THINKERS Workshop: Recent Episodes
Mica Gadhia, Sean Jackson, and Jerod Morris
Let's be honest, getting feedback can be a challenge. But if we want to grow and improve, being open to criticism and critique is essential.
In this episode, Mica and Sean share their insights into how to handle situations where you are in the hot seat - getting feedback - and how to mentally prepare yourself to maximize its benefit while managing your emotions.
Crypto seems to be all the rage - from Bitcoin to Etherium to NFTs. And because of the hype, you may even want to buy some. But should you? Or is this just another type of techno-bubble?
In this episode, we discuss how to think about analyzing anything that gets a lot of hype in the media and provide 3 simple rules for managing your thinking process when considering any type of investment.
Let's be honest, we can't be productive all the time. Our body and mind can't sustain intense amounts of effort for long periods of time.
And yet, there is always that guilty feeling that when we aren't doing something productive, then somehow we are not maximizing our potential.
The truth is that we all need to get more comfortable with "slack time" - that period of un-productive time that helps recharge our energy.
We are big believers in Block Time here at THINKERS - scheduling your days around specific blocks or periods where you can concentrate and be in the moment with whatever you are pursuing.
In this episode, we discuss the value of block time and how it will help improve your efficiency, lead to more fulfillment, all while helping you achieve your goals.
If you have not read Annie Duke's "Thinking In Bets", you should! In this episode, we follow up on our monthly book club meeting and discuss why thinking in terms of probabilities can help you better manage your expectations.
No matter what belief you hold, there is a possibility that you could be wrong! So how do you manage being potentially wrong?
In this episode, Mica and Sean discuss Annie Duke's "Thinking In Bets" with a deep dive into the value of probabilistic thinking and how to be open in your thinking process.
If you want to be more productive, then you may be working too hard.
In this episode, Mica and Sean discuss the value of slack time - building in time to just slack off from work. While it may seem counter-intuitive, slack time can actually make you more productive.
If you search "How to Change Your Mind" you will find pages upon pages of book reviews and information about taking acid.
This is not what we'll be discussing though if anyone wants to explore that further, I'm open to this idea!
We'll be talking about ways to introduce yourself to new concepts, ask why you might want to learn more about a new topic in the first place, and what steps you might need to take to get the process started.
One article on changing your beliefs about yourself sparked this topic and you can read that article here.
I (Mica) completely struggled at the beginning of the pandemic. I felt like I was floundering in fact. I was irritable, confused, and completely unfocused. In April, I started getting up earlier than usual to do the Miracle Morning process, which I had done before.
Johns Hopkins just published an excellent article on how we can continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Even a year after we made so many public changes, it's still a struggle mentally at times.
"Those who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19—older individuals and people with medical comorbidities or immune-comprised systems—who need to be especially stringent in following guidelines from the health authorities, may be the very people whose mental health may suffer the most. Individuals with a pre-existing mental health condition, such as an anxiety disorder, are also at heightened risk for poor mental health outcomes as a result of coronavirus."
Let's discuss many ways we can cope and even benefit from what we're all going through.
Can you believe it?
We've never discussed this subject on an Imbibe with the Tribe!
Your homework, if you choose to listen and learn before joining us, is to listen to the excellent podcast that Sean hosted. You can listen in here or go straight to https://www.thinkersmanifesto.com/podcast..
You'll start out learning why we suck at thinking and move on from there to learn about your environment, the ways ideas are created, to learning about how we corrected several mistakes along the way.
We hope you'll listen in and we definitely hope you'll join us for our next Imbibe with the Tribe!
Did you know? ...
You aren't able to multi-task! We strongly suggest you stop trying as your error rates skyrocket and it takes way longer to do something than it needs to.
About 75% of your brain is made up of water! Yes, drinking water is super helpful for your brain's health.
Your brain tripled in size as you grew to be 1 year old and it's now getting smaller as you age.
Thinking is what we're all about here in the THINKERS Workshop and I'm so excited to have some fun sharing random facts and anecdotes about how we think.
Language is such a distinctively human gift!
