Teaching Points Your Notes

Instructor Guide

Misc.

Your NotesTeaching Points

Teaching Notes:Teaching Points:

• Welcome and introductions

• Overview

• This is a snipit of a principle from the Profession of

Arms Center of Excellence (PACE) Enhancing Human

Capital Course

• Intent is 5-10 minute discussion of an EHC principle.

Seek to apply to current work, home situation

• How this will flow:

• An overview

• Encourage participation

• Ask questions whenever you like

• Have fun

- 1

• Limit intro to 1

• Emphasize this is not EHC. Rather an opportunity to discuss as a group the principles.

• Encourage attendees to get familiar w/ resources on the PACE website: www.airman.af.mil

• If they really enjoy, invite to schedule an EHC course

http://www.airman.af.mil/

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Misc.



• In PME & classes, we do not always address the consequences of power. There are two dynamics to understand:

• Power can have a big difference on how I see myself, how

I treat myself and ultimately how I treat others.

• Power can also have a reflection on other people, on

subordinates within an environment of power & authority.

• Power can affect the way people see themselves.

• Not abnormal human psychology but quite normal.

• Authority, if not kept under control, can affect all people in

a negative way.

• Possible result: people in authority positions expect

certain privileges because they “deserve it”.

• We are ALL vulnerable to this.

• Authority environment affects subordinates

• Different people have different affects on others.

• Someone with inherent authority can have a physical

change in what we do and what we say.

• How people view an authority figure will determine

whether or not they believe that they have a voice

• Authority has the ability in most cases to trump a person’s

value system. (Examples: Stanford prison and Milgram

shock experiments)

• No matter what roles we have in our lives, we ALL need to be very careful we understand not only how authority can distort our own perspective of ourselves but how that same authority can distort

• Rank structures, like what we use in the military, is a normal aspect of human social order. Everybody has a place. Typically parents have authority over a child, bosses have authority over employees and a professors have authority over a student.

• In PME & classes, we do not always address the consequences power.

• Do we have the same understanding of what we mean by power, what authority can do to us personally, and what authority can do to the people around us?

• Questions:

• How does this authority environment affect our subordinates?

• How can this human dynamic be important in terms of good order & discipline in the military?

• How can it also be damaging?

Examples:

• Stanford prison

https://youtu.be/3XN2X72jrFk

https://youtu.be/oAX9b7agT9o

• Milgram shock experiment

https://youtu.be/Xxq4QtK3j0Y




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the environment that we work, play and live in.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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Everyone has lived their own lives so they then see the world in their own unique way.

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Misc.


Teaching Notes:Teaching Points:People need to be treated uniquely, but we get into this

problem of bias. Personal bias usually results from the

way we see the world around us.

Which circle is bigger? If we know those circles are exactly

the same size, “why do those circles appear to be different

sizes?” The reason is because of the things surrounding

those circles.

All of those things that are in your life develop a perspective

for you. You get to have that based on the things you see

around you, your world. A person can have a

misperception based on those things they have surrounded

their lives with. That is understandable, we all do this. It’s

an important part of being human.

If you’re the larger circle and you’re in charge of leading the

other circle, we can see where they each will see thing

differently depending upon what they perceive around

them. As the leader if we stay only within our perceptions,

and don’t take the time to transition out of our own bias,

everything becomes “my way or the highway.”

As leaders we want to influence others, so we must to realize

that our own biases cannot be so strong that we lose sight

of the fact that everybody else has their own story. Only

then can we relate to them in a way that builds a healthy

relationship which results in healthy, positive influence.

We surround ourselves by certain

things that we’ve learn through the

years, things that have worked for

us in the past. All of us have bias.

Unfortunately, we can get into a rut

where we just assume that all of the

context out there is exactly the

same and that that context doesn’t

change.

Let’s say you are the person on the

left, the bigger circle. Each small

circles represents the way you see

the world. Maybe one circle is

your finances, another is issues in

your relationship. The other set of

circles is someone else but their life

is different than yours. They have

different education, and a different

background.

This is a common illusion. What we

know is that the circle in the center

on the left appears to be larger than

the circle in the center on the right.

When in fact, those two circles are…

exactly the same size.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

- 1






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Commitment, Loyalty and Trust

Three drivers that determine whether or not we

adhere to our values our lives – commitment,

loyalty and trust.

Think about relationships: the best are based upon

trust. Based upon the trust will determine the

loyalty. Based upon the loyalty will be high

commitment to the relationship.

People will behave based on their values. The level

of commitment and loyalty to those values will

determine, to a large part, how they will act.

