Introduction
Welcome to The ContraMind Code.
The ContraMind Code provides you with a system of principles, signals, and ideas to aid you in your pursuit of excellence.
The Newsletter shares the source code, through quick snapshots, for a systems thinking approach to be the best in what you do.
The Code helps you reboot and reimagine your thinking by learning from the best and enables you to draw a blueprint on what it takes to get extraordinary things done. Please share your valuable thoughts and comments and start a conversation.
Take a journey to www.contraminds.com. Listen and watch some great minds talking to us about their journey of discovery of what went into making them craftsmen of their profession to drive peak performance.
Tech Predictions for 2023 and beyond
by Dr. Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon.com
In this article, Dr Werner writes that as access to advanced technology becomes even more ubiquitous—as every facet of life becomes data that we can analyse—we will start to see a torrent of innovation, which will proliferate in 2023.
Dr Werner’s predictions are:
#Prediction No.1: Cloud technologies will redefine sports as we know them
#Prediction No. 2: Simulated worlds will reinvent the way we experiment
#Prediction No. 3: A surge of innovation in smart energy
#Prediction No. 4: The upcoming supply chain transformation
#Prediction No. 5: Custom silicon goes mainstream
You can read the entire article here.
Breaking Up with Perfectionism
by Adam Grant
In this brilliant episode, Adam Grant - is an organizational psychologist and bestselling author who explores the science of motivation, generosity, original thinking, and rethinking. Adam Grant brings out the importance of striving for excellence rather than perfectionism.
Thomas Curran is an expert is the personality characteristic of perfectionism, how it develops, and how it impacts mental health. He shares some of the research insights and findings of a Perfectionism Mindset.
Thomas talks about the fact that there is a rapid increase - almost a 10% increase among people on the need to ‘be perfect’, and this personality characteristic is increasing among young people.
The rising pressure of parental pressure and criticism are significant factors in students' increasing need for perfectionism. And this is carried into the workforce too later in life as they become adults.
Adam Grant points to interesting research which found that perfectionism is a good predictor of performance in school but not at work.
Perfectionists get into a ‘cycle of self-defeat as they get hyper-vigilant about their scores, performance etc.
However, at work, there is no one correct answer. So, perfectionism can help you ace a math test, but when you work, there is no one right answer. This puts tremendous pressure on the individuals as this is a phenomenon that they have not been used to.
The importance of pressure to uphold an image creates a lot of mental stress for individuals.
Accept you are going fail many, many times. It is crucial to accept and celebrate this culturally.
Have a ‘Failure Quota’ every year!
Remember, the person you are competing with is your past self, not with others around you. Have a ‘best ever’ file. Don’t let imperfections bog you down.
Let’s Teach for Mastery- Not Test scores.
By Salman Khan at TED.
In this TED talk, Salman Khan of The Khan Academy asks a provocative question - Would you choose to build a house on top of an unfinished foundation? That’s a brilliant analogy to how we end up learning one subject area or topic after another without fully understanding the earlier topic. This detrimental long-term effect affects how you know the basics and gain mastery.
Khan says key leverage areas for learning are mastery and mindset. He goes on to say when you look at martial arts or music, you master a particular basic skill and practice it repeatedly, and only then can you move to the next. You can’t get a black belt without getting a yellow belt!
But that is not how traditional academic models work today. You are shepherded to the next concept or theory, or topic in a subject when you need more conceptual clarity about the earlier one!
Please watch the video if you'd like tips on achieving mastery in anything you do.
On Foundation, Excellence and Failure
One thought that got triggered when watching the Salman Khan TED Talk was the scant attention we often give to a strong foundation in anything we do. A lot of focus is on the outcome - good scores, rank, grades, admissions, interview cracked etc. These markers don’t necessarily guarantee that you have a strong foundation! Similarly, Adam Grant’s perfectionism episode highlighted the importance of getting better than what they did the last time.
In one of the episodes of the ContraMinds Podcast, Prof. Narahari spoke about solving the problem first and then learning the theory. A good foundation is built when you solve problems and then apply the theory to how you solved the problem. Bad foundations don’t stand the test of time as the underlying base is not strong and falls apart during a crisis or challenging times.
Excellence gets built over time, but practising it better every time takes you towards your goal of excellence. Excellence is like the brickwork of a wall. You keep placing one brick over the other. However, if the foundation is not strong, the wall's brickwork is not as strong. Just like how tall you want the building to be, has a proportional impact on the depth of the foundation, so too is the case with your career and area of interest in which you want to specialise.
So, schools, colleges and workplaces should teach and test for foundational strength, excellence attitude and action. So, places of education must have ‘Synagogue of Discovery’ sessions where students or employees can ask seemingly stupid questions which need to be clarified for them. Prof. Manish Jain at IIT, Gandhinagar, recommends this, and he covered this as a part of this ContraMinds Podcast Conversation.
Finally, there is no better teacher than failure. The idea of the ‘Church of Failure’, which Adam Grant brought out, is a brilliant way to learn. Adding a ‘Failure Quota’ in schools, colleges or workplaces will encourage students and people to take risks and not worry about what the external world thinks must be enabled. What if schools or colleges have ‘Decode Failure’ sessions with students who don’t do relatively well vis-a-vis others to help them appreciate their mistakes and have ‘Best Ever’ upgrades exams rather than one single grade must be done?
A good foundation, excellence and failure are profoundly interconnected to gain mastery and learn better.
Some of the lessons we learnt from this week’s mission:
In 2023, the march towards every facet of our life becoming data is inevitable.
Celebrate imperfections, and don’t let them bog you down.
Don’t keep building on core subject concepts if there is a poor understanding of the earlier related fundamental principles. Allow time for the discovery, understanding and appreciation of these principles.