Podcasts: systems and thinking

We can learn a lot from history and people that have been through things or situations before us. This is one of the reasons that I read and listen to podcasts – to learn about things from a different perspective and it allows me to have the opportunity to unpack influential peoples thinking that I may never have the opportunity to meet or talk to.

One of the biggest areas that I am constantly learning more about is the way we make decisions. There is a saying that I heard on one of the podcasts that I listened to this week, I have paraphrased it slightly but the emphasis is still there, “Seek first to understand and then be understood”.  The emphasis on understanding prompted me to think about two things – the first is related to the way we interact with people around us, friend, family, business partners etc. Can we be better listeners (active listeners) and find solutions to problems if we went sought to ask more questions of why and what (systems thinking) rather than rush towards the first apparent solution or answer?

The second thought that emphasis on understanding prompted me to think about is linked to the way that marketers think about engaging with their audience. Spend the time understanding and building out the key touch points of the audience that you need to speak to, so that you brand/product message can talk to them and not just be ignored in the ever-increasing digital noise. Don’t jump on the social media train just because your competitor is on Facebook or because you think millennials spend their day glued to their phones. Ask more questions to better understand.

This week, I have incorporated a fascinating read alongside the recommended podcasts that I have outline. I may include more articles going forward as I firmly believe we need to get better at sharing information, ideas and collaborating within our networks. We have so much information at our finger tips in the digital age, but we could use it far more efficiently if we shared our interpretation of information with one another.

Podcast recommendations:

• Creating Talk Triggers with Jay Baer, Founder and President of Convince & Convert
• The Current State of Media with Kmele Foster
• Systems thinking
• Ep. 037 – Outsmarting Social: What Data Can Really Do For Your Social Media Strategy
• The Art of Letting Other People Have Your Way

You may find this read interesting. It’s an article that was published in the Harvard Business Review and discusses “The Soul of a Start-up”.

Have an awesome week.