If we want to engineer a future for our service that

reflects our core values – if we truly went to

infuse our core values into what we do – we must

focus on commitment, loyalty and trust.

Think of different types of

relationships and interactions –

how critical are commitment,

loyalty and trust?

List some examples of when

those ingredients were present?

What about when they were

missing?

So as leaders, how do we

increase loyalty, commitment

and trust? Is that something we

value? Or do we focus on the

programs?

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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• We are communicating with others in every situation.

• The left side of slide shows what military leaders do. Not a complete list, but common things our profession of arms talk about on a regular basis.

• As we interact we debate, argue, and dialogue to come to consensus on direction, policy or decisions.

• The problem is when these are done under an environment of destructive communication.

• Take a look at those characteristics:

• sarcastic, cynical, and selfish.

• How many people across our Air Force today are working in an environment like this right now?

• Destructiveness like this is not affective and can’t be the environment we build as leaders.

• Happens when we are busy or constantly overwhelmed with the next tasker.

• If we are not careful we can stop focusing on the environment and we can fail to see that its really about the people versus the programs.

2

- 80% of communication is nonverbal

- While I may have the best solutions – that does not always create the best team. How I lead people to a better place so they have buy-in and see themselves as part of the process always need to be considered as part of a better solution.

- Slide build to destructive

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• We want to change the slide from destructive communication to effective communication.

• Just because I see an issue one way (which might be accurate), I also have the responsibility to bring other people into the fold of a policy, process or solution set. That is what effective communicators do.

• These same ingredients make an effective relationship or marriage, in effective parenting and affects work relationships.

• Everybody wants to have these characteristics in our work environment, with the people we work for, with our leaders, both the people we work for and the people that work for us.

• Everybody wants to work in an environment that we feel we are proud of what we do.

• This requires us to “deliberately engineer” or create an environment which requires effective communication.

• Each of us must take responsibility in creating more effective and healthy environments.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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• One theory: Determinism, says, humans develop blocks of knowledge, passed on from one generation to the next. The blocks act as “truths”.

• These green blocks are very powerful. They allow us to determine the best way to interact with this world.

• Humans are very complex, more to us than just determinism -- the ability to change our minds.

• There is a level of uncertainty but not completely –when we start looking closely over a long period of time we can start to see some trends and there are things certain people do repeatedly.

• Determinism-Uncertainty: opposite ends of spectrum.

• Combine knowns (determinism) with unknowns (uncertainty), we have the theory of probability.

• The more information we know about a particular topic or person, the more PROBABLE we are to determining what will occur.

• When leading, remember all have different block sets.

• The way we solve problem might be successful for us but might not work for everyone.

• Bias develop when we become so focused on our own green blocks that we lose sight of the fact that there might be more than one way to view a

• For years people have been using different theories help us understand humans.

• With green blocks we can even predict the future. Line up what we know about physics and can predict where Venus will be in the sky this time next week.

• Uncertainty: Can raise two children in the same home and turn out completely different.

• Example of probability: gambling

• One person’s life is not another’s. While many people face similar events, each person forms their own unique experiences and life so we each have our own unique set of blocks.

• If we really do this right, things at work, home & in families will have a higher probability to be better. Notice that there is a higher probability, not a guarantee. There will always be uncertainty–but we can do a great deal to contribute to making interactions better.

If you remember from EHC, you can

use the hands/thumbs exercise (cross

over, turn up), exemplify that we can’t

just assume we all have the same green

blocks. As a result, ends in frustration,

on both sides.

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situation or how to address things.

• Sometimes other people have better green blocks based upon their experiences. It takes a good leader to be willing to get outside of their comfort zone, outside of their own green blocks to help address some of this messy world of uncertainty.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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• Our brain tries to make sense of information – how we receive the information, how it is communicated, will impact how our brain processes things

• Once entrenched it can be very difficult to undo and make communication very difficult, especially with others that don’t see the stimuli the same as you

2

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• What is this?

3

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1) Our brain tries to find the right “file” or “buckets” to

make sense of the information

What is it?

4

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2) Once our brain knows it is a cow, we will see the cow every time we see the picture

• Once entrenched it can be very difficult to undo and make communication very difficult, especially with others that don’t see the stimuli the same as you. Can you imagine situations where mental entrenchments could be problematic?

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• Overview



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• An overview



• Have fun

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We can trust people will do what they perceive to

be in their best interest to do.

Whether it is a 4 year old, a 16 year old, or a 80

years old – people will do what they perceive is

in their best interest.

People will do what they feel is best for them to

do on any given occasion. Even someone who

is doing an unhealthy behavior feels that, at

some level, their actions are in their best

interest.

