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Have you ever been focused on a major project or trying to beat a deadline when some one comes into your work space and wants to visit? Or have you been in a social environment and a fellow worker wants to talk shop? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to get in sync with others at work?
Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram wrote 5 Gears: How to be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time to shed light on workplace behavior that hinders a companies relationships and efficiency. This book has been called "a game changer" by many people. In fact, that was what I thought when I first heard about this book.
The premise of the book is simple but profound. The authors found that people function in life and work in one of five different ways that they call gears. The 5 gears are a metaphor based on a car's manual transmission with each gear correlating to a corresponding behavior that people shift in and out of at certain times and with certain people. The goal of the metaphor is to help you create a language with actual symbols that are used to change the way you live and lead.
The 5 Gears help fix miscommunication, improve social competency, and help people connect in meaningful and productive ways. Humans crave connectivity, but do not always know how to properly connect. Connectivity is about time, settings, people, places, and motives. Connectivity is a combination of emotions, physical closeness, spiritual cognizance, and mental aptitude. The 5 Gears brings clarity and alignment to each of these dynamics at home and in the workplace.
Let's start by defining the 5 gears in descending order:
Gear 5 - Focus Mode
The 5th gear is the hyper-focused gear. It is when you are intensely focused on a task. A golfer lining up a putt, a lawyer writing an important brief, a student cramming for a test, or a worker trying to beat a deadline. There are certain jobs and tasks that lend themselves naturally to the 5th gear. We want our surgeons to be in 5th gear when taking out an appendix or repairing a spleen. Other jobs do not require the same intensity and some people have difficulty finding 5th. People who operate well in 5th can be critical of others who have difficulty maintaining focused work.
Gear 4 - Task Mode
Task gear is the gear we are in while doing day-to-day tasks. Most Americans operate in task mode 85% of the time. We live in a task-driven society. We have a domestic and a work 4th and 5th gear. They are similar, but the tasks are different. 4th gear is the gear we are in when we are getting things done. The office worker is in 4th while doing several tasks at a time--like answering the phone, helping walk-in customers, and entering data into a spreadsheet. This gear is suited well for multi-"tasking." We switch into 5th gear when the task requires more focused work.
Gear 3 - Social Mode
We are in social mode when we are socially connecting to people. It is when we take breaks or lunches with fellow workers, when we greet new customers, while calling friends to catch up, or visiting with other parents while they watch their kids playing. This gear is also when a lot of work gets done; business partners having a round of golf and discussing future plans or meeting clients at industry meet-ups. Not everyone is good in 3rd gear. The key to social connecting is to learn how to be present and to be curious about what they are interested in and what they like to do. The 3rd gear is also the key for successful networking. If a potential client is in 3rd, you cannot approach them if you are in 4th and expect to have a successful connection. Some people have difficulty in 3rd, while others over due this gear.
Gear 2 - Connecting Mode
Gear 2 is truly connecting with others in deep and meaningful ways. While gear 3 is social connecting, it remains fairly superficial. It's going "wide" in relationships, and gear 4 is going "deep" in relationships. Whether work colleagues, family, or friends, it is time geared toward relationship building without an agenda or pressure to be productive. It is connecting to people for the sake of connecting. Gear 2 is more about listening, than telling. Some people function well in gear 3, the social gear, but have difficulty in gear 2 to deeply connect. Some people are more guarded and do not allow others into their personal space.
Gear 1 - Recharge Mode
Everyone needs to unwind and recharge and everyone does it differently. One person may recharge by playing video games and another may require total silence or listening to music. When you are not recharged or fully rested, it is almost impossible to be present with someone else. When you are charged up and well rested, then you have the ability to impact those around you, which will simultaneously impact your influence. Some recharge activities are: sleeping, reading, exercising, devotions, praying, having time to yourself. These are good for introverts, but extroverted people often recharge by being around people, golfing, going to a show or concert, or playing electronic games. Recharge time is VITAL and may need to be scheduled to insure it is done.
Putting It All Together
Although we may spend the majority of out time in 4th gear (Task Mode), we slip in and out of each gear--often switching gears several times in a short amount of time. The problem is when one person is operating in one gear while the other is in another gear. Have you ever been deeply focused on an important task (gear 5) and someone approaches you in gear 3 (social gear) and wants to visit. You run the risk of offending them by telling them I can't visit right now or hindering your work by visiting with them and having difficulty gaining your focus back?
