Thinking for a Change

The following contains excerpts from the book, Thinking for a Change (John Maxwell).

In this book the author outlines 11 ways that highly successful people think, as he shows that good thinking creates the foundation for good results, increases one’s potential, and produces more good thinking once the habit of good thinking is formed.

At our music school in Midland, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships.  The subject of relationships ties into Leadership, and leadership requires creative and strategic thinking.

He encourages that we should:

1. Realize the impact of Changed Thinking

1. Changing your thinking changes your beliefs
2. Changing your beliefs changes your expectations

“The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe it is possible.”

“Don’t be too impressed with goal setting; be impressed with goal getting.”

One of the great benefits of studying music at our music school in Midland, Texas is that students are given a new perspective with new knowledge and new possibilities based on that information.

1. Master the Process of Intentional Thinking

1. Find a place to think, shape, stretch, land and fly your thoughts
2. Expose yourself to good input
3. Expose yourself to good thinkers
4. Act on your good thoughts

What we, as teachers, at our music school in Midland, Texas give our students is good input through examples of great past musicians, as well as our own ability to demonstrate.  This brings inspiration into the student’s lives for what they can achieve.

The 11 concepts of successful ways to think are as follows:

1. Big Picture Thinking

1. Big picture thinkers: do not require certainty, learn from every experience, gain insight from many different people, and are not afraid to expand their world.

1. Focused Thinking

1. Eliminate distractions, make time, keep items to focus on in immediate view, set goals, and question progress

Perhaps one of the top benefits to studying at our music school in Midland, Texas is that it develops the ability to focus in the students.

1. Creative Thinking

1. Avoid Creativity Killers (people who are content with the status quo)
2. Ask the right questions
3. Develop a creative environment
4. Spend time with creative people
5. Get out the box (seek out new paradigms through travel or reading about new subjects)

1. Realistic Thinking

1. Develop an appreciation for truth
2. Gather the facts
3. Think about the pros and cons
4. Envision the worst-case scenario
5. Align resources with objectives

1. Strategic Thinking

1. Break down the issue
2. Ask why before how
3. Identify the real issues and objectives (ask probing questions)
4. Review the available resources
5. Develop a plan (by starting with the obvious)
6. Put the right people in the right place
7. Continuously engage in strategic thinking

Studying music presents its challenges, and while not all music is easily studied, there are ways to break it down into bite-size components.  At our music school in Midland, Texas we provide our students with strategies that can help them gain mastery over challenging projects and seemingly impossible tasks.

1. Possibility Thinking

1. Do not focus on the impossibilities
2. Stay away from experts
3. Look for possibilities in every situation
4. Dream bigger (try to dream one size bigger than usual)
5. Find inspiration from great achievers

1. Reflective Thinking

1. Today’s society does not encourage this practice
2. This kind of thinking will transform experience into insight
3. Set aside time for reflection (otherwise most people won’t engage in this practice)
4. Avoid distractions (find a place of solitude)
5. Regularly review one’s calendar or journal
6. Ask the right questions
7. Cement learning through action (be intentional about putting thoughts into action)

1. Question Popular Thinking

1. Think before following (consider what is best rather than what is popular)
2. Appreciate different kinds of thinking (spend time with people who think differently)
3. Question your own way of thinking (even if it has worked well in the past)
4. Try new things in new ways
5. Get accustomed to being uncomfortable (embracing new ways of thinking will bring discomfort)

1. Shared Thinking

1. Value others’ ideas (people who can do this are emotionally secure)
2. Move from competition to cooperation (where the best idea wins)
3. Have an agenda for every meeting
4. Get the right people around the table
5. Compensate good thinkers and collaborators well (the most successful companies practice shared thinking and look for good thinkers who value teamwork when recruiting and hiring)

We encourage cooperation and collaboration at our music school in Midland, Texas, as students are encouraged to see each other’s strengths, being secure in their own uniquenesses.  One of our strategies to facilitate this is to offer ensemble playing for students, once they have reached a sufficient level in their own progress to do so.

When playing in groups, music students learn not only to listen to themselves, but also to their colleagues who are close by, as well as to the ensemble as a whole.  This activity develops intuitive awareness as well as the deeply-needed lost art in our current society of empathy.

1. Unselfish Thinking

1. This kind of thinking facilitates personal fulfillment, adds value to others, and increases the quality of life.  It puts others first.
2. Find situations where people have needs (then do something about it)
3. Give quietly or anonymously
4. Invest in people intentionally
5. Continually monitor your motives

1. Bottom-line Thinking

1. What is the takeaway or desired result from an activity?
2. Bottom-line thinking provides a benchmark for clarity of a particular activity
3. Identify the real bottom-line (as specific as possible)
4. Make the bottom-line the point
5. Create a strategic plan to achieve the bottom-line (the sum of the smaller goals should add up to the overall objective)
6. Align team members with the bottom-line (everyone should know what the bottom-line is, as well as their individual role in attaining it)
7. Stick with one system and monitor results continually (every system and process should reinforce the bottom-line)