How is that important in our particular organization? In relation to our mission?

Example (use own if possible)

Henry Kissinger, who used to

be the Secretary of State and a

Russian/Soviet expert, was

asked if we could trust the

Russian government. He said

we can absolutely trust the

Russians to do what the

Russians perceived to be in

their best interest.

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Regarding the inserted picture:

There are two psychologies associated here.

First - all institutions, including the Air Force today,

have people who hate their job or hate their boss. You

can see how that would affect the person’s

commitment, loyalty and trust at work.

The second psychology involves the reason why she isn’t

punching her boss in the throat - she perceives it is not

in her best interest to do so. She knows if she were to

do that, she would likely lose her job. This concept

not only forces people to do certain things that they

believe would be good for them, it also keeps them

from doing things that they see as being not good for

them.

We need to be very aware that people will do what they

perceive as in their best behavior. As leaders we have

the ability to modify and shape what that perception

looks like to a positive end.

So why do they stay?! Maybe they

are remain because they have to stay

where they are geographically,

maybe they cant make the same

money elsewhere – whatever the

reason, they feel they have to work

there but they don’t want to be

there.

Research shows people work harder,

smarter and more productive when

they work for someone they like. It

is not wise to neglect the mission

nor to create a “popularity contest”

but it is critical to understand how

perception of “best interest” affects

people.

As leaders if we understand the

psychology of perception – we can

have an impact on the way people

perceive the world around them. If

we can develop an environment at

work where people say, “I like who

I am here. I like the people I work

with and my job is worthwhile.” we

can in turn, affect a person’s

behavior.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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• In-Group Behavior psychology.

• All of us, wants to be part of something special.

• This dynamic is important to all of us as leaders regardless if our role (work, home, community).

• Being a part of something “special” gives people as sense of identity and belonging. The more they like feeling a part of that group, the more they will choose their behavior to fit in even more. Their actions and behaviors will be made upon their thoughts and perceptions as to what the groups expects of them.

• Not everyone comes with the right “perceptions” so others might want to help correct or educate them in order to help them get a new perception. The only way an individual will consider changing their perceptions will be if they trust, feel loyalty and commitment from the person trying to influence them. (Imagine, would you consider changing your mind about your thoughts based upon comments made by someone you did NOT trust?!)

2

• Regarding in-group

psychology, other people often

have the power of influence in

terms of how the in-group is

established. How the group is

establish often determines how

people see themselves joining

or fitting in. Which then will

make a decision whether or not

I choose to be in that group or

not. So how does this apply to

us as leaders?

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• Choices to stay in groups are really based on our perception: who we are and how we see ourselves and those around us.

• As leaders if we do not deliberately engineering HEALTHY In-Groups that meet the expectations and standards of our institution – the USAF - people will find their own in-group (one that might not be conducive to what we do in the profession of arms).

• Our goal is to engineer In-Groups that not only bring out the best versions of the people participating, but also bring out the best versions of the processes within that in-group. If people like who they are in a particular in-group, they will take the necessary steps and measures to modify their behavior to meet the expectations and standards of that group.

• That power of influence we have as leaders cannot be understated. If they don’t like the way they feel inside that In-Group, they will leave and find a different In-Group. As leaders, are we creating In-Groups that draw or repel members?

If done correctly, the group’s

identity becomes part of the

individuals identity, which in

turns drives the individuals

behaviors to fit the groups

expectations.

Clip on how conformity can affect

our behavior…..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

o8BkzvP19v4

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

- 1






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• One of the first things people determine when they look at an organization is whether or not they feel the organization is healthy or not.

• How to determine if an organization is healthy:

• How effectively an organization does what it says it wants to do.

• How an organization infuses its values into how they do what they do.

• There is constantly a dynamic or relationship between what we value and what we do. When the relationship is positive, then the institution runs wonderfully and is extremely productive.

• Unfortunately all institutions (civilian, government, private, etc) can experience a conflict between what we value and what a company does.

• (offer own examples when possible) We see this in companies like Toyota or Google – they have institutional values that they expect all their people to adhere to.

(offer own examples when possible)

• Too frequent are articles where companies have not truthfully reported in hopes of ensuring better results, accomplishing their mission, or making a “back-door deal”. In these cases, the companies become characterized as one that does not live by their values.

• Companies/leaders become so focused on accomplishing the mission (making money) they lose sight of the importance of keeping their values. A wall comes up between their values and accomplishing the mission.

• Use Heritage Today video, “Commitment” to reinforce… It’s how committed we are that will determine how well we align what we value w/ what we do.

