Your life, to a large degree, depends on what you’ve paid attention to and what you chose not to be interested in. The reality we're in, and our lives in general, depend on what we pay attention to. Also, it is true that we become what we do. If you develop patterns of being mean and nasty, you become meaner and nastier. If you practice being kind, you get kinder. By giving undue attention to negative feelings, you shrink your world and narrow your perspective. Focus on the positive and your view will expand. That is the power attention has, according to the management-issues.com website.
Implications for a culturally diverse team
Imagine a team meeting that includes a working lunch. Because we’re socialized to eat in a certain way, watching someone eat in a different way often strike us as rude and distasteful. You’re unlikely to notice when someone eats “politely” but you will notice when someone doesn’t.
Our perceptions of good manners and appropriate professional behavior are deeply rooted in our cultural norms. Furthermore, we are less likely to notice cultural differences when things are going well. But when something negative occurs, our first impulse is to view our colleagues in light of their culture.
Train yourself to think differently
One of the best ways to consciously innovate is to shake up your habits at least once a day. Make a habit of forcing yourself out of autopilot. Drive to work a different way. Work from a different space. When your team proposes a solution, ask each other whether a third alternative is worth testing.
You also need to develop a process for leveraging the diversity of your team to come up with more innovative solutions effectively. It is about whether you consciously utilize the diversity around you and explore new creative solutions. That can help you to produce innovative results.
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