Have you ever reacted strongly and wondered, “Where did that come from?”

Or smelled a distinctive odor and felt an urge to run away or run toward?

Maybe there’s a word that set you off. Mine’s “stupid.”

Dr. Henry Cloud’s books have helped me dig down through the layers of dirt I have packed down over some root issues that affect my life. I have not used his online Leadership University, but I recommend his works highly, especially his book and workbook, Changes That Heal.

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Here’s an email I recently received from Dr. Henry Cloud.

Thinking is the genesis of your performance.  Your thinking determines how you view yourself, your team and your potential for success.  It drives your behavior, both offensively and defensively; determining how you attack projects and make decisions, as well as how you internalize the voices that challenge or threaten your success. 

Your thinking is your software, it’s at the root of everything you do.
So, I will ask you again… Do you think about your thinking? 

If the answer is no, you’ve got a huge problem.  Without taking time for metacognition, (thinking about your thinking) you are building trenches for your thoughts.  These trenches are routes your brain often takes, they’re generally easy and/or familiar, but they aren’t always the best way forward.  They are simply ways your brain can move forward more quickly.  It’s very likely you aren’t even aware of how many ‘brain shortcuts’ your thinking is currently navigating.

Stop the pattern.  Start to examine these routes, challenge them and begin to create new paths forward that best serve your ideas your projects and your teams. How? We’ll take a deep dive these next two weeks to learn more.  In the meantime check out a few thoughts we have on this topic here.