• http://www.airman.af.mil/Products/AllProducts/Videos/HeritageTodayVideoSeries/Commitment.aspx

http://www.airman.af.mil/Products/AllProducts/Videos/HeritageTodayVideoSeries/Commitment.aspx

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• Dynamic between values and mission is inherent anywhere humans come together and decide to do something together. For optimum success, the decision to do something together has to be based upon an agreed upon value systems.

• Within the profession of arms, we have the same and legitimate concern.

• In the AF, in particular, we value Integrity, Service and Excellence (those are our core values).

• Our Mission is to Fly, Fight and Win. And we have the same struggles as every other institution –minimizing the conflict between keeping our values and accomplishing the mission. Unfortunately we have not consistently infused the two together but we can improve. The way we infuse those two is through PROFESSIONALISM.

• We are using professionalism as an action verb. It becomes a bridging element to link together our values and our mission.

• If we do this consistently - deliberately engineer, throughout our entire institution, we will minimize

• Value systems & missions can change but the need to have balance between having values and a mission remains. This is not abnormal, it is a normal human trait.

• What is professionalism look like?

• What are we doing on a daily basis to infuse what we value into what we do?

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the conflict and instead begin to define our character. A character that will define us by not only WHAT we do, but HOW we do it.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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Misperceptions

Interestingly, a person can be shown the facts but

will still see spirals. This is a misperception.

A misperception can be so strong that sometimes

our brain will not allow us to see things differently

- even if we are shown the facts. This can happen

when we have solved a problem a certain way

many times in the past and even though a critical

ingredient has changed, our brain will instantly go

back to what we feel is the easiest, best solution

(even if the facts have changed). Can you think of

some examples of how this could happen?

As effective leaders we must be careful when we

believe that we have the perfect way of looking at

things. Sometimes, even in the face of facts, we

will have a misperception and will struggle to see

things differently – to see things as they really are.

2

Just say out loud in the group

what you think you’re looking

at here. The number one

answer to this picture is spirals,

a series of spirals. But, there

are no spirals on this page.

We can trace a particular line

and you’ll see those are circles.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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Blind Spots

One the single greatest detractor from becoming an

effective leader is the leader’s personal bias

One of the results of an extreme case of bias is blind

spots. We can get so fixed on the way something

has to be done that any other solution becomes a

blind spot to us. Since it is not a conscious decision,

these blind spots can be very difficult to overcome.

The first step in overcoming blind spots in our life

is to even understand they are going on.

Take a look at this next video. Focus on the center

blinking green dot and see what happens to the

yellow dots on the page. (this takes 60 seconds).

2

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What do you think happens to the yellow dots? Why

and how does that happen? The reason why that

happens is your brain is focused on what it believes

is the priority, the blinking dot in the middle.

If we don’t understand something, our biases can be

so inherent that it will create blind spots. Notice

how those yellow circles went away. How did you

get those circles to come back immediately? You

focused on them, and immediately they came back

into view.

We all have flashing green dots and spinning blue

“noise”. We need to work on being quick to

identify when our jobs and lives become too “noisy” as that is when we are most likely to over look other important areas, such as our finances, health and even other people at work and home.

What area could be creating noise? What can we do

to help reduce the noise? How do we help others

who might be going through tough times? Have

you seen examples of this?

3

As you stare at the center dot,

the other three yellow circles

blink. The dots never turn off,

never go away. All the turning

blue behind is noise the brain has

to try and make sense of and

cope with.

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• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

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Misc.



• Systematic Thinking - a model used to look at “thinking”, which states decisions are not made in a vacuum but build upon earlier ones in a series or order.

On the slide:

• Airport runway – Many important decisions go into landing an airplane. “Do I pull back on the stick in ensure the back wheels hit the ground before the nose hits the ground?” And “Do I pull the switch to put down the landing gear?” are two examples. One needs to occur BEFORE the other.

• Dental work - One would hope the pain medication is given prior to the surgeon doing surgery. Two very important decisions, that are independent but very related and need to be decided and accomplished in a certain order.

• Chess match – chess uses Systematic Thinking by stringing together a series of moves. Chess masters are known to envision 10 moves ahead and then work the moves backwards to try to determine what their next move should be based upon where they want to be later in the game.

• If leaders are not careful, their people may end up doing a step differently, often unknowingly. When desired outcome is not achieved, leaders often blame others. Leaders may feel their instructions were easy and simple, therefore any mistakes must lie with people choosing to not follow instructions.

• Remember, instructions may be easy for one due to their past experiences and education but the same set of instructions might be difficult for others with

2

• For example: decision A, then B, then C. While each decision is, in and of itself important, the order in the thinking is also very important.

• Can you think of the significance of Systematic Thinking in your organization?

