Introduction
Welcome to The ContraMind Code.
The ContraMind Code provides you with a system of principles, signals, and ideas to aid you in your pursuit of excellence.
The Newsletter shares the source code, through quick snapshots, for a systems thinking approach to be the best in what you do.
The Code helps you reboot and reimagine your thinking by learning from the best and enables you to draw a blueprint on what it takes to get extraordinary things done.
Take a journey to www.contraminds.com. Listen and watch some great minds talking to us about their journey of discovery of what went into making them craftsmen of their profession to drive peak performance.
What Design Thinking Is Doing for the San Francisco Opera(SFO)
by David Hoyt and Robert Sutton in HBR
This project was part of a course at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. The project introduced to the Opera staff new ways of thinking that offered the potential to change how SFO operated fundamentally.
Some takeaways from this article*:
When one strives for perfectionism, and if there is a resource constraint, the mindset to experiment gets difficult.
There is always a struggle and need for testing with a tight budget in a creative process. There is a need to live with this contradiction and find a way to come out with new ideas.
This lesson learnt from this article is vital, which is when we build products and want customers to try or use the product; here’s what the SFO team was taught: “Don’t wait for the community to come to you. Don’t build a space and think the community is coming to you. You have to go to the community.”
When working on new product ideas or improving product features, we are constantly told it will take time. But that is not always the case. All team members must understand the power of rapid prototyping and its implications.
The importance of flipping conventions on their head.
Why it is essential to get uncomfortable when you become comfortable.
Being open to the idea of failure and embracing change.
*This HBR article may have restricted access.
Open Borders
by Bryan Caplan
In this conversation, Bryan Caplan, a leading American Economist and professor of economics at George Mason University, talks about what a world without immigration restrictions could look like.
Prof. Bryan Kaplan makes the following points on why he thinks the idea is compelling:
He suggests that countries must make it as easy as possible for everyone to move around other than customs and basic security checks.
One obvious benefit of opening up borders is humanitarian: anyone living in poverty could go to any country, and, with no difficulty whatsoever, they must start earning ten times as much money as they could back home.
He also mentions that there is a growing body of research within economics which suggests that a large influx of formerly poor, newly productive people will boost any country’s economy. So everybody wins.
You can listen to this full podcast here.
Do You Really Need 8 Hours Of Sleep Every Night?
by Dr. Jen Gunter on TED
In this TED Video Talk, Dr. Jen Gunter breaks common myths about the amount of sleep people need to have:
Here are some key points from this video:
This commonly held belief that all of us need 8 hours of sleep is inaccurate. It is more indicative of the average amount of hours people will need.
A good night’s sleep duration will differ for different people.
Also, this message of lack of 8 hours of sleep predicting doomsday for people's health creates more problems than solving them.
The more critical problem is that people are getting obsessed and anxious about sleep data, with most constantly monitoring it.
This creates a sleep problem called Orthosomnia.
Importance of Challenging Commonly Accepted Norms
As humans, we always follow herd behaviour. If previously held beliefs and systems worked well, it is common to see these norms or rules followed by everybody without asking questions or thinking deeply about them.
The reasons are many. One reason is the fear or risk of trying something new and not working. The other one is the fear of not being accepted by society and being labelled or sidelined as a ‘rebel’, ' eccentric’, or ‘revolutionary’. One more reason is the non-acceptance of any other way to do things held by the earlier generation. Thus, stifling others from trying something new or different which leads to either stunted growth in the organisations or careers being ruined by old guards as these people, who challenge the norms, don’t always toe the line of these leaders or seniors.
While the above behaviour and implications are extrinsic manifestations, people carry a far deeper internal scar in their heads. When a vast majority of people watch or observe difficult situations, it leads to a ‘risk psychosis’ in their minds or heads, just in case their ideas, suggestions, or thoughts fail. Also, the internal inability to accept failure and not try new things is another manifestation of external behaviour. Therefore, you see people doing things without conviction and commitment leading to poor involvement, accountability and engagement. They will always have a reason to blame somebody rather than take responsibility for the success or failure. This leads to poor output quality and value, which could then be blamed on somebody else, which is precisely why most leaders don’t want to risk trying something new.
The only way we can break this chain is to foster a culture of experiments, get comfortable with the freedom to fail, be honest to oneself and others, have open and transparent conversations with one another, improve the ability to handle difficult conversations, experience new cultures and norms, and develop a willingness to engage with others on an opposite point of view. It is at this intersection innovative ideas are born, traditional pillars of beliefs are broken and re-casted, and new ways of doing things emerge and make people adaptable to new and, in some cases, test risky opportunities.
While this environment can be created, what is critical for every person is the need to be ‘extremely self-assured’ and not to become insecure when it comes to sharing or trying new thoughts and ideas, taking decisions or having the conviction not to follow the path often less travelled by others. Also, benchmarks of success and achievement are very different from the traditional markers like the pedigree of the educational institution studied, the company working for, the designation held, salary earned etc.
Getting comfortable while being uncomfortable is essential.
Some of the lessons we learnt from this week’s mission:
Deftly balancing perfectionism and limited resources is an important skill to build as an individual or for the organisation. The need to experiment, continuously fail and learn to get things done better is essential.
Open borders could provide new opportunities for work and productivity growth.
Don’t get anxious or obsessed with sleep data or monitoring it. A good night’s sleep duration will differ for different people.