The the lights went down and the now famous Star Wars fanfare started. As the intro story words faded smaller and smaller into the distance, a small space ship came across the screen and we were all impressed. Then it happened. The movie world changed. You could hear the jaws drop and hit the floor when the massive, and I do mean massive, Star Destroyer slowly expanded to fill the entire width of the huge screen. Everyone in the theater gasped. I’ve been to a thousand movies but I’ve never heard an entire audience do that since that movie (with only one exception which I will describe below).

The reason for sharing that story is so, in case you’ve never seen a black and white television, you will realize that we were completely blown away. When Darth Vader finally entered the movie we didn’t think that he looked silly at all. He was ominous! He was the embodiment of evil. He was way more threatening that anything that we’d ever seen including the creature from the Black Lagoon or the spacemen from The Invaders. The guy was evil, powerful and could crush your throat from across the room. The second time I heard a massive gasp in a theater was when Darth Vader finally admitted that he was Luke Skywalker’s father. No one saw that coming.

But, I digress. I was watching Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace in preparation for the December 2015 release of Star Wars VII. Young Anakin Skywalker seemed like such an innocent little boy. He was discovered by Qui Gon Jinn, the somewhat renegade Jedi knight. Convinced that Anakin was going to “balance the Force”, he took him before the Jedi Council and asked to be able to have him trained as a Jedi. They refused because they sensed something wrong. They could sense that he was filled with fear. Going against the wishes of the Council, Qui Gon decided to mentor him nonetheless.

Shortly before dying in a battle with Darth Maul, Qui Jon bent down and told young Anakin, “Your focus determines your reality.” Five powerful words that could have changed his life, not to mention the whole Star Wars legacy. Although he had tremendous power, he was corrupted by his focus on “the dark side”. He was corrupted by fear. Good grief. Rather than “balancing the force, he went on to become the most feared guy in the universe.

I’ve written before about the concept of Target Fixation and the irresistible power it has. Motorcyclists are warned about it. Emergency responders are trained to use it. When the world around you seems out of control, you will go where you look. Whether you are struggling with work, relationships or just every day life, where you put your focus will determine “your reality” and it will determine where you will go. If you focus on the negative in your life, it will multiply. If you focus on the positive, it will multiply. I’m pretty sure this is one of the laws of physics. Perhaps even one of the laws of thermodynamics. You go where you look. Your focus determines your reality. Either way, these are five words worth pondering.

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Toward the end of the book they share a list that they taped to the wall in their office. I believe it will help you perform better under pressure.  It’s worth taping to your wall too:

• Look people in the eye when you meet them.
• Smile.
• Don’t check your texts or e- mail when someone else is talking.
• Be curious.
• Try to eliminate the word no from your vocabulary for just one day.
• When you are wrong, acknowledge it, say you’re sorry, and move on.
• Forgive yourself and forgive others.
• Lead as you would want to be led…
• Be on time.
• Excel at preparation.
• Ask yourself, what is the problem you are trying to solve?
• Make your partner look good.
• Respect, don’t revere.
• Listen to the whole person.
• Read the room.
• Share the conversation.
• Love your work.
• Applaud others.
• Say we rather than I whenever possible.
• Consider that you might not be right.
• Open your door.
• Try not to work out of fear; work from a sense of possibility.
• Understand the audience you’re trying to win over, and give them a role.
• Be an improviser.

photo credit: Einzählen via photopin (license)

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If we don’t get it right, communication can fail when it matters most and it has to do with the way that people process information in the brain. People can experience “auditory exclusion” when their brain switches to stress mode and directs brain power away from their ears to their eyes.

Our ears don’t have lids but they can certainly shut down under stress.
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Consider how the brain functions to improve communication:

Sound (auditory) processing

• Only 3% of the cerebral cortex (the wrinkly part of the brain that processes high level thinking) is involved in hearing.
• The auditory nerve that carries the signal from the ear to the brain has only 30,000 fibers.