• If we understand the art of leading through systematic thinking, we can get people to an end-state where we want them to be. It is important that we allow them to process, to get themselves there.

• People do not want to be mandated or forced to get to specific answers but they learn and think they have discovered the correct response when their leader provides education and slight instructions to help them think it was their idea.

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different experience base.

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- 3

Instructor Guide

Misc.




• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

- 1






Instructor Guide

Misc.



• In PME & classes, we do not always address the consequences of power. There are two dynamics to understand:

• Power can have a big difference on how I see myself, how

I treat myself and ultimately how I treat others.

• Power can also have a reflection on other people, on

subordinates within an environment of power & authority.

• Power can affect the way people see themselves.

• Not abnormal human psychology but quite normal.

• Authority, if not kept under control, can affect all people in

a negative way.

• Possible result: people in authority positions expect

certain privileges because they “deserve it”.

• We are ALL vulnerable to this.

• Authority environment affects subordinates

• Different people have different affects on others.

• Someone with inherent authority can have a physical

change in what we do and what we say.

• How people view an authority figure will determine

whether or not they believe that they have a voice

• Authority has the ability in most cases to trump a person’s

value system. (Examples: Stanford prison and Milgram

shock experiments)

• No matter what roles we have in our lives, we ALL need to be very careful we understand not only how authority can distort our own perspective of ourselves but how that same authority can distort

• Rank structures, like what we use in the military, is a normal aspect of human social order. Everybody has a place. Typically parents have authority over a child, bosses have authority over employees and a professors have authority over a student.

• In PME & classes, we do not always address the consequences power.

• Do we have the same understanding of what we mean by power, what authority can do to us personally, and what authority can do to the people around us?

• Questions:

• How does this authority environment affect our subordinates?

• How can this human dynamic be important in terms of good order & discipline in the military?

• How can it also be damaging?

Examples:

• Stanford prison



• Milgram shock experiment





Instructor Guide

Misc.



the environment that we work, play and live in.

- 2

Instructor Guide

Misc.



- 3

Instructor Guide

Misc.




• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

- 1






Instructor Guide

Misc.



Everyone has lived their own lives so they then see the world in their own unique way.

Instructor Guide

Misc.


Teaching Notes:Teaching Points:People need to be treated uniquely, but we get into this

problem of bias. Personal bias usually results from the

way we see the world around us.

Which circle is bigger? If we know those circles are exactly

the same size, “why do those circles appear to be different

sizes?” The reason is because of the things surrounding

those circles.

All of those things that are in your life develop a perspective

for you. You get to have that based on the things you see

around you, your world. A person can have a

misperception based on those things they have surrounded

their lives with. That is understandable, we all do this. It’s

an important part of being human.

If you’re the larger circle and you’re in charge of leading the

other circle, we can see where they each will see thing

differently depending upon what they perceive around

them. As the leader if we stay only within our perceptions,

and don’t take the time to transition out of our own bias,

everything becomes “my way or the highway.”

As leaders we want to influence others, so we must to realize

that our own biases cannot be so strong that we lose sight

of the fact that everybody else has their own story. Only

then can we relate to them in a way that builds a healthy

relationship which results in healthy, positive influence.

We surround ourselves by certain

things that we’ve learn through the

years, things that have worked for

us in the past. All of us have bias.

Unfortunately, we can get into a rut

where we just assume that all of the

context out there is exactly the

same and that that context doesn’t

change.

Let’s say you are the person on the

left, the bigger circle. Each small

circles represents the way you see

the world. Maybe one circle is

your finances, another is issues in

your relationship. The other set of

circles is someone else but their life

is different than yours. They have

different education, and a different

background.

This is a common illusion. What we

know is that the circle in the center

on the left appears to be larger than

the circle in the center on the right.

When in fact, those two circles are…

exactly the same size.

Instructor Guide

Misc.



- 4

Instructor Guide

Misc.




• Overview



Capital Course




• An overview



• Have fun

- 1






Instructor Guide

Misc.



Commitment, Loyalty and Trust

Three drivers that determine whether or not we

adhere to our values our lives – commitment,

loyalty and trust.

Think about relationships: the best are based upon

trust. Based upon the trust will determine the

loyalty. Based upon the loyalty will be high

commitment to the relationship.

People will behave based on their values. The level

of commitment and loyalty to those values will

determine, to a large part, how they will act.

If we want to engineer a future for our service that

reflects our core values – if we truly went to

infuse our core values into what we do – we must

focus on commitment, loyalty and trust.

Think of different types of

relationships and interactions –

how critical are commitment,

loyalty and trust?

