Welcome to MindTime Basics
The three videos contain the information you need to understand the basics ideas and MindTime approach. The first two short videos will get you started thinking along the right lines, while the third longer video gives you more complete explanation and in-depth examples. Together, they provide the basic building blocks you need to deliver sessions using 22 Golden Minutes and Think in Sync.
For a full overview of MindTime, we recommend reading the illustrated short ebook, It’s All About Time, which you can download further down the page.
DOWNLOAD IT’S ALL ABOUT TIME
It’s All About Time is packed with powerful insights for leaders and coaches. It redefines collaboration and innovation as issues of human thinking in terms that are understandable by everyone. It provides a scientifically validated method to engage each and every person’s greatest value in the most effective role and sequence—revealed in Turning The Wheel of Innovation (chapter 7). Examples, exercises, and informative illustrations have made this a go-to companion for team leaders, coaches, and executives alike.
| Possible blends of perspectives | Value offered |
| Past | This point of view helps the group develop a deeper understanding of its mission. They teach people how to reduce the risk of failure and measure progress realistically. Their skepticism and independence militate against “group-think” and blind conformity. |
| Future | This point of view champions innovation, and innovative solutions, and helps others to think outside the box. They inspire others and point to the bigger picture. They help the group adapt to new circumstances. |
| Present | This point of view keeps their teammates focused on outcomes. They ensure that goals are realistic and the group doesn’t take on more work than it can handle. They hold people accountable and make sure they honor their deadlines and commitments. |
| Past-Future | This point of view ensures that the group makes decisions with full knowledge of the risks and consequences. Others come to rely on their experience and foresighted wisdom. They are good at detecting when rules and structures become too confining for the group. |
| Past-Present | Information and organization are both important to this point of view. They are likely to manage the group’s data, adding to it with their own thorough research. Their caution and practicality provide a solid foundation for decision-making. They help the group avoid unnecessary risks. |
| Future-Past | This point of view helps the team stretch its imagination about what it knows. It asks people to explore. They counsel against snap decisions. They find it easy to motivate others because they’re confident that their goals are viable. |
| Future-Present | This point of view makes sure the group grabs new opportunities before it’s too late. They are more open to change than most Present thinkers and understand the benefits of deviating from a plan. They are inspiring but pragmatic people. |
| Present-Past | This point of view creates efficient systems: organizing information, people, and the flow of work. As team players, they help the group stay focused on its collective goals. They promote accountability, reliability, and trustworthiness, helping bring projects to completion. |
| Present-Future | This point of view attention to trends and changing markets is a valuable contribution to the group. They encourage others to act in a timely manner. They combine vision, action, and a knack for organizing. People say that they are natural leaders. |
| Integrated | With their unusual ability to engage all thinking styles, these people have a clear understanding of the group process. They sense when members are focusing on only one thinking style and a minority perspective is being pushed to the margins. They serve as a mediator, help resolve conflicts, and keep everyone focused on constructive interaction. |
Exercise IDEAS
Like moths to flame, we rush towards our goals without considering who we are and what is driving us.
If you are going to invest an hour with a group of people in a meeting and during this meeting achieve some kind of goal, you owe it to yourself and the rest of the group to take a few minutes to figure out what Thinking Styles are at work in the meeting.
Do you have the correct mix of people to achieve your goals? Are you missing a vital link? Is one of the Thinking Styles underrepresented and, worst still, represented by someone junior in the meeting and therefore less likely to be heard?
Before you begin to engage in the task at hand, engage in a quick conversation about who is present.
Draw a MindTime Map on a piece of paper or whiteboard and plot a dot on the map for each person, representing their Thinking Style.
The first few times you do this you might feel very awkward; we are not used to talking about the dynamics in the group, it’s like pointing out that there’s an elephant in the room. If you find that there is something amiss in the makeup of the group, you’re going to have to do something about it. And that can be a drag.
But I think that it is more of a drag to waste life in trying to achieve goals that are all but impossible given the ingredients at hand. Try baking a cake without using any liquids.
