concerted effort to make a decision, there’s other factors at play. We’re not looking for the best answer. We’re looking for the answer that best fits our preconceived notions.

Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, put it in these terms

We give too much weight to the information that’s right in front of us, while failing to consider the information that’s just offstage.

Have you discovered this to be true?

Here’s what I’ve discovered. We’ve got a confirmation bias when decisions pop up in life. And our mental spotlight shifts to focus on one or two solutions.

The mental spotlight is so narrow that we miss out on the many other options that are available to us. Let’s walk through a few scenarios.

Leadership Insights: Interview With Author Kimanzi Constable

Are you ready for another installment of Leadership Insights? I recently had the great pleasure of attending the book release party for Kimanzi Constable. His first traditionally published book was released and he had a great party to celebrate.

Kimanzi Constable With Living Or Existing

Kimanzi shares in his new book, Are You Living Or Existing?, how you can take your life from existing to living in 9 steps. They’re not easy but they’re well worth the effort. He can tell you from first hand experience.

He’s gone from working in a job he hated, being unhappy, and wishing for something better to international speaker, selling over 80,000 copies of his books, and quit the job he hated.

This man knows what it takes to move forward in life and lead a living life.

Read the interview and then see how you can receive over $100 in bonuses when you buy his book.

6 Books Leaders Should Read By The End Of The Year

I find myself reading quite a bit these days. I’m trying to find a balance between fiction and non-fiction titles but have found myself still leaning heavily towards non-fiction books. This probably has to do with my desire to continue to grow as a leader. I hope you have the same desire.

If you have the desire to continue learning, I’ve put together a great list of 6 books every leader should read by the end of the year. Each of these books have a special place in my leadership journey. I hope they’ll find a place in yours as well.

Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain – In Quiet (Book review), Susan teaches us why introverts are important. You’ll discover the secret power of introverts and the ways introverts can improve your organization.

It’s Time To Start Using Adult Language

I’m going to shock you a bit today. Why? Because I’m going to tell you it’s time to begin using adult language in your conversations.

yellow rotary phone

That’s right. We need to step up our game and begin using adult language. It’s the way you’re going to move ahead in the world.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about profanity laced tirades, four-letter words, or depreciating language.

I’m talking about real adult language.

Encouraging Phrases

You can begin using adult language by speaking encouraging phrases. Tell others the great job they’re doing. Shower them with praise.

Here’s a few ways you can speak like an adult by encouraging others.

  • I trust you
  • You’re awesome
  • You did a great job
  • Thanks for your help

Hopeful Words

Next, begin implementing hopeful words. These words will raise others up and fill them with hope.

Top Posts And Commenters For April 2013

And we can cross April 2013 off of the calendar. It’s done and we’re onto another month. I hope you’re as excited as I am for the start of a new month!

Image via Wordle.net

Image via Wordle.net

I’m excited to share with you what’s happened at the blog and what’s going to happen. There’s lots of great things happening around the site and the web in general.

Top Posts

  1. 5 Reasons Your Leadership Is Ineffective – Readers were really interested in this blog post. It was by far the most read post of the month.
  2. 9 Signs You’re A Leader – Another popular post that seen a lot of sharing. Did you find any signs that proved to you that you were a leader?
  3. How To Give Effective Praise – An oldie that hadn’t seen much activity. This jump to the most viewed surprised me.