Strategic thinking for trendy times
Eli Harari

How will you use all of the trend information discussed in this issue of the FMJ?

Are you going to superimpose your ideas about the past when you read what experts think the facility-management future holds? Or, will you leave yourself open to possibilities and face the challenging years ahead with an open mind?

Eli Harari, a.k.a. The Thinking Coach, says two things can happen to bosses of buildings who read this article:

“You, as facility managers, are in the midst of incredible changes in this world, the speed of which has never happened before,” he says. “Things are just going by and one is either with it or, alternatively, one feels incredible stress and tries to play catch-up with the world, which is a losing proposition.”

The challenge, says the accomplished motivator and training specialist who teaches thinking-skills dynamics to clients like Mass Mutual Financial Group, Paine Webber, Petsmart and the Israeli Government, is “being at the point” where you feel inspired, not threatened by change and able to provide conscious response to the needs of the moment.

Being at the point means synergizing what’s happening so you’re on the up end of the ‘fight v. flight’ syndrome, aware, alert and active.

People are scared of change, he says. Fright is a natural reaction to the unknown or unfamiliar. You can think your way around fear by developing a state of mind that’s best for handling change – an open, flexible way of thinking.

Be a child, you grew up too soon
Who does this best?

Children.

“Okay, I realize this is a complete paradigm shift in the way most people think about thinking,” Harari says. “Most people want to throw their adult thinking skills at a problem. The truth is, you can’t really begin to get your hands around any issue until you learn to open your eyes to the kinds of wonder, excitement and details that children unfailingly pick up on.”

Offers the expert on strategic thinking: “Learn to look at the world, at your problems with the same sense of awe that a child would. When you can open your eyes to all possibilities, you will find solutions to your problems are nearer than you think.”

Children are strategically disposed, he says. They are open-minded, not conditioned, and have a joie de vivre that doesn’t place limitations on their world view. “They enjoy a natural quest for knowledge until they reach 14 or 15 and we turn them into bookworms. That’s what happens to you, sitting in your office. You wake up one morning and the child is gone. But the child in you is best-suited to handling the difficult things in life because the child does not take things in a heavy serious manner as a grownup, whose view is self-limiting.”

A child sitting in a hotel conference room, for example, would be thrilled by large chandeliers, thickly paneled walls, oddly patterned carpets and ample spaces to run around in. Grown-ups, he says, invariably fail to notice positive details and quickly tire of their environment. A 44 year-old facility manager sitting in the same spot probably would fail to notice possibilities, options and opportunities presented by the room’s unique characteristics, unless they have been trained to “be at the point.”

“This is where strategic thinking begins,” Harari says.

Negativism is a real thinking-killer — positivism is a prerequisite to strategic thinking
Unfortunately, the caliber of thinking determines the outcome of any business venture undertaken — which is determined by the mind-set and attitude Harari says.

“Being critical and negative will close options whereas being positive and inclusive will open many doors and opportunities. As a facility manager, do you arrive at work and grumble that it’s just another day or do you say, ‘I wonder what today will bring?’ and bring a child-like enthusiasm and excitement to dealing with the day’s events?”

Trends may be broad but changes are small, gradual and incremental. Only those who think “strategically,” like open-minded children, will notice paradigm shifts as they occur and make appropriate choices.

Quick tips for becoming strategically child-like
Quick tips for facility managers, Harari says, include understanding that strategic thinking requires a special state of mind; strategic thinking means giving the future the space it needs to appear; strategic thinking is a must if you’re looking for the bigger picture; strategic thinking is a sort of platform upon which strategic planning appears; strategic thinking requires the ability to separate fact from fiction; strategic thinking differentiates between symptoms and causes; strategic thinking requires the ability to define problems accurately; strategic thinking requires overall perception, ideology and a vision; strategic thinking uncovers the shortest route between point A and point B; strategy forms the demarcation line between reaction and response; strategy is a bridge connecting old and new paradigms; strategy provides a roadmap to effectiveness; strategy includes three levels — fact-gathering, analysis-and-evaluation and decision-making; strategy is the ladder and tactics are the rungs of the ladder; strategy is the forest and tactics are the trees; strategic thinking requires creativity, openness and mental flexibility; strategic thinking requires understanding human psychology.

Work up the F..E.D. pyramid
Harari uses a self-described F.E.D. or fact, evaluation and decision-making system to teach managers to think strategically.

