Leaders check their filters

Gene Mage

Standing waist deep in the wave pool with my twelve year old son, I wait with great excitement for the artificial swells to start rolling towards the shore. Soon I am bobbing up and down like a piece of driftwood.

At first glance the scene appears chaotic, even dangerous. Just when I regain my balance another wave comes along to knock me over. A collision with one of the dozens of swimmers that surround me seems imminent.

But after a while the scene takes on a different feel. I begin to take in the movement and rhythm of the waves. A small step to the left and I can stand perfectly still, relaxed, watching the waves go by.

As leaders, we are challenged to take in the view ahead of us without getting overwhelmed by the waves. Our world presents far too much data for us to process. Survival, if not sanity, demands that we filter what we see and hear. We tune out the noise so we can process the really important data.

Everybody has their personal filters. We make choices all the time about where to invest our attention. Our filters determine how we see the world. Leaders with good filters make good choices. Leaders with poor filters blunder badly.

Effective filters work for us. We create them consciously and thoughtfully as we learn from life’s experiences. We adjust the sensitivity on the filter to the needs of the moment. Sometimes we pay rapt attention to the wind whispering through a blade of grass. Other times we block out the din of a busy city street.

Effective filters are based upon chosen values, not habitual prejudices. Leaders stop and ask, “Why”? They challenge their assumptions about what is, and is not, important.

Effective filters are based upon confidence and courage, not fear. A frightened animal jumps at the slightest movement or cowers behind a rock. The human mind and body, marvelously designed for survival amidst the dangers of the wild, cry “danger” in the face of any apparent threat. Fearful people see danger everywhere. Filled with anxiety or driven by panic they react, or hide. Leaders, however, retrain their responses. They narrow down the list of “threatening” situations. They adopt a stance of confidence.

Effective filters are balanced. Some people are so locked into their world view that they react angrily when confronted with disconfirming data. The possibility that they might be wrong shakes them to the core. So they argue with, or ignore, anyone or anything that does not fit their preconceived notions of how the world “ought” to work. The closed-minded person clings to his or her habits of thought to keep from drowning in a world of uncertainty.

On the opposite end of the scale are those people who really do not know what they believe. As such, they are, as the ancient writer James observed, driven and tossed about by every wind. Lacking a firm course, they move and shift in response to their most recent conversation, or public opinion. Lacking a rudder, they cannot set a direction. They cannot lead, only drift.

Leaders, by contrast, choose their “non-negotiable” beliefs wisely. Then, when faced with contrary opinion, can stand firm, knowing that the presence of an opposing view does not threaten to “shake” them, since they stand on solid ground. Leaders stand upon the life principles, qualities of character, and guiding truths that offer a firm foundation. They know what they believe and why they believe it.

But they also keep an open mind to many things. While they retain an immutable, solid core, they remain open to the idea of being “wrong” about everything else. They freely exercise their powers of reason, and readily adapt their opinions to new evidence.

How’s your filter? Take time today to consider what you pay attention to. Then make the deliberate choice to make your filter work for you.

Visit www.makingitwork.com for leadership resources from Syndicated Columnist, Author and Speaker Gene Mage.