Think

As a pilot, I recently attended an Air Safety class on Take Off’s and Landings .  During the class, we reviewed the concept of the ‘controlled approach’ to landings. This concept is not new. You’re frequently schooled on it during your pilot training. It involves simultaneously controlling the horizontal axis of the wings, the descent rate, landing speed while taking account of wind speed and direction.  With sufficient practice, this process becomes fluid and almost intuitive. However, no matter how often you practice, no two landings are exactly the same, so one has to be fully engaged each time.

I noticed parallels between two of my recent readings – the first, on aggression in the workplace, and the other on the biology of leadership.  In a volume on counterproductive work behaviors (CWB’s), Joel Neuman and Robert Baron present their theory on aggression in the workplace.  In their model, workplace aggression is a product of two factors: those related to the social situation (e.g. seeing others behaving aggressively, uncomfortable or stressful environments) and individual characteristics (e.g. personality traits, attitudes about the acceptability of violence, power, status or position).  On exposure to a trigger event, the individual experiences an emotional reaction, thoughts and physical sensations.  The crucial determinant of their response is how they interpret this reaction. 

If the individual interprets the event as an act of aggression, they are likely to respond in kind, inevitably escalating the situation.  However, if one of the parties is able to modify their response – by changing the way they interpret the situation, and their reaction to it – they can prevent an escalation of CWB. 

Sounds simple – provided we are aware of, and can manage our own thinking processes.  So, how effectively are we able to do this?

Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis have found evidence for a specific group of neurons called Mirror Neurons whose purpose is to “mimic or mirror what another being does.” This has obvious benefits for positive and pro-social behavior.  At the same time, the presence of these Mirror Neurons may be bad news in terms of CWB. 

This finding suggests we can be influenced by neuronal activity of which we are not consciously aware.  The risk is that, when confronted by potential threat or aggressive behavior we rely on our instinct – the fight or flight response – rather than rational thinking.   

“312 Alpha Delta, cleared to land on runway 9 right”

Too often we engage autopilot in our interactions with others, behaving the way we always do, regardless of the person or the situation.  However, like landings, no two relationships are the same.  Effective relationship building requires self awareness and self management.   And like controlled take off and landing skills, these take time to develop, initially requiring effort and attention to detail which at times feel overwhelming.   Yet with practice, effort and feedback the multiple demands required for building effective working relationships can become second nature. 

Dan