The Cranky Middle Manager Show #227 Unconscious Management- Ken Eisold
Today Wayne Turmel talks to Ken Eisold about his book, “What You Don’t Know You Know-Our Hidden Motives in Life, Business and Everything Else”. We also look at the Roman poet Horace and complain about pretty much everything. Another typical Cranky Middle Manager Show.
Dr. Ken Eisold takes us on another brain-geek adventure into why people don’t do what we tell them to.
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Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show everyone. Ever wonder why problems don’t magically solve themselves? Well we dedicate this show to Horace and the whole concept of the Deus Ex Machina … “God in the Machine” which is a lousy plot device (see the last 2o minutes of The Abyss if you don’t believe me) and makes no sense. The answer usually lies in the mind of the people we’re dealing with- hence our talk with a shrink today.
3:21 The quote of the week is also from Horace- adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would otherwise lay dormant. Cool thing to think about when adversity makes you want to freak out.
4:45 Welcome Dr Ken Eisold. What is the uncosncious and why should managers care about it? The answer to the question “what were you thinking” is more complicated than you think.
9:30 Remember that you (and they) are paying for the sins of whoever managed them before you got there. Don’t assume they work under the same assumptions you do. The way people think is not governed by rationality but by habit and past experience.
11:51 When we get data we often don’t process it, we just see how well it fits our mental picture of the world.
15:25 You have to check your assumptions. Married people know better than to take “fine” as an acceptable answer.
19:22 Three important concepts: Persona, Role and Identity. Everyone plays all 3…. it helps explain why we torture ourselves. I also get some free therapy, which is one of the perks of this show.
24:10 Guess what, not only do we have our own drama going on, but so does each person we work with. Do you understand their persona, role, etc? You have to work at questioning and understanding what they really think about what you’ve just told them.
27:30 Here’s a take-away: don’t take it personally. Resistance frequently has nothing to do with us personally…although EVERYTHING is about me personally, but that’s my drama to work with.
Ken’s Resources