Article summary
The article underscores the critical importance of nurturing and enhancing the mental capacity of individuals and teams to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of information and productivity. It emphasizes the need to invest in human capital development, viewing it as the cornerstone of success in both corporate and societal contexts. By embracing concepts such as mental acquisition, brain plasticity, and neurogenesis, the piece advocates for a proactive approach to improving cognitive abilities and performance. Furthermore, it stresses the significance of leadership in inspiring and guiding teams towards achieving their full potential. Encouraging readers to take ownership of their reality and make deliberate choices towards shaping a brighter future, the article positions ongoing actions and decisions as key drivers of long-term success. Finally, it suggests exploring technologies like eyebraingym as potential tools for augmenting team capacity and invites readers to consider how such innovations could contribute to building winning teams.
Take a moment. Stop. Ask yourself… what will the future look like? Will our work environment’s landscape and or the process or tools be different? To answer that, based on how we as humans engage with information, the short and sweet would be yes, it has changed and is continually changing. Today, we can access any topic from a smart device with the internet… we don’t have to go to the library to look for information. But as all employers are aware, access isn’t the challenge… human capacity has a major impact on work. If we take a moment to look at a typical person’s productivity, we find, on average, that there is a disconnect between information that is freely available and the individual. This is, among others, due to an unhealthy, underutilised, or slow mental capacity… this is where mental acquisition comes into the conversation.
Human Capital is the greatest resource
What makes a winning team? What will ensure success? A stellar company? A successful business idea? These are questions we ask in corporate and other strata of society. Our definitions of success might be slightly different… but generally, it is when we achieve the goals that we have set out that we achieve success. As a nation and as individuals, it is a fact that we compete internationally. How are we doing, folks? Looking at every country, the greatest resource of every nation is its people. This statement can be supported or rejected… Don’t misunderstand me; the human element does involve a lot of complexities… but imagine what the world would be like without people? People need to be empowered and need community, value, and purpose… to name a few… this is where that future we all want starts – inside the human being. As we can in sports, we can track performance, identify success blockers, and enhance our abilities in life so that we can do better at the next heat. I ask again, what makes a winning team?
Engaging the future
When we think about the goals we want to achieve, we can only start to engage with the future when we acknowledge the past and take responsibility for the present. When you think about that “desired future”, whether it is your company’s bottom line, project completion, graduation… what are the key elements needed to realise that future?
1.
In thinking about our desired future, we must have clarity on what we are working with… what is going to be part of the equation?
2.
To meet our goals, we will require the right tools and a certain level of productivity. Tools or equipment will be acquired through investment or other means.
3.
What would be important tools in this information-saturated time-frame in which we are living and working?
One of the pivotal aspects of success is information processing. There can be gaps in our understanding when talking about productivity or processing information. How is this measured… can it be improved? Does the speed and efficiency that you apply when working with information make a difference in the outcome of the process?
Let’s look at a few examples: You have a team of ten people. Now, if your staff takes 5 minutes to process an email and another 5 to formulate a response, how many emails will they attend before your first meeting at 10:00? What if there was a way to double the work done in the same amount of time? You might not need to hire another 10 people… and have a better team dynamic.
Or let’s talk executive level… reading reports with a company productivity of 30 pages per department. These reports consist of 300 words per page, and your executive team reads 150 words per minute with a 50% comprehension. This means they will require one hour to comprehend 1only half of the report. And when you have 4 departments. What would be the output if they could double their reading speed and increase their comprehension?
When we start to think about work from a “capacity” perspective… we are moving in the right direction. We are creating a way forward, a better outcome, for all. Side note: You will find that those who create drama often do this to focus attention on “things” other than the fact that they are struggling to get the work done… Quoting a famous captain, “The problem isn’t the problem… it’s your attitude about the problem that is the problem.”
Mental acquisition
What is Mental Acquisition? Mental sharpness, sometimes referred to as mental acuity, is how mentally sharp one’s mind is. How sharp are you? Your team? Mental sharpness can be identified and measured by:
• Memory
• Learning and processing new ideas
• Focus and concentration
• Understanding or analysis (Ref: )
All of these have an impact on our “work and getting it done”. If we are serious about positioning our people, ourselves and even our next generation for success in an unknown future, we would be wise to see mental capacity or -health as an important and determining factor.
The good news is that all these important factors in mental acuity can be trained, and personal performance can be taken to the next level. Very much the same as physical fitness… if we don’t use it, we are going to lose it. But when develop it purposefully and use it, we will achieve that “desired future” and realise our dreams.
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Join our team at eyebraingym and build a better future for yourself, your staff, and your company. Reach out to us at office@eyebraingym.com to find out how we can help you.