List some examples of when

those ingredients were present?

What about when they were

missing?

So as leaders, how do we

increase loyalty, commitment

and trust? Is that something we

value? Or do we focus on the

programs?

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• We are communicating with others in every situation.

• The left side of slide shows what military leaders do. Not a complete list, but common things our profession of arms talk about on a regular basis.

• As we interact we debate, argue, and dialogue to come to consensus on direction, policy or decisions.

• The problem is when these are done under an environment of destructive communication.

• Take a look at those characteristics:

• sarcastic, cynical, and selfish.

• How many people across our Air Force today are working in an environment like this right now?

• Destructiveness like this is not affective and can’t be the environment we build as leaders.

• Happens when we are busy or constantly overwhelmed with the next tasker.

• If we are not careful we can stop focusing on the environment and we can fail to see that its really about the people versus the programs.

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- 80% of communication is nonverbal

- While I may have the best solutions – that does not always create the best team. How I lead people to a better place so they have buy-in and see themselves as part of the process always need to be considered as part of a better solution.


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• We want to change the slide from destructive communication to effective communication.

• Just because I see an issue one way (which might be accurate), I also have the responsibility to bring other people into the fold of a policy, process or solution set. That is what effective communicators do.

• These same ingredients make an effective relationship or marriage, in effective parenting and affects work relationships.

• Everybody wants to have these characteristics in our work environment, with the people we work for, with our leaders, both the people we work for and the people that work for us.

• Everybody wants to work in an environment that we feel we are proud of what we do.

• This requires us to “deliberately engineer” or create an environment which requires effective communication.

• Each of us must take responsibility in creating more effective and healthy environments.

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• One theory: Determinism, says, humans develop blocks of knowledge, passed on from one generation to the next. The blocks act as “truths”.

• These green blocks are very powerful. They allow us to determine the best way to interact with this world.

• Humans are very complex, more to us than just determinism -- the ability to change our minds.

• There is a level of uncertainty but not completely –when we start looking closely over a long period of time we can start to see some trends and there are things certain people do repeatedly.

• Determinism-Uncertainty: opposite ends of spectrum.

• Combine knowns (determinism) with unknowns (uncertainty), we have the theory of probability.

• The more information we know about a particular topic or person, the more PROBABLE we are to determining what will occur.

• When leading, remember all have different block sets.

• The way we solve problem might be successful for us but might not work for everyone.

• Bias develop when we become so focused on our own green blocks that we lose sight of the fact that there might be more than one way to view a

• For years people have been using different theories help us understand humans.

• With green blocks we can even predict the future. Line up what we know about physics and can predict where Venus will be in the sky this time next week.

• Uncertainty: Can raise two children in the same home and turn out completely different.

• Example of probability: gambling

• One person’s life is not another’s. While many people face similar events, each person forms their own unique experiences and life so we each have our own unique set of blocks.

• If we really do this right, things at work, home & in families will have a higher probability to be better. Notice that there is a higher probability, not a guarantee. There will always be uncertainty–but we can do a great deal to contribute to making interactions better.

If you remember from EHC, you can

use the hands/thumbs exercise (cross

over, turn up), exemplify that we can’t

just assume we all have the same green

blocks. As a result, ends in frustration,

on both sides.

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situation or how to address things.

• Sometimes other people have better green blocks based upon their experiences. It takes a good leader to be willing to get outside of their comfort zone, outside of their own green blocks to help address some of this messy world of uncertainty.

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• Our brain tries to make sense of information – how we receive the information, how it is communicated, will impact how our brain processes things

• Once entrenched it can be very difficult to undo and make communication very difficult, especially with others that don’t see the stimuli the same as you

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• What is this?

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1) Our brain tries to find the right “file” or “buckets” to

make sense of the information

What is it?

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2) Once our brain knows it is a cow, we will see the cow every time we see the picture

• Once entrenched it can be very difficult to undo and make communication very difficult, especially with others that don’t see the stimuli the same as you. Can you imagine situations where mental entrenchments could be problematic?

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We can trust people will do what they perceive to

be in their best interest to do.

Whether it is a 4 year old, a 16 year old, or a 80

years old – people will do what they perceive is

in their best interest.

People will do what they feel is best for them to

do on any given occasion. Even someone who

is doing an unhealthy behavior feels that, at

some level, their actions are in their best

interest.

How is that important in our particular organization? In relation to our mission?

Example (use own if possible)

Henry Kissinger, who used to

be the Secretary of State and a

Russian/Soviet expert, was

asked if we could trust the

Russian government. He said

we can absolutely trust the

Russians to do what the

Russians perceived to be in

their best interest.

