You have probably heard the quote by Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  Perhaps what Socrates meant is... unless we examine our lives, we are doomed to live in our own patterns.  And what kind of life is it to live unaware?

It could be argued that our greatest gift is our free will—our power to choose.  How much are we exercising this gift if we are not even aware of our choices?

We call this "awareness"—our ability to recognize what is actually happening, to be present, and to exercise our free will.

Based on the frequent estimation from research and popular articles, we know that the average human has over 60,000 thoughts every single day.  Think about that!  And how many of those do you think we are conscious of?  Spoiler alert... science projects as few as 10%! That means up to 90% of our thoughts each day happen without us even being aware of them!

So it begs the question, "What can we do about this?"  And if we address it (if we become more aware of the patterns in which we think), how might it benefit us?

MEASURING THINKING

Enter the MindScan™ Assessment.  The MindScan provides a unique profile of an individual's thinking, measured with mathematical formulas.  That’s right, math to measure thinking!  It shows us what we perceive as valuable. Different individuals can perceive different value from the same object, situation, or decision. Imagine that!

So, why might this information—this thinking profile—be useful?  

If there is value to each thought we have, it follows that we all make choices, decisions, and exercise our free will in different ways, depending on what we perceive to be valuable to us. It was the Nobel-nominated Dr. Robert S. Hartman, the creator of the Hartman Value Profile (or HVP—the foundation for the ProAdvisorCoach MindScan™ Assessment) and the godfather of Formal Axiology, who realized this—and codified it!

What Hartman discovered is that our perception of value—what we each individually determine to be inherently "good"— can be categorized in three different "dimensions." That means, each of those 60,000+ thoughts per day can be organized for better understanding into three different pillars of thinking: people, tasks, and systems.

WHY IS THIS USEFUL?

Within these three pillars of thinking, people tend to prioritize one of the pillars, meaning they naturally place more emphasis and rely more heavily on a specific dimension when making decisions and interacting with the world.  In the context of the HVP and the MindScan, this is called a "bias," but that doesn't necessarily mean it's negative. It simply refers to the degree of importance an individual places on a particular value dimension. This is measured by the "Attention/Bias" score within each dimension.

Here's how a bias towards systemic thinking can manifest in the MindScan:

• As we become aware of our biases, also known as our thinking tendencies, we can recognize our thinking patterns in the moment they happen.  How cool is that?!
• And when we can recognize our patterns, we can reflect on whether or not those patterns are serving us, and decide to make a different choice.

IMPLEMENTATION

So what might this look like in real life?  Particularly, what might this look like in a business setting?

In business and in life, we are constantly clashing our biases up against those of others.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we understood those biases?  Wouldn’t it be nice to know how you’re perceiving value in  opposition to how your boss, coworker, friend, or adversary might be perceiving value?

Let's consider this hypothetical example of Ted the Project Manager...

Ted knows things aren't great on his team—morale is low, production is even lower—but Ted isn't quite sure why. After taking the MindScan, Ted's MindScan Report shows him as having a high Task bias. That means Ted has a tendency to neglect team dynamics, focusing solely on task completion. This, in turn, has likely led to the low morale and ongoing conflict within Ted's Team.

To have this knowledge is a superpower.  Once you know, then you can make better decisions and choose action plans to overcome your biases. For example...

Ted might begin to actively seek team input, celebrate individual contributions, and foster open communication, with the goals of improved team morale, smoother project execution, and increased efficiency.

It's easy to see how powerful a tool the MindScan can be... in the right hands!  It's important to remember...

• The MindScan™ Assessment is a tool, not an answer. It can be used for self-awareness and understanding, but it still takes strategy and planning to navigate through an individual's biases towards their goals.
• Context matters. Just as every MindScan is unique, so are the factors that affect how to implement tactics, which must be adjusted based on the specific situation, individuals involved, and desired outcome.
• Authenticity is key. While adapting your approach, you must remain true to your core values and personality.
• Experience and Guidance are invaluable. It's one thing to have the results of a MindScan and identify your biases; it's quite another to create a plan, implement it, and track its results. That's where the expertise and insight from a great Coach/Consultant can be invaluable.

DIVE A LITTLE DEEPER!

To provide further clarity on the MindScan and its real-world application, I invite you to watch Episode #173 of the PAC Podcast: The Mindscan Episode. My co-host Nick Davies and I dive deep into actual MindScan results and we show you how we apply results to real world scenarios.

And if you’re thinking you might like a crack at the Mindscan, I invite you to click the link here to take it yourself!