You can print the Mindmap of Change Note Form to summarize factual ideas that you like from any of the book outlines or abstracts. Also, you can document your most serious and complex current thoughts and feelings as you make CHOICES concerning the ideas in this Change Category that form the context of the ideas in the book outlines and abstracts for this section:
You can print a copy of the Blank Oval Mindmap Note Form and save it for a permanent graphic reminder of the fact that all the "idea-branches" you draw on it represent the meanings that you associate with the Brainpower Change Category in your life now and your quest for self-creation and self-awareness. The printout can be modified at any time you have good reasons or an intuitive insight that the diagram needs to be changed to reflect a more accurate depiction of your possibilities in the changing real world.
The memory enhancement skill of MINDMAPPING makes it possible for you to put your ideas and information into "visual patterns." These coherent patterns of thought can help you think clearly about important ideas and organize your goals and plans. They give you an "objective context" for your "subjective perceptions." The printouts document the way your brain works in relation to whatever ideas, goals or plans that you are thinking about doing or accomplishing.
If you develop a method of thinking about ideas or goals or plans and also think better thoughts about your SELF and your mind, then you can rapidly improve your understanding of your yourself and the real world you live in.
The mindmaps can help you organize concepts and measure the degree to which they are based upon positive and life-affirming factual scientific ideas. Each mindmap that you make is a record of the fact that both of your brain's hemispheres (both left and right sides) were engaged in the thinking/valuing process and interacting successfully. By using the unique "mindmapping skills" on this website, you can focus your attention and concentrate your time and energy. You will be able to craeate your own Broadband Brainpower Mindset Categories of brain science facts and ideas that can be your lasting treasure as you pursue happiness and cope with problems on your way to continuous successful solutions.
YOU CAN APPLY THE MIND MAPPING OR IDEA MAPPING SKILLS
TO QUICKLY TIMPROVE YOUR MEMORY RETENTION OF THE
BROADBAND BRAINPOWER VOCABULARY AND MINDSET KNOWLEDGE.
WITH MORE SELF-RESPECT COME WILL COME MORE SELF-CONTROL
You can understand the new practical factual scientific ideas about how your brain's anatomical structure makes possible your own wonderful brainpower. Your own consciousness of your Brainpower Mindset can rapidly increase and become a solid part of your transformational process of self-creation as you successfully master the five Smart Skill-Sets." This creative process will give you more "self-control" and therefore will liberate you from previous personal and social self-imposed constraints or learned habits.
[1] CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Dozens of brain disorder cases reported in this book, and thousands of "SPECT" studies of clients with brain disorders, demonstrate that the answer to the question "Who are we really?" is that "We are really who we are when our brain works right!"
19) Brain "DOs" and brain "DON'Ts"
A summary of ways to optimize brain function and break bad brain habits! (p301-306)
Do this list of 50 recommendations for optimizing your own brain function so
you can begin to break bad brain habits that can hold you back from successfully getting what you want out of life and being happy in the sense of "flow"
[1] Do wear a helmet in high-risk situations
[2] Do drink lots of water --- six to eight 8-ounce glasses daily --- to stay well hydrated
[3] Do eat healthfully --- adjusting the proportion of protein and carbohydrate to your brain needs
[4] Do take gingko biloba as necessary under your doctor's supervision
[5] Do think positive, healthy thoughts!
[6] Do love, feed, and exercise your internal "anteater" to rid yourself of "automatic negative thoughts" ("ANTs")!
[7] Do take time to focus on the things you are grateful for in your life daily
[8] Do watch the Disney movie Pollyanna
[9] So spend time with positive, uplifting people
[10] Do spend time with people you want to be like --- you will more likely become like them
[11] Do DEVELOP your "PEOPLE SKILLS" to become more "connected"
and to ENHANCE LIMBIC BONDS!
[14] Do BUILD a "LIBRARY" of wonderful experiences
[15] Do make a difference in the life of someone else
[16] Do EXERCISE
[17] Do regularly "CONNECT" with your loved ones!
[18] Do learn DIAPHRAGMATIC breathing
[19] Do LEARN and USE self-hypnosis and meditation --- on a daily basis
[20] Do remember the "18/40/60 Rule" --- At eighteen, you worry about what
everybody is thinking about you. At forty, you don't give a damn about what anybody thinks about
you. And at sixty, you realize that nobody's been thinking about you at all! People spend their
life worrying and thinking about themselves --- not you!!
[24] Do collect"PENGUINS" --- in order to remind yourself to notice the
GOOD THINGS about the people in your life since it is unnatural for most people to
notice what they like about their life or about others, especially if they unconsciously use turmoil
in their lives to stimulate their prefrontal cortex!