Visual processing

• 30% of the cerebral Cortex is involved in visual processing.
• There are over 150 million rods and cones that make up the retina in the back of the eye to capture the light and translate it into signals the brain can process.
• The optic nerve that carries the visual signals from the eye to the brain has 150,000 fibers.

Vision > Hearing

Clearly, the visual system wins. Unfortunately, most of the time, high pressure communication is either spoken or written.

Researchers use the term “pictorial superiority effect” (PSE)¹ to describe the fact the more visual the input to the brain, the more likely it will be remembered and recognized. If people are given spoken information and tested several days later, they only remember about 10%. But people can remember more than 2,500 pictures with at least 90% accuracy for several days after they see them even though they only got to see each picture for about 10 seconds. It gets even better. Accuracy rates a year later still hovered around 63%! And, some images last for years!!²

But I’m not a “visual learner”!

In the world of adult learning we hear a lot about learning modalities. Based on the work by Barbe, Swassing, and Milone we are taught that there are three types of learners:

• The visual learner

• The auditory learner

• The kinesthetic learner

When you and your team are under pressure, visual learning trumps the other two. Even when someone thinks that they are “not a visual learner”. According to Dr. John Madina “One of the reasons that text is less capable than pictures is that the brain sees words as lots of tiny pictures… To our cortex, unnervingly, there is no such thing as words.” ³

I can’t see what you’re saying. If you want to communicate: Show me!

So what’s the key to communication under pressure? Here it is: Draw a map or a cartoon to get your point across. There are several types of maps that can be helpful:

• Organizational Maps – These are useful for defining organizational roles and responsibilities. Think “org chart”.

• Process Maps – These can be used to communicate goals, steps, resources, risks and opportunities. Think “flow-chart”.

• Directional Maps – Get out your compass or GPS. These maps show you where to go. Think “treasure map”.

• Brainstorming Maps – These maps are used for problem solving. They can reveal new connections, distinctions and opportunities. Think “scratch pad, circles, arrows, diagrams”.

• Cartoons – Sometimes a simple cartoon can convey a fantastic point. Think of the Gary Larson’s Farside Cartoon that is forever etched in my brain: “Pull Out Betty! Pull out! You’ve hit an artery!” (Ideally I would show the cartoon here but, for copyright reasons you’ll have to click HERE.) By the way, you don’t have to be fancy to get your point across. You can learn more about this communicating with cartoons by reading The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam. Great book. Highly recommended. 

Next time communication really matters, get out your pencil and draw!

Use maps to engage, solve, communicate and improve recall.
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Please share your experience with us.

Please let me know what you think. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Have you had any times when communication failed or succeeded based on the use of voice/words vs maps/cartoons?

1. Whitehouse, A. O., Maybery, M. T., & Durkin, K. (2006). The development of the picture-superiority effect. British Journal Of Developmental Psychology, 24(4), 767-773. doi:10.1348/026151005X74153 
2. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School – John Medina ©2008 Pear Press 
3. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School – John Medina ©2008 Pear Press 

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I wish I could write a prescription for this. Whether working with patients, disaster victims or corporate executives, I have found this to be one of the most important tools to becoming unstoppable. We must guard our thoughts and be very careful what we focus on. Not only can no one ever take our thoughts away from us, but we are the ones that get to choose what we believe. In this wonderful Ted-x presentation by Edith Eva Eger, her inner beauty shines brightly and it has the power to transform the unthinkable. It is well worth your time and may just transform your day. I would love to hear the stories that you have where you have overcome the obstacles in your life by choosing what you put in your mind. (Please comment below.)

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Heroes were positive role models that had qualities that our society valued. Somewhere along the line, a tectonic shift had a tremendous impact on our nation. We’ve turned and faced the other way and the consequences have been devastating.

Tossing aside our passion to become like our heroes, we now focus on victims. As our televisions become filled with shows like “Hoarders” and “Honey Boo Boo,” we point and mumble, “At least I’m not that bad.” Comfortably, we settle into our couches of content.

