This is a condensed slide deck from my Fall 2019 section of The Art of Self-Coaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Course materials are archived at https://www.edbatista.com/the-art-of-self-coaching-course.html
3. How we think 20 mins
An exercise 25 mins
Mental control 15 mins
A conversation 20 mins
For next time… 5 mins
Agenda
Photo by Theresa Thompson [link]
8. Effectiveness
Choosing where to focus your attention
Choosing what (& who) to ignore
Fundamental leadership skills
More difficult under stress
It will only get harder
10. System 1 &
Keith Stanovich, University of Toronto
Richard West, James Madison University
Individual Differences in Reasoning (2000)
Daniel Kahneman, Princeton
System 2
11. System 1 &
Systems = Modes of operating
Not actual brain structures
System 2
17. Who’s in charge?
It depends
System 2 usually an acquiescent monitor
& sometimes in charge & actively resistant
& sometimes an endorser, NOT an enforcer
27. Emotions are
It is clear that emotion should not be very
susceptible to willful control. If we could turn off
all our emotions, we could easily end up dead.
~Daniel Wegner
attention magnets
29. Narrative engine
The measure of success for System 1 is the
coherence of the story it manages to create.
The amount and quality of the data on which
the story is based are largely irrelevant.
~Daniel Kahneman
31. Social
Most of the time, it's impossible not to compare
ourselves with others. Social comparisons arise
naturally, automatically, and effortlessly.
~Sonja Lyubomirsky
comparison
48. Attention mgmt.
Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of
a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed
thing will come to mind every minute.
~Fyodor Dostoyevsky
49. Attention mgmt.
People can control their mental states
just by trying to direct their thoughts.
These strategies of mental control
can sometimes backfire, however.
~Daniel Wegner
53. Habit
Habits must intervene between wish & execution
in the case of bodily acts, [but] we still cherish
the illusion that they can be dispensed with in the
case of mental & moral acts.
~John Dewey
54. Habit
Could the young but realize how soon they will
become mere walking bundles of habits, they
would give more heed to their conduct while in
the plastic state.
~William James
57. Deliberate
Repeated exposure = Cognitive ease
Skill in a task = Requires less mental effort
Habitual activities = Lower demand on System 2
practice
70. A conversation
How am I managing my attention now?
What might I do differently?
Could meditation help?
or anything else of interest to you
71. Photo by Pranav Yaddanapudi [link]
To sum up
Attention is your most precious resource
We can struggle to direct it effectively
Mere mental effort isn’t enough
Habitual practices are key
72. To sum up
This will only get harder
Everyone wants the leader’s attention
No one cares how much it costs the leader
Start treating your attention like a resource
80. And a survey!
Link on Canvas
Help design next week’s class
6 dimensions of Emotional Style
Note the 3 that interest you most
AFTER doing the exercise & reading
81. Other items…
Slides posted on my site
Assignment & survey due Tues 9pm
Today’s 1:1s in B206 (the usual location)