[22] Do develop CLEAR GOALS for your life --- relationships, work, money, self --- and reaffirm
them daily!
[23] Do FOCUS on what you like a lot more than what you don't like!
[42] Do MAKE LOVE with your partner regularly
[50] Do "FULL BRAIN" evaluations for people who do terrible things
Don't do this list of 50 things that can predictably cause you to be dysfunctional in the
clinical sense of being preoccupied with "bad brain habits" since they
are self-destructive and can lead to unhappiness!
[10] Don't eat without forethought about what foods are best for your brain
[17] Don't allow your breathing to get out of control
[18] Don't think in "black-or-white" terms or "absolute dichotomies" --- use continuums instead!
[19] Don't think in words like "always, never, every time, everyone," which is distortion by generalization!
[20] Don't focus on the negative things in your life!
[21] Don't predict the worst
[22] Don't think only with your feelings
[23] Don't try to read other people's minds
[24] Don't blame other people for your problems
[25] Don't label yourself or others with negative terms
[26] Don't beat up yourelf or others with guilt --- since it is a very ineffective emotion
[27] Don't personalize situations that have little to do with you!
[28] Don't "feed" your automatic negative thoughts or "ANTs"
[29] Don't use sex as a weapon with your partner
[30] Don't talk to others in a hateful way
[31] Don't push people away from you
[35] Don't allow your life to just happen without you directing and planning it
[36] Don't take the "stimulant bait" from other people
[37] Don't be another person's "stimulant bait"
[38] Don't allow your thoughts to go over and over in your head
[39] Don't automatically say "No!" to others --- think first if what they want fits with your goals
[40] Don't automatically say "Yes!" to others --- think first if what they want fits with your goals
[43] Don't allow naturally oppositionally children to be oppositional
[44] Don't listen to toxic music
[45] Don't blame substance abusers as morally defective
[48] Don't deny that you have problems
[49] Don't refuse to listen to the people you love who are trying to tell you to get help
[50] Don't withhold love, touch and companionship from those you love as a way to express anger
[3] OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN THE WORKPLACE
You can spot forms of resistance and respond effectively with proven techniques for changing human behavior. An employee's behavior can radically change from one situation to another! In essence, an individual's behavior is completely malleable. It changes when the consedquences in the present situation change!
The approach of this book differs radically from the pessimistic traditonal psychological practices. It assumes that each person, rather than being locked into some stereotyped pattern, is richly talented and capable of a wide repertoire of actionssd!
You can tap into that capacity for change without sending the employee or team member to therapy or traumatizing him/her with excessive discipline.
You can spot forms of resistance and respond effectively with proven techniques for changing human behavior.
Managers in either large or small organizations can TRANSFORM counterproductive confrontations into satisfying results by identifying the roots of employee resistance and restating requests in a new, irresistible form.
You can recognize the many forms of resistance, including arguing, name calling, changing the subject, ambiguous language, catatonia, getting emotional, excuses and promises.
The "Bamboo Technique" is described as the BEST WAY to escape the trap of irrelevant, time-wasting arguments and also to change any ambiguous reaction into a definite, action-oriented agreement!
PART 1 --- TOOLS FOR CHANGE
1) A new look at people and change
[1] Limits of popular psychology
[2] Breaking through the boundaries of tradition --- Fundamental Assumption #1:
It's the REWARD SYSTEM in the workplace that dictates the level of performance, NOT an employee's personality or his or her past!
People can switch from top output to mediocrity according to the consequences of their actions. If someone resists your request for change, DON'T BLAME it on their attitude, their need for control, or their lack of confidence. Ask yourself HOW it might benefit this person to object to your request, and you will SEE that the people RESIST CHANGE when it produces MORE NEGATIVE consequences --- MORE "work," which means either MORE supervision, LESS advancement opportunity, etc., than POSITIVE consequences!
But, when there are more perceived BENEFITS than COSTS, people welcome CHANGE!
[3] A more optimistic approach
2) Getting down to "ground-level" thinking
[1] Using your leadership "altimeter" to begin thinking and talking about "ground level" specifics instead of stratoshpere generalities!
When dealing with people who have resisted change over and over again, the FIRST CRITICAL SKILL is to help them DEVELOP THE THE ABILITY to precisely state the EXACT ACTIONS you want performed!
There are MANY LEADERSHIP TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS and they depend upon your using specific "ground-level" definitions!
[2] Defining your terms
Good questions and bad questions
DON'T ASK WHY an employee is NOT working up to expectations! That question puts you at the psychological level, talking in terms of his/her thoughts and feelings.
ASKING WHY usually only yields psychological dead-end answers such as he or she is selfish or narcissistic or a perfectionist!
