T-H-I-N-K

Has anyone ever received this "sermon"?

(i.e., other than my siblings)

Growing up in a family with a rather autocratic father, on those occasions when my siblings or I didn’t exactly use our heads in a situation (translated as using “dumb-ass” judgment), our family’s patriarch would sit us down and deliver one of his “T-H-I-N-K” lectures. That homily included him spelling out the word for us, and then imploring for us to use a little brainpower the next time. And as you can probably imagine, that diatribe happened more than once over the years. The “T-H-I-N-K” sermon has since become a family joke among my siblings when we reminisce about the old days back on the family payroll.

Ironically though, as I’ve grown, moved through my business career, and experienced life, I’ve come to give more serious credence and value to that old concept of T-H-I-N-K. In fact, and sadly enough, I’m amazed of how often one can witness examples in daily life and society of those who speak, text, and act prior to apparently ever engaging the gears of the thinking process.

Of course, it’s one thing to see individuals who are oblivious to the T-H-I-N-K concept, however, it escalates to another level of “head scratching” when we see it in organizations, especially those with a bureaucratic bent. While most of us are accepting of structured system and processes, no one wants to get stuck in a red-tape situation that looks like what early computer programmers referred to as an infinite “do loop”. One is reminded of the comedic Seinfeld episode where ‘Customer Jerry’ finds no rental car waiting for him after placing a reservation, then cynically reprimands the arrogant rental car clerk on her need to learn to not only to “take the reservation”, but more importantly “hold the reservation”.

Yes, every one of us has our own personal horror story (as a customer or an employee) where we’ve been caught up in an organizational abyss, with logic seemingly non-existent, and when accomplishing something productive is virtually impossible. These are the type of organizations that give true meaning to the phrase, “we have seen the enemy and it is us”, and deserve a big shout-out to T-H-I-N-K.

So, what can we do? First, to keep our sanity, we can relax and realize that we may not be able to change the world and get everyone to T-H-I-N-K. In the history of the world it hasn’t happened yet, so let’s not hold our breath for it happening now. However, we can make a difference. Within our families and organizations, we do have the ability to set an example by acting mindful and thoughtful in what we do and how we approach situations. And when operating within these environments, we can also strive to build/instill a culture that encourages independent and logical thinking, and empowers our team members to take the initiative and adjust to make things happen in a positive manner.

Memo to my father: “Message received. I heard you loud and clear”.