We have so many members who speak more than one language. Does that make them smarter? More adaptable to different environments? Is it true that we learn a new language easier before the age of 14 (I've heard this one quite a few times)?
This week, we'll take a look at language and how our brain processes new sounds, speakers, languages, signals, and more.
I've heard so many times that if you "don't use it, you'll use it," your brain will simply stop developing and you won't be able to improve your brain health or thinking.
Is that true?
What's the latest research on this?
This week we'll talk about the latest studies on brain plasticity, what it actually is, and mostly, what we can do to help our brains be healthier (because it turns out, we can make a difference in our brain's health!).
Get ready to laugh...
In this week's Imbibe with the Tribe, Mica Gadhia discusses the value of laughter in brain and mental health. Mica is joined by Sean Jackson along with several members of the THINKERS Community for a fun-filled episode of funny jokes and great stories that will bring a smile to your face.
Officially one of our favorite new books, 7 1/2 Lessons of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett is a must read! Short, insightful, with great stories and analysis, this book will help you understand the biological factors that control our brains ability to process information and make decisions.
There are many variations to continuous improvement like Kaizen, Six Sigma, or Lean. I've wanted to discuss this for a while now but when I started learning about these topics, it felt like they were miles deep and some are quite technical and corporation focused.
In this 30 minute episode, Mica Gadhia and Sean Jackson are joined by several members of the THINKERS Workshop community to discuss the concept of continuous improvement in our daily lives and the traits that are important to follow.
Do you have what it takes to be a thought leader? In this episode, Mica Gadhia and Sean Jackson discuss the traits of successful thought leaders with practical advice on how you can become an inspirational thought leader in your field.
Brain health is so important and for thinkers like us, any positive change we can make for our health is worth it.
In this episode, Mica Gadhia gives her tips on improving brain health based on the article 12 ways to keep your brain young . Mica is joined by fellow members of the THINKERS community and share their tips for improving brain health.
In episode 4 of the THINKERS Manifesto, we talk a lot about the value of placing limitations on our thinking process. In today's Imbibe with the Tribe, Mica Gadhia takes a deep dive into the topic and how to use limitations to make better decisions through better problem-solving.
Having an idea is important, but how you share those ideas matters a lot. In this episode, Mica is joined by Sean and Jerod to discuss the challenges of sharing an idea and the process for sharing effectively.
==Audio Updated on Jan 22, 2021==
Are we all creative?
Are some of us just not?
Can we become more creative?
Is creativity defined only by the "arts?"
I have strong opinions on this topic so I will definitely be reading different opinions to open up my view of creativity as a whole.
This topic was inspired by the most recent email sent out by Jerod Morris.
Every day we have to make decisions; some more difficult than others. In this latest episode of Imbibe with the Tribe, we cover a few frameworks to help you deal with making a difficult decision and also debate whether "important decisions" are really that important.
Do you feel awkward when someone gives you a gift? What about when you give a gift; are you expecting something in return?
Giving and receiving is a fundamental aspect of human relationships. But it can also involve a lot of emotions both good and bad.
In this latest episiode of Imbibe With The Tribe - our weekly online luncheon - Mica Gadhia and Sean Jackson discuss how to handle giving and receiving - and it turns out there is a lot more to the idea than you would think.
How do you deal with clutter in your life? Studies show that clutter can have detrimental effects on your cognitive skills. But, not all clutter is the same.
In this episode of Imbibe with the Tribe, Mica and Sean discuss how to deal with clutter in your life along with a better understanding that not all things that pile up around you are necessarily bad.
We are also joined by Workshop members, Daniel Denbow , Adrienne Laksfoss , and Patrick Garmoe to get their opinions and tips on how they deal with clutter.
Values; we all have them but how do we apply them to our daily life?
In the latest episode of Imbibe with the Tribe Mica and Jerod are joined by Dan and Terri to discuss the role of values in helping make better decisions.
As any THINKER will attest, reading is an important skill. But retaining what you read is a little harder.
In this episode of Imbibe with the Tribe, Mica Gadhia and Sean Jackson discuss Jerod Morris's article on How to retain more of what you read; published in the THINKERS Workshop.
We review his 5 tips and share personal stories on how to help you improve your reading comprehension.
