Why leaders should hack their familiarity loop
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I’m currently reading a book that explores the science behind habit creation and reformation. There is a section that deals with the power that familiar things have over us. The brain craves the familiar and this phenomenon effects what we think we like and prefer. It even plays a role in what we think is the best thing or the best course of action.
As someone who makes decisions, leads people and is involved in innovation, this is a phenomenon that gives me pause and I believe the implications are worth thinking about. Is that really the right course of action for our team, department or business? Or is it just the one I’m most familiar with? Is this really the right person to hire or promote? Or is it just the person whose characteristics I’m personally most familiar with?
Being aware of the tricks that familiarity, routine and habits play on our brain is just the beginning though. The real question is what do we do about this awareness? How do we go beyond autopilot and make better business and life decisions? I’m not going to even try to answer that in a blog post. But I will say I’m personally challenged to use this new found understanding to fuel my growth and performance.
Some ideas that already spring to mind is just going back to doing proper analysis and research and to allow the process to lead you to insights and then decisions. Throw in some robust debate and thoughtful disagreement for good measure.
This is not to discard intuition which is powerful and invaluable, but rather to ensure we do a healthy amount of work before jumping to conclusions. In this way I see research and analysis as complementary to intuition, not opposed to it. I see debate and open mindedness as lenses that help focus our intuition over time.
In fact, your intuition is very much influenced by past experience. So why not sharpen my current experience through analysis, research and debate so that my future intuition becomes more powerful. In a sense, knowing the impact that what I’m familiar with has on my leadership and decision making, it makes me more determine to ensure I familiarize myself currently with a wide variety of subject matter, perspectives and disciplines. It's future proofing my intuition.
I’m am also determined to keep reading both contemporary and classic literature so that I’m familiar with both discreet current knowledge and the wisdom that evolves and emerges over centuries. Last year for instance I really enjoyed reading The Art of War and The Lessons of History by historians Will Durant and Ariel Durant.
If you are interested in the book I’m currently reading, it’s called The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. I’ve enjoyed reading it so far and can safely recommend it.