If you could look inside someone who chooses to be a victim, you would find two forces at work: power and purpose. Victims believe that power is external to them and that things happen “to” them.

(Image: TLC screen capture)

Psychologist Julian Rotter described this as an External Locus of Control. If they had a bumper sticker it would say “Stuff Happens to me all the time.”

Victims don’t have to accept responsibility because, they tell themselves, nothing they can do would make a difference anyway. When things get tough, victims wait for the government to come to their rescue.

Following Hurricane Katrina, a woman holding her little daughter’s hand screamed at the television reporter, “When is George Bush going to bring me MY food?” From her perspective, President Bush had all the power and she had none.

But there is more to it than power. Those that choose to be victims have a singular purpose in life: to get all that they can. Sadly, she was not yelling, “When is George Bush going to bring my daughter some food.” Victims choose to only consider themselves. They choose to be powerless takers.

Fortunately, some people are convinced that they have the power to make a difference and they believe that it is not all about them. They choose to be empowered givers or what I would call “thrivers”.

(An undated image shows the main gate of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland. Writing over the gate reads: “Arbeit macht frei” (Work Sets You Free). (AP Photo/File) )

Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist that survived seven years in the Nazi concentration camps, was a thriver. In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Frankl said:

“Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances; to choose one’s own way.”

Frankl went on to make a tremendous impact on his fellow prisoners. He knew that he had the power to make a difference and he was committed to giving himself to others despite circumstances beyond comprehension.

Following Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines, Mayor Alfred Romualdez narrowly survived the storm by climbing into the rafters as the water exploded through the walls below him. Despite tremendous personal loss, he saved the lives of countless people.

A boy in ‘Captain America’ suit waits for a Halloween parade in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 27, 2012. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Climbing up into a large excavator, he figured out how to work the controls and then rallied other workers to help him clear the road so relief could get in. When the workers became tired and discouraged he refocused their efforts knowing that the lives of so many depended on them. His belief that he could make a difference and his passion to put others first made an unforgettable impact.

The victim’s mindset is that of a powerless taker but thrivers choose the mindset of the powerful giver. We too have a choice. Each of us faces the same two pivotal questions everyday:

1) Will I choose to be powerless or powerful?

2) Will I choose to be a taker or a giver?

How we answer these questions will profoundly impact our work, our friends and our family. Next time you hit a speed bump in your life, be careful where you look. Keep your eye on the heroes.

Be very careful what you focus on. You go where you look!
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(This article was originally written by Dan Diamond, MD and published on The Blaze)

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So which way do you lean? Seriously, stop and think about it. I don’t care too much if you lean to the left or the right (although the politicians certainly do). What matters is if you’re laid back or if you lean in. It has everything to do with momentum. There are times when I’m tired and don’t think that I have anymore to give. At times life seems tough and the obstacles insurmountable. If I sit back and wait, fairly good chance life will run me over just like Ricardo Lockette ran right over Justin Veltung.

Sitting back and waiting can be dangerous. How would life be different if you leaned in? What could happen? You might get some projects completed. Perhaps relationships could be rebuilt. You might even discover some new opportunities.

Go for it! Lean in!

And… go SEAHAWKS!

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1. Do I have the power to make a difference today?
2. Am I going to be a giver or a taker today?

What are your thoughts?

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How is it that these kids have more joy, despite their tremendous loss, than many of us as we drag ourselves into work facing “another Monday”?

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Following Typhoon Yolanda, some people rallied and made a tremendous difference. Andrew Co was one of these folks. A well connected businessman, he put the full weight of his resources to work and make a tremendous impact. Listen as Mr. Co shares his heart.

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This is an amazing story of heroism, courage and guts. Mayor Alfred Romualdez risked his life to get the city of Tacloban back on its feet. He describes first-hand the power of this record setting typhoon and how it destroyed his homes. Listen in to see what he did, how escaped and how he rescued his family. It is a great example of being fulling engaged and making a difference.

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