The holidays...that time of year for a family get-together and rehashing all the news events for the year. For many, this joyous time can be a little stressful, especially for those that have vocal family members.
In this first episode of Imbibe with the Tribe - our new weekly series - we provide you with helpful tips and ideas for managing family time together; especially around sensitive subjects like politics, race, and any other "hot topic" dominating the news cycle.
In this meeting of the THINKERS Workshop Book Club, we discuss Alan Jacobs' book How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds.
It's a book that forces us to confront the fact that we don't think nearly as well as we think we do. But it also offers some prescriptions and descriptions for how we can think if not better, then at least more clearly.
It's also a short book, clocking in at just 156 pages. And what makes this Book Club meeting especially fun is that it occurred one week after we get a chance to talk to Mr. Jacobs during our THINKERS Webinar.
The subtitle of Alan Jacobs' book How to Think is: "A Survival Guide for a World at Odds."
And boy, given what 2020 has wrought, couldn't we all use a survival guide right about now? Especially a relatively short, concise, and thoughtful one like Jacobs' book.
How to Think reminds us that we aren't as good at thinking as we think, and that there are ways we can improve if we're willing to disabuse ourselves of assumptions and thought patterns that are hindering our ability to think clearly.
Among the topics we discuss in this edition of the THINKERS Webinar:
- Why our social relationships have such a massive impact on how we think ... and the challenges and opportunities this presents.
- Why it's usually disingenuous when we say someone should start "thinking for themselves."
- How to find the right kind of people to help you think better.
- The insidious power of Inner Rings.
- Our growing propensity to view people as the "Repugnant Cultural Other," and what to do about it.
- What role should emotions play in our thinking?
- Where is the balance between being open minded and holding firmly onto foundational beliefs?
- The importance of being skeptical about our own motives and generous toward the motives of others.
- What is the impact of cancel culture?
- Is Alan as optimistic now about our ability to improve our thinking as he was when he published How to Think?
And much more.
For the second meeting of the THINKERS Book Club, we dive into the world of productivity and focus by discussing Deep Work -- Cal Newport's much-beloved manual for how to succeed in a distracted world.
This book was suggested by Patrick Garmoe, who helped to lead this discussion. Sean, Mica, and Eve were also on hand.
To learn more about the book and find several options for where to order it, visit Cal Newport's website.
If you are unfamiliar with the concept, here is a description from Cal:
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep—spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there’s a better way.
We discuss the main concepts from the book, what we agree/disagree with, and provide our main takeaways for getting more deep work done ourselves.
Pride is such a vexing emotion.
On the one hand, pride is notorious for being one of the most deadly sins inherent to humanity. On the other hand, it's a driver for some of the greatest achievements in human history.
So what gives?
- Is pride good or bad?
- Is pride a construct of modern society or a result of evolution?
- How do we make sense of these two seemingly opposed interpretations of pride?
Jessica Tracy runs the Emotion and Self Lab at the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. She has written two books on the subject (Take Pride and Pride: The Secret of Success) and has dedicated her career to studying pride and answering the questions above and many more.
In this session, intended to be a bookend to our discussion with Ed Hess on the power of humility, Jessica discusses:
- How to make sense of pride
- What the two different kinds of pride are and how they influence our thoughts and actions
- How should we view pride? Is it to be avoided or embraced?
- Can we embrace pride and humility simultaneously?
And much more.
Spencer Greenberg is a thoughtful guy.
He has a PhD in applied math and has published papers on a variety of topics in applied math, machine learning, mental health and social science. He also has given TED talks and has a website filled with essays on those topics and more.
And Spencer isn’t just a guy who just has thoughts. He actually does something with them.
Spencer is the founder and CEO of Spark Wave, a company that tries to “solve big problems in the world.” And one company that Spark Wave created is Clearer Thinking, which offers a bevy of free tools to help you make better decisions and reduce biases -- which you should check out, at clearerthinking.org.
Sounds like a guy we needed to talk to, right?
Well, we did.
On July 9th, 2020. Spencer took some time to join us here inside of the THINKERS Workshop to help us identify some common thinking traps that can lead us into making bad decisions.