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Regarding the inserted picture:

There are two psychologies associated here.

First - all institutions, including the Air Force today,

have people who hate their job or hate their boss. You

can see how that would affect the person’s

commitment, loyalty and trust at work.

The second psychology involves the reason why she isn’t

punching her boss in the throat - she perceives it is not

in her best interest to do so. She knows if she were to

do that, she would likely lose her job. This concept

not only forces people to do certain things that they

believe would be good for them, it also keeps them

from doing things that they see as being not good for

them.

We need to be very aware that people will do what they

perceive as in their best behavior. As leaders we have

the ability to modify and shape what that perception

looks like to a positive end.

So why do they stay?! Maybe they

are remain because they have to stay

where they are geographically,

maybe they cant make the same

money elsewhere – whatever the

reason, they feel they have to work

there but they don’t want to be

there.

Research shows people work harder,

smarter and more productive when

they work for someone they like. It

is not wise to neglect the mission

nor to create a “popularity contest”

but it is critical to understand how

perception of “best interest” affects

people.

As leaders if we understand the

psychology of perception – we can

have an impact on the way people

perceive the world around them. If

we can develop an environment at

work where people say, “I like who

I am here. I like the people I work

with and my job is worthwhile.” we

can in turn, affect a person’s

behavior.

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• In-Group Behavior psychology.

• All of us, wants to be part of something special.

• This dynamic is important to all of us as leaders regardless if our role (work, home, community).

• Being a part of something “special” gives people as sense of identity and belonging. The more they like feeling a part of that group, the more they will choose their behavior to fit in even more. Their actions and behaviors will be made upon their thoughts and perceptions as to what the groups expects of them.

• Not everyone comes with the right “perceptions” so others might want to help correct or educate them in order to help them get a new perception. The only way an individual will consider changing their perceptions will be if they trust, feel loyalty and commitment from the person trying to influence them. (Imagine, would you consider changing your mind about your thoughts based upon comments made by someone you did NOT trust?!)

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• Regarding in-group

psychology, other people often

have the power of influence in

terms of how the in-group is

established. How the group is

establish often determines how

people see themselves joining

or fitting in. Which then will

make a decision whether or not

I choose to be in that group or

not. So how does this apply to

us as leaders?

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• Choices to stay in groups are really based on our perception: who we are and how we see ourselves and those around us.

• As leaders if we do not deliberately engineering HEALTHY In-Groups that meet the expectations and standards of our institution – the USAF - people will find their own in-group (one that might not be conducive to what we do in the profession of arms).

• Our goal is to engineer In-Groups that not only bring out the best versions of the people participating, but also bring out the best versions of the processes within that in-group. If people like who they are in a particular in-group, they will take the necessary steps and measures to modify their behavior to meet the expectations and standards of that group.

• That power of influence we have as leaders cannot be understated. If they don’t like the way they feel inside that In-Group, they will leave and find a different In-Group. As leaders, are we creating In-Groups that draw or repel members?

If done correctly, the group’s

identity becomes part of the

individuals identity, which in

turns drives the individuals

behaviors to fit the groups

expectations.

Clip on how conformity can affect

our behavior…..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

o8BkzvP19v4

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• One of the first things people determine when they look at an organization is whether or not they feel the organization is healthy or not.

• How to determine if an organization is healthy:

• How effectively an organization does what it says it wants to do.

• How an organization infuses its values into how they do what they do.

• There is constantly a dynamic or relationship between what we value and what we do. When the relationship is positive, then the institution runs wonderfully and is extremely productive.

• Unfortunately all institutions (civilian, government, private, etc) can experience a conflict between what we value and what a company does.

• (offer own examples when possible) We see this in companies like Toyota or Google – they have institutional values that they expect all their people to adhere to.

(offer own examples when possible)

• Too frequent are articles where companies have not truthfully reported in hopes of ensuring better results, accomplishing their mission, or making a “back-door deal”. In these cases, the companies become characterized as one that does not live by their values.

• Companies/leaders become so focused on accomplishing the mission (making money) they lose sight of the importance of keeping their values. A wall comes up between their values and accomplishing the mission.

• Use Heritage Today video, “Commitment” to reinforce… It’s how committed we are that will determine how well we align what we value w/ what we do.

• http://www.airman.af.mil/Products/AllProducts/Videos/HeritageTodayVideoSeries/Commitment.aspx

http://www.airman.af.mil/Products/AllProducts/Videos/HeritageTodayVideoSeries/Commitment.aspx

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• Dynamic between values and mission is inherent anywhere humans come together and decide to do something together. For optimum success, the decision to do something together has to be based upon an agreed upon value systems.