This kind of questioning puts in at the level of personalities, thoughts and egos --- and does NOTHING to help you solve the work-related problem. Stay out of his/her past, and head. Focus only on the PRESENT time period and on WHAT YOU WANT THE PERSON TO DO OR STOP DOING!
Break free of a familiar pattern of generality or negativity by ASKING A NEW QUESTION such as HOW WOULD A TOP-PERFORMING EMPLOYEE ACT IN THIS SITUATION?
Use the "specific" approach of thinking about specific parts of the employee's job, or specific times and situations when his/her behavior CAUSES the most trouble. Now you might imagine that the bad work behavior is most counterproductive in a certain context. By focusing only on this context, you can rephrase your basic question in terms of HOW YOU WANT him/her to ACT in these specific circumstances!)
WRITE DOWN EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN AND WANT a subordinate or team member to do!
[3] Common problems in the workplace
(1) As you develop your skill at defining work-related problems with a "ground-level" focus, you will become more effective more quickly in your thinking about or discussing solutions to work-related problems.
Six basic questions to help you CREATE EFFECTIVE "ground-level" definitions:
1. What do I want him/her to do?
2. How would he/she act if he/she were a top performer?
3. In what situations is this problem most troubling to me?
4. Exactly what actions do I want him/her to perform?
5. How, when, where, and with whom do I want him/her to do it?
6. How much, or how many times, do I want him/her to do it and by what time deadline?
"REALITY" = What actions the employee is expected to perform described in concrete actions!
(2) Procrastination
(3) No follow-through
(4) Insensitivity
(5) Chauvinism
(6) Unprofessional behavior
(7) Low productivity
(8) Lack of initiative
(9) Resistance to change
Supervisors or team members should STATE THEIR REQUESTS IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC BEHAVIORS --- rather than ambiguous generalities --- in order to BLOCK RESISTERS from using some of their favorite escape routes!
When you talk in GENERALITIES, a "resister" can play dumb and act as though he/she does not know what you mean. Another option is for the resister to "misinterpret" what you meant, very likely in a way that he/she does not have to change. Or, the resister may publicly promise to go along with your request, but that is all he/she will do. Resisters know that your FAILURE to be SPECIFIC means you cannot legitimately blame him/her for failing to do exactly what you wanted!
Using "ground-level" language is the SINGLE BEST THING that you can do to improve your communications with others! WHEN PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO DO IT!
3) Trade secrets
4) The world's most persuasive communication
5) Your hidden motivational resources
6) A field guide to resistance tactics
PART 2 --- SIX SIMPLE STEPS FOR GETTING RESULTS
7) Laying the groundwork
[1] STEP 1 --- SETTING THE CONTEXT
(1) Express sincere praise
(2) Reaffirm the relationship
(3) Keep your requests small
(4) Express confidence in agreement
(5) Be brief
[2] STEP 2 --- STATING YOUR REQUEST
(1) Don't give explanations
(2) Don't delve into the past
(3) Don't ask why
[3] STEP 3 --- EVALUATING THEIR RESPONSE
The "GUIDE" in chapter six will help you determine whether the resister's response is reasonable or resistant! Also, if you keep a list of the resistance tactics commonly used by your different work associates, you will have another reference to help you make this "classification decision."
Usually when a subordinate or team member cites some "extenuating circumstances" for WHY he/she CANNOT go along with your request, it is NOTHING MORE THAN AN EXCUSE, and you can CIRCUMVENT IT with the "Bamboo Technique" described in the next chapter.
Sometimes an employee or team member who always has an excuse comes up with a legitimate reason for why he/she cannot do as you ask. You need to carefully evaluate the plausibility of such statements, because sometimes they are reasonable. Only you, with your detailed knowledge of the situation, can make the judgment about the appropriateness of your request. In the same way, "arguments" also require careful analysis. When an employee or team member openly criticizes or disagrees with your request, you may be tempted to reject it as mere resistance. DON'T! LISTEN CAREFULLY AND SEE IF there is any validity to the points he/she is making.
If you determine that the subordinate or team member's statements about extenuating circumstance, or his arguments, are reasonable, then obviously you do not want to insist upon his/her compliance with your request. You would be making an exchange that is NOT IN YOUR SELF-INTEREST! You could be cutting yourself off from valuable feedback or new information. Instead of pursuing the change, ACKNOWLEDGE THE VALIDITY of the employee's point, thank him/her for stating it, and either withdraw or modify your request.
8) How to face resistance --- and win!
[1] STEP 4 --- CIRCUMVENTING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
(1) The "Bamboo" technique --- The resilient bamboo plant provides a great model of HOW TO REACT when confronted with resistance. when hit with the strong winds of a storm, it simply bends. Once the storm is over, the bamboo plant snaps back to its original position.
