THINKING ABOUT YOUR THINKING - THE METACOGNITIVE PROCESS

When I was a young teacher in Iowa many years ago, I attended a six-week workshop at our local education area office. We met Tuesday nights from five-thirty to about nine o’clock for six weeks. I don’t really remember why I signed up for this particular workshop series, it might have been the certificate renewal credit or that other friends from school were taking it. I honestly don’t remember today. I do know it wasn’t the topic of the workshop it was titled, “The Brain.” I was okay smart – but I wasn’t scholarly.

“The Brain” heady stuff (pun intended) for a second-or-third year teacher and coach. Yet, something from that workshop has stuck with me for nearly forty years – I remember the instructor talking about the metacognitive process, metacognition, which she loosely defined as “thinking about your thinking.” It fascinated me then and it haunts me today. 

As you might expect – the politics of the day, coupled with all the challenges we face as Americans, as human, has had me thinking about my thinking. Thinking about why I believe what I believe, who I choose to associate with, and why I do the things that I do. 

And then this morning on my daily walk around the neighborhood I saw a friend I see every morning – we sometimes talk for a moment, other times we toss out a greeting as we continue to walk on in opposite directions keeping to some unknown schedule that retired and out of work people have. Still other times we just nod and continue on as more important things pull us deeper into the day.  

Today was like any other day – we nodded a knowing nod, which I took to be about the election. Then I started thinking. Thinking about my thinking and why I thought that. Not just about why I assumed my neighbor shared the same sense of politic as I did since we had never talked about politics or anything really, but about how I really see people. And why I tend to make judgments about them and what they may be thinking. 

I think I have tended to make superficial judgements in who I like – perhaps based on a reflection of my own sense of how they fit into “my” world. Or how they respond to me, the knowing nod, the passing witty comment, or how they speak generally – do they seem happy, positive, and fun.  Or is it perhaps what they wear or is it that they look like they “belong.” 

I think my thinking has been flawed. 

A ton of stuff has happened in the past forty-eight hours – there is an opportunity for all of us to think about our thinking. To rethink our view of who can and who can’t, of who should and who shouldn’t. We can rethink our use of power and privilege. We can rethink how we treat each other, and we can think about how our thoughts limit our and perhaps the possibilities of others and on the flip side – we can think about how a change in our thinking can empower, inspire and enrich others. 

I can’t help thinking that if you are reading this – you think about your thinking and you understand the power of engaging in the metacognitive process – and you intuitively know the power of positive thought.  I can’t know what you are thinking. I can’t think for you, but I can tell you this … I am rethinking everything. It’s time for a change.

Think about that.

Back to my neighbor …

Who Will Lead Your Business or Organization?

We need to embrace a new way of thinking about who leads us and what we want to see in them.  All too often today leaders are anointed or appointed because they convey confidence, turn a phrase, or they are wildly charismatic. Sometimes it is that they have all the right connections.

Yet rarely does confidence alone, charisma alone, or the ability to deliver a line accurately foretell true leadership capability. And simply being connected – does not demonstrate or adequately predict who is capable of real leadership.

If you hold the keys to leadership positions in your company or organization, I believe you need work on yourself first, well before posting for the position. Smart hiring leaders must rediscover or develop the abilities and processes necessary to discern confidence from competence, charisma from honest empathy and care. Hiring leaders must come to understand the ability to deliver a line well is not the same as to being thoughtful or insightful. Today’s hiring professionals understand that sometimes connections only indicate those who hold connections are simply more adapt at playing organizational systems and games. Sadly, today twenty-first century hiring professionals are also understand that some seeking to leverage their connections as their entry card to leadership; are simply the sons and daughters of privilege, and/or the beneficiaries of systemic barriers to access and institutional bias.

Savvy leadership hires are made by organizations using valid leadership assessments and a thoughtful review of past performance to measure what you want in your next leader. If you want leaders who demonstrate competence, personal and professional vision, empathy, integrity or any of a host of other positive virtues – ask your candidates to take assessments, reliably calibrated against the leadership characteristics you and your organization value. Carefully scrutinize past work performance, talk to their colleagues about the work environment the aspiring leader created or maintained. Ask colleagues how the aspiring leader made them feel as a colleague or partner in the work. Remembering the old adages - that behavior predicts behavior and when someone shows you who they are, believe them.

All this takes time –understandable an uncomfortable amount of time given the urgency of the moment in today’s hyper fixated businesses and organizations. Yet there is likely not another decision your business or organization will make that is as important as who will lead your business or organization through what will most likely be the most challenging of times.

Clayton Wilcox