Second Line Thinking
Most people can see a trend when it appears right in front of them. History is dotted with the trends of yogurt shops, nail salons and most recently Face Masks. Sometimes entrepreneurs and business people, want to “jump on the bandwagon” and go aggressively into an existing trend. By taking on this line of thinking, you become part of the “copy cat” and follower horde. Instead, what real visionaries are doing, is looking way” beyond the bend”. Not what is here now, but what could be happening in the mid or long term. The term that many have adopted to signify this ability is ,”Second Line Thinking” This is the type of thinking, that breaks thru the status quo to gain an advantage in a fiercely competitive world!
Author Michael Simmons in a past issue of Inc. Magazine, wrote about some of the habits of self made billionaire, Warren Buffet. Simmons detailed some of the habits Buffet uses, to gain insight and develop “Second Line Thinking” Buffet’s personal development regime, includes setting aside 80% of his time for reading and thinking. Buffet consciously schedules big blocks of time to go above everyday minutiae and busy work, to learn and gain perspective. Buffet makes deliberate learning his number one competitive advantage. Not his vast financial position and resources, but a simple unbreakable scheduling tool to gain knowledge. This can happen on a walk, while driving or taking a nap, but unless you schedule this time into your busy day and week, you will not achieve the full value of the exercise.
Most people do not have the luxury of a support staff that Warren Buffet has. We all are forced to deal with many of the mundane tasks of leading our families, businesses etc. We do get caught-up in the minutiae which can stifle our creativity and ability to see “beyond the bend”, into “Second Line Thinking”. Most likely, we all have five hours a week. Do a quick time management exercise and see in the past week, where you could find five hours. Where are the “time bandits” that you can turn into product deliberate learning opportunities. Where are the blocks of time where you can develop insight, experiment, think and learn? Most of us are not born with the skills of turning deliberate learning into perspective and wealth. Some of these skills and habits are taught to us by wise mentors, but many people are self taught in the art of deliberate learning. Peter Drucker, famed Management Consultant, educator and author once wrote,” we now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change” For all us seeking to be better spouses, parents and professionals, deliberate learning, should be at the forefront of our daily regime.