“Everyone has value to bring.” We call this the Golden Thought.
How satisfying it is to read a person and understand and empathize with their world view, and perhaps have them do the same for you.
Here is the first step. Practice asking yourself this question whenever you meet a person: What is this person’s value? What contribution are they making to the world with their thinking? We coined the Golden Thought as a thought that we could all hold in our minds when working with others.
This simple thought begins the process of paying attention to the other person. As you do, you will begin to notice this person’s thinking at work. You’ll begin to recognize their thinking style and needs.
I like to practice this when listening to people being interviewed or making a speech on the radio.
It’s amazing how much you can learn about a person when you simply listen and use the MindTime framework to reference what you are hearing. Practice this and you will actually become quite good at reading people; they will become less of a mystery to you.
Whether you ask your colleagues to participate in mapping their thinking or not, you will always be well served by knowing how the people around you think and what value they bring to the world.
Create a map for yourself of the people around you by making thoughtful observations about their needs, style, how they engage with their work, and how they make decisions. Don’t judge these observations; that will only get in the way of the exercise. Don’t assume you’ve “pegged” them, unless they’ve taken the Thinking Style survey.
Be prepared to change your mind and revisit your earlier conclusions. Most of all, remain observant and empathic to others. Simply being open in this way will already change your experience of people greatly.
Now with your map in mind, step outside of the immediacy of situations and think clearly about what is going on, promote open conversations that call out the elephant in the room, and offer solutions. This book is full of them
It’s not easy to change ourselves. Here’s an exercise that can help lessen your resistance during times when self-change is desirable. It will help you understand what is going on between you and what is in front of you, be it an event, task, meeting, or relationship with another person.
Give yourself a gift: stand back from the situation for just five minutes. Ask yourself the following questions in the following order.
What am I being asked to do here and for how long? What thinking perspective do I need to call on in order to succeed? What’s my Thinking Style? Where’s the struggle? What’s at stake?
By simply reflecting on these six questions you will do a number of things. You’ll gain perspective on the situation. You’ll acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and get clear on what the real issue is. You’ll put yourself in the place of making an informed decision as to whether you really want to commit to what is in front of you.
You will also release yourself from the unconscious mental struggle to change the circumstances you find yourself confronted with–a struggle that was bound to take hold if you simply ignored your feelings.
One word of note. Practice. No one ever succeeded in consistently achieving their goal without practice. Whether you want to really work at this to master your own use of the forces of thinking at work in your mind, or simply want to lessen your feeling of discomfort and struggle, practice this exercise often in little and big ways. You might surprise yourself with how useful it is to willingly change your own mind.
EXAMPLE EmailS
If you are sensitive about entering people’s email addresses into the dashboard or want to personalize the emails, you can mail them yourself. You’ll find sample emails below, they are basically the same emails that are being sent out from within the dashboard.
Don’t forget to add your deadline date and the person’s keys to your email!
Hello,
I’d like to invite you to complete the MindTime survey. It only takes 4 minutes or so.
Your unique MindTime key is: [FILL IN PERSON’S KEY]
Please copy your key and click on the following link to access the survey: https://mindtimetools.com/survey
Make sure to complete the survey by [FILL IN DEADLINE]. After you’ve completed it you’ll immediately receive your results report.
The MindTime survey does not assess your skills or how competent you are at something. It assesses how you naturally operate most effectively and how you contribute best, there are no right or wrong approaches only yours relative to other people’s.
Want to revisit or share your results report later? Use your key at this link: https://mindtimetools.com/redirect
If you have any questions before the session, please feel free to reach out to me.
Hello,
It seems like you haven’t yet taken the MindTime Survey in preparation for our MindTime session on the [ENTER DATE OF SESSION] yet.
Please take 5 minutes to answer the survey. I also recommend you read about your Thinking Style before our session.
Your unique MindTime key is: [FILL PERSON’S KEY]
Please copy it and go to https://mindtimetools.com/survey to access the survey.
If you are experiencing a problem or have questions, please reach out to me.