Track the patterns

Very few things happen in isolation or independence. They are most likely connected to something else. If there’s something else connected, what could you find out about it?

Look for clues ... and cues. As you gather up more information - CSI style - you’re sensemaking, connecting dots, gathering information on trends and patterns. And as soon as there are three of something, there is a pattern.

A pattern that is noticeable.

A pattern that is recognisable.

A pattern that is actionable.

What patterns are you noticing :

- with the members in your team?

- in your work and the projects you’re working on?

- with your customers and what their problems or concerns are?

Great leaders and thinkers are great pattern trackers and pattern matchers.

Even if it’s not all lined up in front of them.

Even if it doesn’t all happen at once.

Even if there is a period of time between pieces of the pattern.

Take note. Spot the pattern. Make sense. And better decisions and wiser choices will be yours. Did you spot the patterns in this post?

Participants and observers

As well as being participants in times of change, we can also be observers. We can watch what is happening, spot trends, notice change and join the dots of these observations and experiences. 

There is hindsight (working out what happened) and there is foresight (suggesting what might happen in the future). 

We can also be more tuned in to the now. This is the place of insight. 

It’s where and when insights come to us. We can take notice of these cues or let them fly by, remaining oblivious to them. 

Observing and interpreting insights is a vital part of adapting to uncertain and changing times. It’s a part of the capability that is Sensemaking. 

How do we do this observation and Sensemaking thing better? 

-Listen 

-Write things down 

-Reflect and review at the end of a conversation or meeting 

-Review your notes again later on 

-Sleep on it 

-Notice what you think the next day. 

Your brain will have done some incredible sorting, decluttering and rearranging overnight. And that is some of the best Sensemaking we can be doing... without even knowing it! 

Listen, notes, review, sleep on it, response. It can help us make sense of the strangest things. 

No, please... not the ‘save as’ strategy

Opening a document from last year, you ’save as’ to update a few things. Save as another name, change the date. Job done.

We’ve all done it. But no, wait.

’Save as’ when working with a document is an option. You don’t have to do it. You can start anew.

In times of crazy change and uncertainty, don’t be a ’save as’ person, leader or a 'save as' organisation. To replicate last year doesn't make (or take) enough of a shift for the change required of us today.

Otherwise the response (and then the solution) won't even be incrementally different ... let alone exponentially different!

A not-for-profit agency planning their strategy day saved last year’s agenda, sent it through and said, ’This is what we want to do.’

’No. No you don’t,’ I said. Not the same agenda, same venue, the same board, same structure and same presentations. Probably the same ideas and insights too!

Longevity, consistency and continuity are important. But automatic replication ... no.

To exist in the new, you will need to do things differently. Allow the project, team and business to gather new insights, so that sensemaking is current, recent ... and informed from the now.

What sensemaking is and why we need it

When the Institute for the Future said sensemaking was something we'd need for 2020 and beyond, I'm sure many people thought 'Huh? What is that, why do I need it?'

We have some natural abilities to make sense yet we also need sharper skills when problem solving and dealing with complex issues and information.  

I wrote a book called 'Making Sense: A Handbook for the Future of Work'. This books proposes that using visuals isn't about pretty pictures, but rather functional and practical tools that help us get to grips with information and ideas quickly.

The sooner we make sense of what's going on, the sooner we can make decisions ... and the sooner we can act.

We usually try to make sense by talking to (or at) each other. But making a 'map' is more effective.

How do you make a map? In 'Making Sense' I've provided: 40 thought starters 10 thinking tools 21 techniques 32 templates to help you make maps for sense. So when you need to make sense of things, get the book out, start mapping and sensemaking. You'll be equipped to decide and act... sooner.

Q: How do you currently make sense of things? 

Could you yield … rather than resist

Of all the skills we can learn and develop, what if we just focused on how we could become more adaptable… more willing to change?

Imagine how this one capability - a willingness to change - could impact our world and our lives.

Imagine how it might help a team learn new things and deliver better services.

The progress we would make, the ideas we would put out into the world, the conversations we’d have, what we’d find out and what could be possible.

The problems we’d solve instead of the additional ones we tend to create.

Imagine how less frustration there might be in the world if we were all a little more flexible, adaptable, changeable.

And imagine how we’d grow, individually and collectively, if we became more tolerable of change, looked for it, sought it out, welcomed it and 'went' with it. Adaptability is the capability.

What if we chose to yield… instead of resist? Look for opportunities to change and adapt; it gets easier.