During the recent
Tour de France cycle race, the eventual winner, Chris Froome, hit the back of a
motorcycle and his bike frame was broken.
He started to run up the hill until his support car arrived and he was
given anew bike. He finished the stage
safely.
Afterwards people
marvelled at his composure in the evening and his team leader, Dave Brailsford
said:
“He took Dr Steve Peters’ advice to employ rational
thinking rather than emotional thinking.”
This came to mid recently
when I recalled that some time ago I wrote a blog post lauding a simple
equation that I had heard from Vistage speaker Nigel Risner and it turned out
to be a life-changer for me. It seemed
to me that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to repeat it for those who didn’t see it
the first time.
It is:
“E + R = O”
that can be
translated as:
“Event plus response equals outcome.”
It can be used in
two ways. The more obvious is that there
is an event and we experience an outcome that can be either positive or
negative. Crucially it is our response
to the event that triggers the outcome.
If the response is emotional the outcome is frequently negative.
On the other hand
it can be used in a positive sense. Try
this for size. Again there is an event
and we want a specific outcome. We can
then adjust our response to obtain that outcome. That was thinking rationally. Easy, yes?
No it isn’t easy.
Very often our response is immediate and unconsidered. Dr Steve Peters would
say that it is our chimp talking and that is something over which we have little
or no control and which can and often does exacerbate the situation.
What is needed in
such a situation is a moment or two of mature rational thought, not much more,
because in that short time we can hold back from that immediate emotional response
that can cause havoc. Better to give a
considered response that can help, mollify, smooth, and generally be
considerate and positive.
It does take a
modicum of self-control not to react to something that really does irritate or
annoy but consider this. Do you always
get a further response to an outburst of irritation or anger that is
positive? Highly unlikely.
It usually results
in another outburst followed by another and then we wonder why we are feeling
so negative and why the other party doesn’t seem to understand the obvious.
What is obvious is
that an event is an event and once it has happened it can’t be changed. What can be changed is our response to it and
E+R=O demonstrates just how simple it can be to engineer a positive result.
It is in our own
hands to ensure that we react to an event in a responsible and mature way
without resorting to throwing things in exasperation. If we want a positive outcome to any event
then it is up to us personally to provide it.
I have recently
had a delivery of some wristbands from the USA on which the equation is
emblazoned together with a follow-up saying “I own my response!” and that says it all.
If you would like one of these wristbands the first five requests will be sent
one. Just email me with your name and
address and I will post one on to you with pleasure.
Visit the Vistage UK website
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