The 5 Gears was written to give a common language. When we are deeply focused and are approached by a fellow worker wanting to visit, we can merely tell them, "I'm in gear 5 and need to get this done." If both parties are schooled in the 5 Gears, they will totally understand and excuse themselves with no hard feelings. A team may schedule a "Gear 5" meeting which tells them to come prepared to really focus to find a solution for a problem. If you are at a party (gear 3) and someone want to talk business (gear 2), you can just say, "No gear 2 talk right now."
The 5 Gears has also saved many marriages. The book tells of a couple with marriage difficulties around the use of the husband's cell phone. After understanding the 5 gears, the husband realized that he recharged by using the apps on his cell phone and his wife took it personal seeing his phone use as a "disrupter, interrupter, and a device of rudeness." When he realized that his recharge mechanism was his phone, he explained it to his wife. Having a common language, she just asks, "What gear are we in?" He receives the message better and shifts from recharge gear into social gear and puts away his phone. No more drama or intense marital conversation.
EVERY GEAR HAS A PURPOSE AND SHOULD BE USED
Some people have difficulty recharging (gear 1). Others have difficulty deeply focusing on a task (gear 5). Some people fear deeply connecting with others (gear 2) and some are awkward socializing (gear 3). Some people spend too much time in task mode (gear 4) and others not enough. Every gear is important for a balanced life. Do a self analysis--or better yet, enlist a co-worker or supervisor, to analyze how you operate according to the five gears, then make goals to balance them at work and at home. "The key is to know yourself, your tendencies and patterns, so that you can lead yourself to act in a manner worthy of your values and to meet the needs of those around you for their benefits as well as yours."
MY PERSONAL AH-HAA MOMENT
I have always been awkward in social gatherings. I always want to connect with others, but the small talk does not come easily for me and I never understood why. It is not because I don't want to socialize, I just find the conversation shallow and uninteresting. I don't really care what show you watched on TV last night or about the juiciest steak you have ever eaten, but I do want to know about your family, your ambitions, and your life story. Then I discovered the 5 Gears and realized that I feel socializing (gear 3) without connecting deeply (gear 4) is irrelevant. I further realized that in a gear 3 setting, I am usually in gear 4. People in a social setting are not interested in "going deep." The awkwardness (for me) is when I am in gear 4 and someone else is in gear 3 and is not interested in a gear 4 conversation. I now know and understand the necessity and dynamics of gear 3 and am not so quick to shift into gear 4.
A REVERSE GEAR
The author's also discuss a reverse gear. Reverse is the responsive gear. It is used when we need to back up and start again or apologize. It is getting synced with others.
THIS IS JUST A BRIEF REVIEW OF THIS GAME-CHANGING BOOK. PLEASE ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR DEVELOPMENT LIBRARY.
Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram wrote 5 Gears: How to be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time to shed light on workplace behavior that hinders a companies relationships and efficiency. This book has been called "a game changer" by many people. In fact, that was what I thought when I first heard about this book.
The 5 Gears help fix miscommunication, improve social competency, and help people connect in meaningful and productive ways. Humans crave connectivity, but do not always know how to properly connect. Connectivity is about time, settings, people, places, and motives. Connectivity is a combination of emotions, physical closeness, spiritual cognizance, and mental aptitude. The 5 Gears brings clarity and alignment to each of these dynamics at home and in the workplace.
Let's start by defining the 5 gears in descending order:
Gear 5 - Focus Mode
The 5th gear is the hyper-focused gear. It is when you are intensely focused on a task. A golfer lining up a putt, a lawyer writing an important brief, a student cramming for a test, or a worker trying to beat a deadline. There are certain jobs and tasks that lend themselves naturally to the 5th gear. We want our surgeons to be in 5th gear when taking out an appendix or repairing a spleen. Other jobs do not require the same intensity and some people have difficulty finding 5th. People who operate well in 5th can be critical of others who have difficulty maintaining focused work.
Gear 4 - Task Mode
Task gear is the gear we are in while doing day-to-day tasks. Most Americans operate in task mode 85% of the time. We live in a task-driven society. We have a domestic and a work 4th and 5th gear. They are similar, but the tasks are different. 4th gear is the gear we are in when we are getting things done. The office worker is in 4th while doing several tasks at a time--like answering the phone, helping walk-in customers, and entering data into a spreadsheet. This gear is suited well for multi-"tasking." We switch into 5th gear when the task requires more focused work.
Gear 3 - Social Mode
We are in social mode when we are socially connecting to people. It is when we take breaks or lunches with fellow workers, when we greet new customers, while calling friends to catch up, or visiting with other parents while they watch their kids playing. This gear is also when a lot of work gets done; business partners having a round of golf and discussing future plans or meeting clients at industry meet-ups. Not everyone is good in 3rd gear. The key to social connecting is to learn how to be present and to be curious about what they are interested in and what they like to do. The 3rd gear is also the key for successful networking. If a potential client is in 3rd, you cannot approach them if you are in 4th and expect to have a successful connection. Some people have difficulty in 3rd, while others over due this gear.