F.E.D. works as a simple profound and extremely effective formula for strategic thinking.

“Visualize F.E.D. as a pyramid with ‘fact-finding’ at the bottom, ‘evaluation & reasoning’ in the middle, and ‘decision-making’ at the top,” he suggests.

“Facts” is the key ingredient to a strategic mindset. Facts “tell the tale” without bias. Unfortunately for most, fact-finding requires an impersonal state of mind that’s without bias or emotional attachment. The kinds of questions that facilitate strategic thinking about fact-finding are, “Is this impersonal? Does it open us to the bigger picture?”

For example, instead of asking “What school should I send my child to?” try “What school best benefits my child based upon his character and inclinations?” It opens the doors for new parameters of consideration and allows you to ultimately make more accurate decisions

Try to limit usage of the pronoun “I.”

“When you say ‘I’ you tend to close the book and limit your options. It makes your thinking rigid and at that point you really don’t think, you link to the past. You become personally involved and personal involvement is a killer when thinking about future trends. When you struggle to make a question impersonal, you broaden the view, allow fresh air and begin to see the light in there.”

Back to the F.E.D. The middle of the pyramid focuses on “evaluation,” which involves analyzing or digesting facts.

“It is an ever-narrowing process of sifting through, including and excluding, determining consequences, seeing what belongs and what does not, and generally having a brainstorming session that leaves no stone unturned,” he says.

Ruling the top of the pyramid is decision-making, an accurate, measured and carefully calculated process that determines the best course of action.

“Try to learn to use facts first,” he says. “Evaluate what you do, and when you are about to make a decision, be a devil’s advocate. Always consider the other side first. If you do these three things, you are much closer to thinking strategically than in being in the dark and just doing what you’ve always done. Remember, if you do what you’ve done, you get what you’ve got!”

Five basic questions for the strategic mindset
Harari also teaches corporate learners five basic questions to reinforce his F.E.D. and help form personal strategic mindsets. They are:

• What does it mean? Seek facts only. A state of mind that considers facts only is free of bias, emotional involvement – all natural human traits.
• How is this going to affect me personally? If you can evaluate personal impact within the bigger picture, “internal quiet” is restored. This is the only time strategic thinkers may indulge in the personal.
• What is it that they are at? “This question seeks to locate the bigger picture and discover the governing principle. The principle is the underlying cause and reveals the bigger picture. The difference between cause and symptom becomes clear.
• “Where is it all going to end?
• “What’s to be done now?”
• This is an open-ended question that anticipates the future.

What does all this mean?
Harari says the most serious and important trend facing strategic-thinking wannabes today is the flattening of American business. Without one person at the top, telling everyone what to do, employees are expected to become more intelligent. However, this doesn’t always happen when companies say one thing but don’t work to create open, friendly environments that nurture and sustain creative thinking.

So your workplace isn’t fun? Don’t wait around for management to address what ails its employees. “Infect” the environment with friendliness and open-mindedness by creating a “friendly virus” that spreads throughout the office.

A simple example of a single individual who managed to turn a hostile environment on its face involves a famous case-study of a New York City bus driver. Unlike his surly compatriots, who notoriously glare at riders and ride the brakes behind darting bike messengers, this gentleman personally greeted each rider with a smile, a warm hello, and went out of his way to point out New York “photo opportunities” and landmarks.

Over time, his regular riders began chatting with each other and the bus’ atmosphere was open and inviting to all newcomers.

“So your organization is closed to strategic thinking? Act like this not-so-simple bus driver,” Harari suggests. “The driver’s attitude was so contagious that it spread rapidly throughout one of the most cynical, unfriendly cities in the United States. Create an environment that allows for positive open-mindedness and friendliness. If a single person could do this on a New York City bus, think what you can do with all of your education, your considerable facility-management resources, and the thousands of people who come in and out of your buildings every day.”

At the end of the day we all are children trying to come outside and play the game of life, The Thinking Coach says.

“And you can either choose to become ‘adulted’ or to become ‘re-childed,’” Harari says. “We can either become positive thinkers or cynical, negative grownups. It’s your choice. Remember when you were young? You felt like you could affect change. You can do it as an adult, believe it”

About the Author:
Eli Harari, better known as the The Thinking Coach, conducts training seminars, workshops, personal coaching and speaking engagements on thinking-skills dynamics. Fields of expertise include strategic thinking, creative thinking, leadership thinking skills, decision-making, multi-task management and mental toughness.