Business Book Brunch: Time to Think

'There is only one thing on which virtually everything else in our lives depends. That is the quality of our thinking. Everything stems from this. Including the passionate bursting of our hearts and the inward non-movements of contemplation. The human being begins each action, each feeling with a thinking process. When that is gone, we are gone. Nothing deserves our care, our time, more than this.' Nancy Kline, Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind'.

A group of twenty or so network members recently met up at old street's Ozone Cafe to discuss our latest read, Nancy Kline's, Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind. 

We started off the session with a round of what the network and bookclub means to each of us.  Having utilised the networkfor various purposes over the years (networking, advice, learning), I always love to hear how other woman have been impacted and helped by the network too.

Words such as, 'growth', 'development', 'connections', 'inspiring' and 'whanau' were shared freely. Book club members said being challenged with their thoughts, actions and professional operating styles, while also getting a sense of renewed invigoration for their businesses, work and entrepreneurial ideas all came about due to participation.

Talking over brunch, we discussed how Nancy Kline fundamentally believes that everything we do, how we interact with each other, is absolutely dependent on the quality of our thinking, and the quality of our thinking is inherently dependent on the attention we give to each other.

Kline has taken the better part of 15 years to develop and hone what she terms, ‘The Thinking Environment’, a term made up of ten deceptively simple and almost common sense behaviours. When these ten components are utilised collectively, they provide the space and platform for quality thinking to take place. Kline argues that when organisations, families and relationships embrace these behaviours to become Thinking Environments, 'good ideas abound, action follows and people flourish'.

1. Attention. Listening to each other with respect, interest and fascination without interruption. Part of this process is to ensure your facial gestures are conveying that you are listening, that your attention is acutely theirs. As Kline states, 'people shine in the light of your attention to them'.

2. Incisive questions. By removing any assumptions or blocks to your thinking will allow you to, 'think of things unimaginable before'. Kline says that utilising an incisive question works well, because the question requires you to think about why you have built this limiting assumption in the first place. The first part of an incisive question asserts a positive assumption, while the second part of the question directs the thinker back to their issue or goal. An example of an incisive question would be, 'If I knew that I do have a choice here and am powerful in this situation, how would I feel?'

3. Equality. Giving equal turns and attention to each other, and also keeping to any agreements and boundaries that you have made within your Thinking Environment (like timed talk between thinking partners). This concept insists that not only do the 'talkers' listen, but it also requires the 'non talker' to participate and take ownership as an equal Thinking Partner. The Thinking Environment does not allow anyone to sit on the sidelines. Equality also means that people are considered equal as thinkers in a hierarchical system.

4. Appreciation. Kline says it is imperative to offer a five to one ratio of appreciation over any criticism. According to Kline being appreciated increases intelligence, while fundamental change can only take place within a context of genuine praise.

5. Ease. Offering freedom from rush or urgency for the Thinker. A gentle environment creates a Thinking Environment. In essence, ease creates, while urgency destroys.

6. Encouragement. Moving beyond competition with each other and encouraging others' excellence. This is especially important in workplace environments where competition can lead to hostility and mistrust - aspects not conducive to a Thinking Environment. As Kline states, 'Trust that your own (excellence) will be evident'.

7. Feelings. Allowing sufficient emotional release to restore thinking, as without this, it can repress clear thinking, or stop it altogether. It's OK to show emotion. It's OK to cry.

8. Information. Providing an accurate and complete picture of reality at the right moments as not to interrupt the Thinking Environment, i.e. not mid thought of a Thinker. Kline also states that the Thinker needs to take responsibility to seek out information, otherwise it is an act of 'intellectual recklessness'.

9. Place. Creating a safe and engaging physical environment, which shows the person matters. This can, and should, apply both in work/school environments and home life.

10. Diversity. According to Kline, when an appreciation and respect of real diversity emerges, so to does a Thinking Environment. Diversity frees up two sorts of limiting assumptions, those that assume that the dominant group is superior so everyone should think like them, and also those that assume that the dominant group should have power/control over the other.

Kline says that once the fundamentals of the Thinking Environment have been engaged, you can then utilise the technique in every facet of your life, whether your professional or personal life. Kline goes on to say the principals of the Thinking Environment can also be used as a conduit to change society as a whole; our political systems, our health systems, our education systems and our love relationships.
Interestingly, one book club member works in a company that introduced Time to Think about four years ago and says the book received a lot of resistance at first due to the organisation's cultural readiness, but the book's learnings have since been used to challenge stakeholders with positive results. She says Kline's techniques have also been utilised to hold monthly work meetings, which were gentle and offered people the opportunity for those 'lightbulb moments' to take place.

In terms of how a Thinking Environment can help in your family life, one book club member noted that after reading the book, she starting coming home after work and just sitting with her six-year-old and listening to her without any hint of interruption, just pure undivided attention. She was amazed at where the conversations were going, the tangents her daughter took her on, adding that she learns far more about her child's day to day life and the interactions she is having now she is not directing the conversation herself.

One aspect of the book which garnered a lot of attention was Kline's assertion we should never paraphrase someone else's words during or after their thought process, something many (if not all) of us were 'guilty' of.
We paraphrase to offer advice, prove that we have been listening, or to simply further understand what is being said, which many did not see as 'wrong'. However, Kline argues that the 'best wording is the Thinker's own' and by paraphrasing you are in fact 'infantilising' the thinker.

There are many positives about Kline's book. It is an interesting and easy to follow process, utilising fairly simple, almost common sense terms, techniques and behaviours to encourage people's best thinking for themselves.

And it's obvious how passionate Kline is about the subject matter. At the time of print, Kline had been actively working on this technique for over fifteen years.

However, there was some honest discussion amongst book club members about whether they enjoyed it, found it interesting or even useful. In places the book does feel repetitive with the same points being rehashed multiple times. And what could have been a much snappier, more engaging read is dragged out (and you really do feel it at certain places) to a fairly chunky 250 pages.

As one book club member stated, 'it was heavy lifting trying to get through it'. I guess you could say the NZBWN bookclub found Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind' a little bit like Marmite.
A very big thanks to our wonderful hosts, Ozone Cafe, who can be found near Old Street tube station. If you haven't yet visited, the food and coffee are absolutely moreish and well worth a visit!