• Within the profession of arms, we have the same and legitimate concern.

• In the AF, in particular, we value Integrity, Service and Excellence (those are our core values).

• Our Mission is to Fly, Fight and Win. And we have the same struggles as every other institution –minimizing the conflict between keeping our values and accomplishing the mission. Unfortunately we have not consistently infused the two together but we can improve. The way we infuse those two is through PROFESSIONALISM.

• We are using professionalism as an action verb. It becomes a bridging element to link together our values and our mission.

• If we do this consistently - deliberately engineer, throughout our entire institution, we will minimize

• Value systems & missions can change but the need to have balance between having values and a mission remains. This is not abnormal, it is a normal human trait.

• What is professionalism look like?

• What are we doing on a daily basis to infuse what we value into what we do?

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the conflict and instead begin to define our character. A character that will define us by not only WHAT we do, but HOW we do it.

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Misperceptions

Interestingly, a person can be shown the facts but

will still see spirals. This is a misperception.

A misperception can be so strong that sometimes

our brain will not allow us to see things differently

- even if we are shown the facts. This can happen

when we have solved a problem a certain way

many times in the past and even though a critical

ingredient has changed, our brain will instantly go

back to what we feel is the easiest, best solution

(even if the facts have changed). Can you think of

some examples of how this could happen?

As effective leaders we must be careful when we

believe that we have the perfect way of looking at

things. Sometimes, even in the face of facts, we

will have a misperception and will struggle to see

things differently – to see things as they really are.

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Just say out loud in the group

what you think you’re looking

at here. The number one

answer to this picture is spirals,

a series of spirals. But, there

are no spirals on this page.

We can trace a particular line

and you’ll see those are circles.

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Blind Spots

One the single greatest detractor from becoming an

effective leader is the leader’s personal bias

One of the results of an extreme case of bias is blind

spots. We can get so fixed on the way something

has to be done that any other solution becomes a

blind spot to us. Since it is not a conscious decision,

these blind spots can be very difficult to overcome.

The first step in overcoming blind spots in our life

is to even understand they are going on.

Take a look at this next video. Focus on the center

blinking green dot and see what happens to the

yellow dots on the page. (this takes 60 seconds).

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What do you think happens to the yellow dots? Why

and how does that happen? The reason why that

happens is your brain is focused on what it believes

is the priority, the blinking dot in the middle.

If we don’t understand something, our biases can be

so inherent that it will create blind spots. Notice

how those yellow circles went away. How did you

get those circles to come back immediately? You

focused on them, and immediately they came back

into view.

We all have flashing green dots and spinning blue

“noise”. We need to work on being quick to

identify when our jobs and lives become too “noisy” as that is when we are most likely to over look other important areas, such as our finances, health and even other people at work and home.

What area could be creating noise? What can we do

to help reduce the noise? How do we help others

who might be going through tough times? Have

you seen examples of this?

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As you stare at the center dot,

the other three yellow circles

blink. The dots never turn off,

never go away. All the turning

blue behind is noise the brain has

to try and make sense of and

cope with.

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• Systematic Thinking - a model used to look at “thinking”, which states decisions are not made in a vacuum but build upon earlier ones in a series or order.

On the slide:

• Airport runway – Many important decisions go into landing an airplane. “Do I pull back on the stick in ensure the back wheels hit the ground before the nose hits the ground?” And “Do I pull the switch to put down the landing gear?” are two examples. One needs to occur BEFORE the other.

• Dental work - One would hope the pain medication is given prior to the surgeon doing surgery. Two very important decisions, that are independent but very related and need to be decided and accomplished in a certain order.

• Chess match – chess uses Systematic Thinking by stringing together a series of moves. Chess masters are known to envision 10 moves ahead and then work the moves backwards to try to determine what their next move should be based upon where they want to be later in the game.

• If leaders are not careful, their people may end up doing a step differently, often unknowingly. When desired outcome is not achieved, leaders often blame others. Leaders may feel their instructions were easy and simple, therefore any mistakes must lie with people choosing to not follow instructions.

• Remember, instructions may be easy for one due to their past experiences and education but the same set of instructions might be difficult for others with

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• For example: decision A, then B, then C. While each decision is, in and of itself important, the order in the thinking is also very important.

• Can you think of the significance of Systematic Thinking in your organization?

• If we understand the art of leading through systematic thinking, we can get people to an end-state where we want them to be. It is important that we allow them to process, to get themselves there.

• People do not want to be mandated or forced to get to specific answers but they learn and think they have discovered the correct response when their leader provides education and slight instructions to help them think it was their idea.

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different experience base.

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