Gear 2 - Connecting Mode
Gear 2 is truly connecting with others in deep and meaningful ways. While gear 3 is social connecting, it remains fairly superficial. It's going "wide" in relationships, and gear 4 is going "deep" in relationships. Whether work colleagues, family, or friends, it is time geared toward relationship building without an agenda or pressure to be productive. It is connecting to people for the sake of connecting. Gear 2 is more about listening, than telling. Some people function well in gear 3, the social gear, but have difficulty in gear 2 to deeply connect. Some people are more guarded and do not allow others into their personal space.
Gear 1 - Recharge Mode
Everyone needs to unwind and recharge and everyone does it differently. One person may recharge by playing video games and another may require total silence or listening to music. When you are not recharged or fully rested, it is almost impossible to be present with someone else. When you are charged up and well rested, then you have the ability to impact those around you, which will simultaneously impact your influence. Some recharge activities are: sleeping, reading, exercising, devotions, praying, having time to yourself. These are good for introverts, but extroverted people often recharge by being around people, golfing, going to a show or concert, or playing electronic games. Recharge time is VITAL and may need to be scheduled to insure it is done.
Putting It All Together
Although we may spend the majority of out time in 4th gear (Task Mode), we slip in and out of each gear--often switching gears several times in a short amount of time. The problem is when one person is operating in one gear while the other is in another gear. Have you ever been deeply focused on an important task (gear 5) and someone approaches you in gear 3 (social gear) and wants to visit. You run the risk of offending them by telling them I can't visit right now or hindering your work by visiting with them and having difficulty gaining your focus back?
The 5 Gears was written to give a common language. When we are deeply focused and are approached by a fellow worker wanting to visit, we can merely tell them, "I'm in gear 5 and need to get this done." If both parties are schooled in the 5 Gears, they will totally understand and excuse themselves with no hard feelings. A team may schedule a "Gear 5" meeting which tells them to come prepared to really focus to find a solution for a problem. If you are at a party (gear 3) and someone want to talk business (gear 2), you can just say, "No gear 2 talk right now."
The 5 Gears has also saved many marriages. The book tells of a couple with marriage difficulties around the use of the husband's cell phone. After understanding the 5 gears, the husband realized that he recharged by using the apps on his cell phone and his wife took it personal seeing his phone use as a "disrupter, interrupter, and a device of rudeness." When he realized that his recharge mechanism was his phone, he explained it to his wife. Having a common language, she just asks, "What gear are we in?" He receives the message better and shifts from recharge gear into social gear and puts away his phone. No more drama or intense marital conversation.
EVERY GEAR HAS A PURPOSE AND SHOULD BE USED
Some people have difficulty recharging (gear 1). Others have difficulty deeply focusing on a task (gear 5). Some people fear deeply connecting with others (gear 2) and some are awkward socializing (gear 3). Some people spend too much time in task mode (gear 4) and others not enough. Every gear is important for a balanced life. Do a self analysis--or better yet, enlist a co-worker or supervisor, to analyze how you operate according to the five gears, then make goals to balance them at work and at home. "The key is to know yourself, your tendencies and patterns, so that you can lead yourself to act in a manner worthy of your values and to meet the needs of those around you for their benefits as well as yours."
MY PERSONAL AH-HAA MOMENT
I have always been awkward in social gatherings. I always want to connect with others, but the small talk does not come easily for me and I never understood why. It is not because I don't want to socialize, I just find the conversation shallow and uninteresting. I don't really care what show you watched on TV last night or about the juiciest steak you have ever eaten, but I do want to know about your family, your ambitions, and your life story. Then I discovered the 5 Gears and realized that I feel socializing (gear 3) without connecting deeply (gear 4) is irrelevant. I further realized that in a gear 3 setting, I am usually in gear 4. People in a social setting are not interested in "going deep." The awkwardness (for me) is when I am in gear 4 and someone else is in gear 3 and is not interested in a gear 4 conversation. I now know and understand the necessity and dynamics of gear 3 and am not so quick to shift into gear 4.
A REVERSE GEAR
The author's also discuss a reverse gear. Reverse is the responsive gear. It is used when we need to back up and start again or apologize. It is getting synced with others.
THIS IS JUST A BRIEF REVIEW OF THIS GAME-CHANGING BOOK. PLEASE ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR DEVELOPMENT LIBRARY.
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This post is extremely interesting
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