So, FIRST, BEND!Bend by acknowledging your subordinant's or team member's response to your request for a change. Then, "snap back!" Snap back by restating your request. It is that simple --- "BEND and then SNAP BACK!" (163-171]
This two-step technique is dramatically effective because it lets the resistance blow by, leaving your "change contingency" in place and unaltered!
Also, watch how the "Bamboo tactic" counters "name-calling" and many other "labeling" or "resistance tactics." It helps you CREATE change calmly!
1. Name-calling
Use the "IF . . . , THEN . . . " technique
2. Emotional displays
3. Old dogs
4. Criticizing the method
5. Trivialization
6. Wordfare
7. Implementing the "Bamboo Technique"
(2) Postpone extended discussion
(3) Agree to disagree
(4) Reinterpret their reaction
(5) Get a guarantee
(6) An ounce of prevention
The GOAL is to GET AGREEMENT by the resister within the five-minute deadline announced at the beginning of negotiation!
9) The bottom line
STEP 5 --- THE RESISTANCE CONTINGENCY
[1] Using the right language
[2] Carrots and sticks
[3] Maintain a calm, positive manner
[4] Planning for the "resistence contingency"
[5] What if they are still resisting?
[6] Enforcing the resistance contingency
STEP 6 --- CLOSURE
[1] Restate the agreement
[2] Getting verbal acceptance
[3] Build for the future
[4] Living up to your promises
POSTSCRIPT --- handling the most serious cases
PART 3 --- YOUR ACTION PLAN
10) Making change happen
Exercises to help leaders BREAK LOOSE FROM BAD HABITS and incorporate change-producing tools and
techniques into daily employment interactions. "Requirements" include five file folders and paper and pencils!
[1] Analyzing people's actions
THE CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR --- Write them down!
[2] Getting down to ground level
[3] Analyzing your relationships
[4] Identifying your resources
HANDLING DIFFICULT REQUESTS
[5] Determining the value of your resources
(1) Supply and demand
(2) Timing
[6] The world's most persuasive communication --- The basic tool for producing change is the "IF-THEN" Contingency
IF-THEN CONTINGENCY --- By specifying the action a supervisor or team member wants AND by being specific about the "rewarding consequences" in the "THEN" part of the contingency, an employee's behavior will change quickly!
[4] THE HEART OF CHANGE IS A TRUTH THAT INFLUENCES FEELINGS
Getting to the "heart" of how to make change happen:
Most leaders don't handle large scale organizational change well. They make predictable mistakes and they make the mistakes mostly because they have little exposure to highly successful transformations (i.e., the adoption of new technologies, major strategic shifts, process reengineering, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings into different sorts of work units, attempts to significantly improve innogation, and cultural change.
The single most important message of the research is:
People change what they do less because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are SHOWN A TRUTH that influences their feelings!
This is especially so in large-scale organizational change, where you are dealing with new technologies, restructurings, new strategies, cultural transformation --- whether in an entire organization, an office, a department, or a work group.
In an age of turbulence (change), when you handle this reality well, you win. If you handle it poorly, it can drive you crazy, cost a great deal of money, and cause a lot of pain!
The lessons come from two sets of interviews, the first completed seven years ago and the second within the last two years.
[5] TOO TIRED TO KEEP RUNNING, TOO SCARED
TO STOP --- CHANGE YOUR BELIEFS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE
In this book the quest for meaning can be called "deep democracy." This strategy teaches non-judgmental sharing and the utter uniqueness of every single being.
This concept is a challenge to the old "monarchal patriarchal cosmology" that has ruled the west for centuries.
The monarchal cosmology is hierarchal and based on authoritative power, which produces rigid belief systems, that demand the conformity of one's mind and will to the higher authority and the suppression of one's emotions except the fear of the authority. Wake up from the "patriarchal trance" and practice the "examined life!" (John Brandshaw)
Awareness is the beginning of change. Your core "belief blueprint" can guide you as you continue to create your own personal reality through self-discovery. Create a vision by writing in your personal journal how you would like to experience wholeness, joy, fulfillment and the expression of your potential. Describe your life positively and in the present tense. Imagine that you are writing to a friend and telling it as if it is happening now.
Use the Chart of Priorities to rearrange your priorities and the amount of energy and time you give them to create a balance in your life. Cover all eight of the following areas:
[1] Self___
[2] Family___
[3] Friends___
[4] Work___
[5] Pleasure___
[6] Spirituality___
[7] Health___
[8] Exercise___
After you have finished your narrative about yourself to your imaginary friend, read this vision every night before you go to sleep. In your vision, how do you appear?
How do you feel?
How do you act?
As new information comes to you, edit and rewrite your vision.
Explore the behavior changes and choices that are necessary to change this vision from your imagination to reality.
