Week 22.04 Silencing Second Fears

I talked to a friend yesterday that I hadn't seen for a while. We had last spoken pre-pandemic, and it was interesting to remember how "simple" the world was then. Our lives were pretty straightforward, and our concerns mainly were the consequences of our decisions. If the past two years have illustrated anything, it is that there is enough to be concerned with without having to look for more things to be concerned about. I am not even going to make a list. You can make your own personally appropriate one, but I am confident that there will be competition for the top three fears between work, pandemic, displacement, family, and the economy.?

I hear a lot of people talking about the second-order effect, the idea that every action we take initiates a sequence of cause and effect actions that we may or may not be able to predict or know. As a chess player, I like to think that I can see five moves ahead (I am happy if I can see 3.) The pandemic has humbled me into focusing on where I am presently and where this next decision will take me. More importantly, I am trying to separate what I know from what I think I know so that I weigh my decisions correctly. When I don't do that, it is just too easy to fall into the trap of believing what sounds right rather than what is known to be right.?

I am a big fan of Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist whose work focuses on the social implications of new technologies. She has been described by the New York Times as "having a habit of being right on the big things." She recently coined Zeynep's law which states that "Until there is substantial and repeated evidence otherwise, assume counter-intuitive findings to be false, and second-order effects to be dwarfed by first-order ones in magnitude." She cites?"if you give people masks, they won't wash their hands", or "if you give people tests, they won't get vaccinated" as examples of false second-order thinking.?While those quippy thoughts?might sound clever,?the initial better action is rarely worse than the second-order fear.?

One of the significant contributions we can make in life and leadership is to help others gain perspective and find calm and simplicity within fear and complexity. After reviewing a situation and carefully listening to worries and concerns, we can weigh what we know and let go of the unknown. We can help others recognize that "real" fears do not make suspicions "correct." One of the most crucial roles the leader has is to be calm in the storm, set a course with the best information at hand, and adjust as new information is made available. As Tufecki says, "if you are arguing 'what is better is worse,' check your thinking and do some research before doubling down."

There is a lot to gain from letting go of our second-order concerns. When we consider where the inputs are coming from, we can make decisions faster and move past the problem. Of course, we will still consider the consequences of our actions and assess how accurate the results could be. The key is to let go of the counter-intuitive fears, especially if they conflict with positive first-order effects. By silencing second-order fears, we?create more time to focus on first-order issues and people... including?ourselves.??

To Retain Top Talent, Coach Them To Grow (Ron Carucci)

It's not exactly news that American workplaces are struggling. People are leaving businesses in droves, whether it's because of disillusionment, exhaustion, the lure of higher wages elsewhere, or a combination of factors. There's certainly no panacea to stop the mass exodus we're seeing around us. But if you're responsible for retaining top talent, skip the cheesy perks and bribes, roll up your sleeves, and help them reignite the fire in their soul for work they love. Help them discover the joy of growing…again. Ron speaks with Whitney Johnson about her timely new book,?Smart Growth: Grow Your People to Grow Your Company, about approaching top talent when they reach mastery and supporting them and your team to the best result.?To Retain Top Talent, Coach Them To Grow

Methods Of 100 Coaches - the online destination to grow leadership skills

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LeadersHum Recognition

The LeadersHum power list of the top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership is in, and there are too many members of 100 COACHES to do anything else but congratulate each of them and apologize if I miss any of them. Recognition is a great honor, and it is a privilege to be associated with their contributions to leadership, coaching, and strategy. Winners include Marshall Goldsmith, Whitney Johnson,?Liz Wiseman,?Chester Elton, Sanyin Siang, Hubert Joly, Dorie Clark, Garry Ridge, Mark Parsells, Martin Lindstrom, Eddie Turner, Alex Osterwalder, Adrian Gostick, Rhett Power, Sally Helgeson, John Baldoni, Dr. Oleg Konovalov, Erica Dhawan, Mark Goulston, Himanshu Saxena, CB Bowman, Charlene Li, Antonia Nieto-Rodriquez, Michael Bungay Stanier, Ruth Gotian, David Burkus, Dr. Shailesh Thaker, Dan Pontefract. Lisa Earle McLeod, Louis Carter, Nicole, Heimann, Molly Tschang, Tasha Eurich, Mitchell Levy, Ron Carucci, Alisa Cohn, Ben Croft, Lisa Nirell, Ashley Fox, Paul Crick, Keith Ferrazzi, Fiona Macauley, Lindsay Pollack, Mark Crowley, Henna Inam, and John Boudreau. Deserved congratulations to all!

Ruth Gotian on Forefront

(The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Business Performance (Ruth Gotian) Releases today!)

Have you ever been "the first of" or "the first to do or build or create?" Being a pioneer is great but often isolating. There is no community of peers to learn from and bounce ideas off of. Forefront has the potential to reimagine how we develop leaders who build future leaders. It is a paradigm shift in how we approach leadership development.?Please read more in this article in Forbes

Marshall and 100 Coaches are very excited to announce the launch of Forefront, a program for next-generation leaders in coaching and talent development. Born from Marshall's mission to pay it forward, this year-long program aims to nurture and develop the aspirations of these coaches and leaders through mentorship, training, insight, and community.?The deadline to apply to join the inaugural cohort is January 26.?Know someone in the early to middle stages of a coaching/talent development career with a unique point of view and a clear desired impact??Click HERE TO APPLY?https://www.100coaches.com/forefront/

Quote of the week with fondness and respect for the memory and life of Thich Nhat Hanh: "There is no way to happiness — happiness is the way."

And, as always, thank you, Marshall, for making all of this possible.

With love and gratitude

Scott