GREY IS THIS YEAR'S BLACK

 

In the last few weeks, I've had a number of conversations with business owners and senior executives about the state of their business and their thoughts on the coming year ahead.  One executive enthusiastically shared with me how her experience in 2009 taught her that her  'black or white' approach to management which brought her early career succes was no longer effective.   She went on to say that she's learning to embrace the 'infinite value of the grey zone - the place where all things are possible'.

This week,  we're going to get back to our discussion about the two types of leadership energy - Anabolic and Catabolic.   We will look at a very interesting distinction in the way that each type of leader thinks.   This is perhaps one of the most complicated, but essential, aspects of understanding the difference between the two types of leaders.
 
Catabolic leaders use left brain analysis almost exclusively. This type of thinking is linear, and rational. It's the logical approach, and considers only facts and actual observations.  Decisions are often arrived at in a 'black or white' manner.  Anabolic leaders use whole brain thinking, which encompasses emotions and intuition, as well as logic. This type of thinking is called holographic thinking, because like multi-dimensional holograms, holographic thinking involves being able to see many perspectives at once.  This type of thinking brings a whole spectrum of 'grey' into an otherwise black or white process.
 
By using their emotional and intuitive minds in addition to left brain logical analysis, anabolic leaders are able to view a situation as a whole and thus get a complete picture of what is really going on. The ability to see this "meta-view" is key to ensuring the greatest chances for success (in every aspect of life), and especially for making, both on a daily and a long term basis, the very best decisions they can.
 
So how would this actually play out "in real life"? Say a manager was faced with a decision about whether or not to pull the plug on a strategic initiative or project, launched several months before, which was not bringing in the results it was expected to. The catabolic manager would look only at the facts and figures, and, most likely, decide to discontinue the project because the results had not been realized.  Anabolic managers, on the other hand, would take much more into account in making a decision. Not only would money, resources, and logistics be examined, but also, they would look at their intuitive response (what flashes of insight they had) and also, consider their emotional response, and others' emotional responses as well. The conclusion they come to might be the same - to pull the plug, or, based on a hunch or an emotion or both, they might decide to keep the project going.   HOWEVER, an invaluable benefit to this approach is  that the insights gleaned from anabolic leadership creates the atmosphere for a third option (that can only be found in the 'grey area':  continue the initiative (or project) in a revised manner that addresses both tangible ( i.e., money) benefits as well as the intangibles (i.e. market positioning) and applies appropriate resources to support the project.
 
The key is, using a holographic approach, anabolic leaders address opportunities-and challenges-from many perspectives at once. To practice thinking holographically, consider your potential action in light of what makes sense, what your emotional response to it is, and what your intuitive senses tell you. This may not be natural at first, but eventually, it will become second nature and increase your effectiveness immensely.
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