You're solving the wrong problems (here's how to stop)

THE ART & SCIENCE OF LEADING SELF
The Power of Distinctions

My friend, imagine you're a CEO facing a talent exodus. Your best engineers are leaving despite competitive salaries and enviable benefits. The traditional playbook isn't working. Why? The answer might lie not in what you're doing, but in how you're seeing the situation itself.

Today, I want to explore a powerful framework influenced by the groundbreaking research of Chris Argyris, Donald Schön, and Robert Putnam. The Observer-Action-Results (O-A-R) framework illuminates how your perspectives shape your actions and, ultimately, your outcomes. This connects deeply to our ongoing exploration of M = f(m) - the idea that Mindset work is a function of Mindfulness.

Let's see how this plays out in practice.

Meet Sarah Chen, CEO of a rapidly growing tech company. When her senior engineering talent began leaving in waves, her immediate response was textbook: increased compensation, enhanced benefits, flexible work arrangements. Yet the exodus continued.

During a particularly frustrating executive meeting, Sarah caught herself mentally dismissing her HR director's suggestion about conducting stay interviews. "We already know what they want," she thought. "They want more money."

That moment of self-awareness sparked something crucial. Sarah realized she wasn't just facing a retention problem - she was facing an observation problem.

The O-A-R Framework: A Deeper Look

Observer: Your perspective shapes what you notice and what you overlook. It's influenced by your experiences, beliefs, and assumptions.

Action: The steps you take based on your observations and interpretations.

Results: The outcomes that flow from your actions, which often reinforce or challenge your initial perspective.

Let's see how this framework played out in Sarah's situation:

As an Observer, she initially saw talent retention purely through a transactional lens ("people leave for more money"). This perspective led to specific Actions - implementing compensation increases and enhanced benefits. The Results - continued departures - challenged her original perspective. When she created space to observe differently, she noticed people's desire for meaningful work.

This new observation led to different actions (genuine conversations about impact and purpose), which produced different results (improved retention and engagement).

This framework reveals an important truth: before you can change your results, you must examine your role as an observer.

This is where mindfulness becomes crucial. Remember our equation: M = f(m). Your mindset work happens in the space that mindfulness creates.

This space allows you to notice not just external circumstances, but your own patterns of observation and interpretation.

This brings us to the distinction between First Order Learning and Second Order Learning - a concept highlighted by Chalmers Brothers and Vinay Kumar in their book.

First Order Learning has to do with changing your actions. It focuses on solving the immediate problem through traditional approaches to problem solving. In Sarah's case, this meant throwing money at the retention issue.

Second Order Learning examines your way of observing and the assumptions that underpin your actions. It asks, "What beliefs am I operating from?"

When Sarah began practicing mindful observation, she noticed her deep-seated assumption that employee loyalty could be bought.

This assumption had shaped every retention strategy she'd tried. Through regular mindfulness practice, Sarah created space to train her gaze on her own observations. She noticed how quickly she dismissed perspectives that challenged her assumptions.

She saw how her certainty about "knowing what they want" prevented her from actually listening to what they were saying.

This deeper awareness led to different actions.

Instead of immediately implementing solutions, she began having genuine conversations with her team. She discovered that many were leaving not for money, but because they didn't feel their work mattered anymore. This shifted her decision making.

Connecting the Dots

This is where the real power of O-A-R emerges, my friend.

Through mindfulness (m), Sarah created the space to examine her mindset (M). This wasn't just about finding new solutions - it was about seeing the problem differently. Notice how this maps to Second Order Learning.

Instead of just changing tactics, she examined and challenged her fundamental assumptions about what drives employee engagement.

This is the deeper work of leadership.

It's not comfortable. It requires you to sit with uncertainty, to question long-held beliefs, to notice your resistance to new perspectives. But this is precisely where transformation happens - in that space between your initial observation and your habitual action.

When you develop the capacity to pause there, to really examine your observer's lens, you unlock new possibilities for action and, ultimately, different results.

Want to learn more about this framework? Here are 3 resources I recommend

1. This 3.5 min video offers additional context on the OAR framework. (link)

2. This brief case study helps you ground your understanding of O-A-R. (link)

3. Additional context about the factor that shape the observer you are. (link)

FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
Putting It Into Practice

Your Observer's Log

I want to help you develop a practice to support your understanding of the O-A-R framework and the distinction between First Order and Second Order Learning. To that end, I've created a simple observation log structure:

Situation:

• What happened?

• What did I observe?

• What didn't I notice initially?

Assumptions:

• What beliefs shaped my observation?

• What alternative perspectives might exist?

• What am I resistant to seeing?

Actions & Results:

• What actions did my observations lead to?

• What were the results?

• What might different observations reveal?

Try maintaining this log for one week. Focus on leadership moments that trigger strong reactions or certainty in you. These are often rich ground for examining your observer's lens.

Remember, my friend, the goal isn't to eliminate your perspective - that's impossible. The goal is to become aware of how your perspective shapes your leadership reality.

As you practice this framework, you may notice resistance arise. That's natural. Examining our deeply held assumptions can be uncomfortable. This is precisely where mindfulness creates the space for growth.

Let me know what insights emerge from your observer's log. I read and respond to every email.

EXCELLENCE UNBOUNDED
How I Can Help You

🚀 CEO Coaching Programs: Are you a CEO who wants to:

• Skillfully navigate uncertainty 

• Lead confidently

• Drive results

Developing greater leadership capacity in 4 key domains (Mindset, Courage, Resilience, & Innovation) will empower you to do all three.

Book time to learn about the bespoke 1:1 coaching programs I deliver. During this call, we will talk about your challenges, your goals, and how we might partner to fully “unbound your excellence.”

🎤 Speaking Engagements: My mom can attest to the fact that I LOVE to talk. 😂 Now, I put that talent to work delivering talks on Mindset, Courage, Resilience, & Innovation.

A few past clients include KraftHeinz, Amazon Women @ Payments, PAHEi, & the Panamá Chapter of the International Coaching Federation (I delivered this talk in Spanish).

If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please fill out this form.

Until next Sunday,

Shawnette