“Time to Think” – Listening to ignite the human mind

In today’s fast-moving world, it can be easy to lose sight of the power of listening as an essential tool of good management. Nancy Kline’s excellent book “Time to Think” helps managers raise the quality of a team’s performance through what Kline describes as the creation of a “Thinking Environment”.   

The book is also a great read for Executive Coaches – it demonstrates the impact of non-directive coaching, and what Kline describes as “listening to ignite the human mind”.  It explores the role of incisive questions, including how the use of a particular phrase and tense can prompt the mind to think at its best.   

The ten components of a thinking environment are:  

1.       Attention. Listening with respect.

2.       Incisive Questions. Removing assumptions that limit ideas.

3.       Equality. Treating each other as thinking peers.

4.       Appreciation. Practising a 5:1 ratio of appreciation to criticising.

5.       Ease. Offering freedom from rush or urgency.

6.       Encouragement. Moving beyond competition.

7.       Feelings. Allowing sufficient emotional release to restore thinking.

8.       Information. Providing a full and accurate picture of reality.

9.       Place. Creating a physical environment that says “you matter”.

10.    Diversity. Adding quality because of the differences between us.