We discuss:
- What cognitive biases are, why we have them, and why they can lead to poor decisions.
- Strategies for overcoming cognitive biases (to the extend that we can).
- A few specific examples of cognitive biases and how they can hurt and help us.
- The importance of nuanced thinking.
- The three different types of dichotomous thinking (truth binary, goodness binary, identification binary) and the antidote for each one.
- How Spencer approaches conversations with people who are deep in throes of dichotomous thinking.
- How to approach a conversation with someone whose mind you want to change.
- When to use intuitive decision-making and when to use reflective decision-making.
- The power of writing to clarify of thinking.
- Habits Spencer recommends to anyone who wants to become a better thinker.
- Two book recommendations for better thinking.
And more. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation. And Spencer is able to say a lot in few words -- the benefit of him having spent so much time ruminating and writing on these topics.
He also answers a few audience questions:
- What should parents be teaching their kids?
- How do we make sure our confidence doesn't drift into self-delusion?
- Which thinking models are foundational for building better thinking skills?
You may need to listen a few times to take it all in.
At our very first THINKERS Virtual Happy Hour, we went around and recommended one big that had made a big impact on our thinking.
Steve Wilson recommended Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie and said that it had provided a major influence on how he navigated his career and maintained his creativity in the corporate world.
So for the first meeting of the THINKERS Book Club, we discussed Orbiting the Giant Hairball ... and had a thoroughly enjoyable time doing so!
It's certainly a unique book, which should be obvious right there on the cover. And the particular style that it is written -- and drawn -- in probably won't be everyone's cup of tea. (At least not initially.)
But the book is full of wisdom and entertaining stories, and it is useful for anyone who wants to maintain or rekindle their creative spark while enduring a "giant hairball" of bureaucracy, status quo, and risk-aversion -- both in the corporate world, and in life generally.
If you couldn't make the live event but are watching the replay, please leave a comment with your thoughts about the book.
A recent article about Brian Schultz in the Dallas Business Journal begins thusly:
Studio Movie Grill CEO Brian Schultz said when he first started to prepare for the response to COVID-19, he sat down and wrote about what it would be like once the crisis ended.
This was the first step in what would be Brian's plan to navigate an unprecedented crisis that has been particularly cruel to restaurants and movie theaters; and Brian's establishments are both. To make matters even tougher, Brian had recently embarked on an aggressive expansion into new markets.
In this webinar, Schultz shares his strategies and habits for navigating a crisis.
- How do you keep your emotions in check?
- How do you make decisions when there don't appear to be any good options on the table?
- How do you communicate with people who are counting on you?
- What does Brian do every single evening that helps him stay ever-ready to deal with a crisis?
- What role does visualization and vision boards play in Brian's strategy?
And so much more.
We are on the leading edge of a Smart Machine Age led by artificial intelligence that will be as transformative for us as the Industrial Revolution was for our ancestors.
Smart machines will take over millions of jobs in manufacturing, office work, the service sector, the professions, you name it. Not only can they know more data and analyze it faster than any mere human, but smart machines are free of the emotional, psychological, and cultural baggage that so often mars human thinking -- which we discussed in depth in the THINKERS Manifesto.
So we can’t beat the machines, and we can’t join them, but we can play a different game. And we must.
Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig wrote the book Humility is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age. In it, they offer a game plan for how we can excel at critical, creative, and innovative thinking and at genuinely engaging with others—in other words, the things machines can’t do well.
The key is to change our definition of what it means to be smart. Hess and Ludwig call it being NewSmart, and the crucial mindset underlying NewSmart is humility.
In this webinar, Mr. Hess and I discuss:
- How he defines "humility" -- because it's probably a little different from the way you normally see it defined.
- How to cultivate a mindset of intellectual humility, and what the short-term and long-term benefits are.
- The four NewSmart behaviors that will help you navigate the Smart Machine Age effectively.
- What role pride and ego still have to play -- if you're able to make the right shift in mindset.
- Strategies for adapting -- even at an advanced age.
- What parents and schools can do to cultivate NewSmart behaviors in children.
- How to navigate the me-first incentives social media.
And much more.