What is your team searching for?

As leaders in today’s economy, we cannot afford to have our team searching for anything that would undermine our productivity. Leaders that understand that they influence the way people search are far more effective than those that are unaware of this significant ability assigned to them. This skill seems elusive for most leaders. Some leaders even see it as presumptuous to assume that we could influence other people’s way of seeing the world. Today I would love to share some tips we empower leaders with via our ICOPE Leadership Program, designed to offer practical leadership skills.

There are five questions the leader should have an answer for, to be able to guide the team towards searching for more favourable outcomes. These five questions are:

• How does the Law of Search work? 
• What are we searching for currently?
• What is conducive to search for? 
• How do we influence others to search? 
• How do we maintain the search? 

How does the Law of Search work? 

Think of a time when you were deciding on a new purchase—for example, buying a new phone. These days there are so many models of mobile phones on the market; however, as soon as you have decided which model is best for your lifestyle, you start to notice that particular model everywhere. It seems like everyone has one. What is happening here? When deciding to purchase a car, we find the same dynamic. The day you decided on a specific vehicle, that you might have noticed here or there before, it seems there has been an increase in the number of these cars overnight. These cars appear everywhere, and once again it feels like a conspiracy. Someone dished these cars out, and you did not even realise. Now think of a time when someone pointed out a habit in a colleague or partners such as a chuckle or a word they use often. The moment they mention it, you notice it to the point of distraction. Just a day or two before you didn’t notice it at all, now it seems that all they ever do is that annoying habit. What happened here? Did they always do it?

What you will be experiencing is what we call The Law of Search. 

The Law of Search states that: “When you search for something, your senses become highly sensitive towards that object in such a way that it appears more frequently than anything else in that category. The above causes you to see these things more regularly. Our brains are energy-saving organs and therefore save energy by categorising and generalising the peripheral observations. As a result of this, the brain saves immense amounts of brain activity. As soon as our brain registers something as important this item emphasises it and where it used to slip by unnoticed, it is now part of the brains focus and seems to the individual as a more frequent event.

What are we searching for currently?

The natural human inclination is to search for the worst things about ourselves first; this is due to what we call the Wild Horse Rule, which states that you would first think the worst about yourself. It does not say that you only think the worst about yourself, but it means that this is the first starting point of your thoughts. 

Because of this dynamic, your team will be searching for the worst things about themselves and the organisation first. Searching in this way often results in fear. If you as their leader do not consciously impact the way they search, you will fail them in your leadership. 

It is of paramount importance that every leader considers what the team is most frequently searching for and how that impacts the performance of the group. The insight regarding the search can only be established by listening to statements about the team and the organisation. Most preferably, this observation happens without alarming anyone to the fact. One on ones via using the Potjie model (practical leadership model that assists leaders in growing relationships – part of the ICOPE training), can also be used to gain more insight into possible repeating searches in which the team engages. 

When the leader has an insight into the items searched for, then, the impact can be considered.  I supplest drawing up a visual representation to see what the outflow of these searches might be as is indicated below:

The above already assists the leader in determining what could be more productive ways of searching that follow below.

What is conducive to search for? 

The leader now has the privilege to consider what the team should be searching for. Finding the ideal search focus is most easily done by reverse engineering. The leader asks, “what is the desired outcome?”. With the desired outcome established, the leader considers the items which, if the team searches for it, they will increase the probability of reaching the desired result identified. Continuing with the above example, this could look the following way:

How do we influence others to search? 

We never have control over others, but only influence. Influence is escalated most via common ground and trust. Both of these are most effectively developed by showing interest in the other. Interest is most effectively indicated by asking questions. The leader is in the best position to ask appropriate questions to influence the team to search more effectively. Questions are a powerful tool that when used correctly, can be used to shape individuals search focus and perspective. It is, however, important which type of questions one asks. In my questioning quadrants model, the 3^rd quadrant suggests asking a question although one knows the answer. This type of question aims to educate and is most effective in redirecting the search focus of the interviewee.

Questions are amazingly powerful because one doesn’t force someone to think in a particular manner which could cause resistance. It nudges an individual to consider possible alternative focus areas; they may not have found on their own. When the leader frames the questions thoroughly, the outcome will be that the team starts focussing on desired elements which in turn increases the teams drive.

How do we maintain the search?

Humans are creatures of habit. The leader should grab the opportunity of this social science fact and create an environment where continuously searching for growth etc. becomes a habit. Habits are behaviours we repeat so often that they become part of our “unconscious” behavioural fibre. By placing mechanisms in place to cultivate a repeated focus on the areas identified, the leader should aim at generating a set of habits that transform the team. Thus the leader will have moulded a team that will continue searching healthily. As leaders, we should always strategise for a flourishing future beyond ourselves.

Reference List:

ICOPE Leadership Program – https://siegfriedlange.com/training/

The Law of Search – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1d1hstAcgQ&t=2s

TEDx Talk – Wild Horse Theory – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUAsKgQjPnI

Step 34 Fear and the Law of Search – https://youtu.be/ztE5R5vcWlk

Step 9 Video – Questioning Quadrants –  https://youtu.be/sJF26qud3Oc