|
Great to see you today, hope you’re taking care of yourself.
We’ve had some wonderful events so far this year, including:
If you’re a community member, don’t forget that you can watch the recordings at any time. If you’re not, we hope you’ll consider joining us! We host regular speaker events, social gatherings, brainstorming sessions, and more.
|
|
|
Each week we share an applied tip or did-you-know to help you build knowledge and hone essential skills that help you kick butt at work and in life.
Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future Jobs Report, analytical thinking is the skill employers want most in their employees. For good reason—it’s a key part of critical thinking and it helps us solve complicated problems, make difficult decisions, build resilience, and lead equitably. Some people use “analytical thinking” in slightly different ways, but we’re defining it as the ability to break things down into their component pieces and make sense of them in order to gain clarity on an issue. It’s an incredibly worthwhile skill to hone.
One good way to think analytically about a problem is to consider it from new angles. Examining different aspects of a problem from different viewpoints can help us see things we hadn’t previously considered. And a great tool for helping us do this is Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats framework.
Eddy de B was a legendary thinker. He wrote the book on Lateral Thinking (quite literally). He also wrote a book about how to figuratively put on different colored hats to allow yourself to think about different aspects of a situation:
This can be a great exercise to tackle alone or with a team. You can don each hat yourself and spend some dedicated time brainstorming from different angles. Or, assign each member of the team a different hat and empower them to own a specific perspective, bringing them all together as a group.
Let’s say your team keeps missing deadlines on important client work. Here’s how you might leverage the hats:
By engaging in a phase of deliberate information gathering and analysis using Edward de Bono’s framework or other similar tools, you’re much more likely to gain the clarity you need in order to identify an effective solution.
You’ll never think of the saying “wear a lot of hats” the same again.
|
|
|
Each week, we touch on an aspect of happiness and health at work, how to build it, and how to drive positive change in the workplace.
Embracing Uncertainty
Discomfort with uncertainty is a significant source of anxiety and stress at work. We hear it in so many of the conversations we have—uncertainty about job security, not knowing where the company is headed, not knowing what your boss is thinking. More and more we are convinced that getting comfortable with uncertainty is an essential part of being happy and healthy at work. So, here are some thoughts on how we might get there:
- Practice mindfulness. Learn how to notice your thoughts and examine them non-judgmentally and with curiosity. When we are more aware of our thoughts, we are better able to choose our reactions to them.
- Focus on what you can control. When facing uncertainty, ask yourself if you can control it. If not, let it go. For a quick fix of certainty, find smaller things that you can control—like cleaning your desk or scheduling your day.
- Map out scenarios. Think about several different future possibilities (not just one) and think through what might happen and what you would do in each. You’ll be more likely to be prepared for whatever actually ends up happening and having a few good plans may allay some discomfort in the meantime.
- Set boundaries. Make time for self-care and set parameters around your work. Uncertainty can make us work overtime trying to control it and it can bleed into our personal lives. Have a set end-of-work time and create a closing ritual—even just a five-minute journaling session—to transition from work to life.
- Get to know the brain. Understanding why we’re feeling a certain way from a biological perspective can make those feelings easier to accept and endure. Our brain is happiest when it knows what to expect—it loves patterns. Uncertainty can make us feel like we’re in danger and trigger our fight of flight responses. Breathing deeply can help interrupt them.
While uncertainty can cause stress and anxiety, it can also be the source of great inspiration, creativity, and discovery, so it is worth learning to embrace it. Getting even just a little more comfortable with the unknown can have a big impact on our well-being at work.
|
|
|
Each week, we collect a few great reads from a variety of disciplines to help you forge new connections and gain fresh perspectives.
|
|
|
Each week, we highlight some of the great things going on across the Starling community. Members can click on any of the links below to explore further.
- On Friday, Rachel, Katie, Jeff, and Clea shared some of their favorite email newsletters, which included The Marginalian, TLDC, Better Allies, and more.
- At our most recent speaker event, Emily McInerney shared tips on Using Data to Manage Up and Down. Our favorite was making sure you are clear on the questions you're trying to answer with your data before jumping in. This helps you avoid data overload and generate relevant insights.
- On Tuesday, Christine, Colleen, and Melissa chatted about in-demand skills and how to include them on our resumes.
- Our next speaker event is on Crushing Your Next Interview with Anna Zide on April 18th at 12:00 PM ET.
|
|
|
That's it for this edition. What did you think?
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Reach out! We’d love to hear from you.
The Starling Team
|
|
|
