Something for you to Skim and Scan ;)
The Dangers of Skimming and Scanning
I have been frequenting a cafe near my vacation rental just outside the city in Victoria, BC. Two retirees have been frequenting the same spot for their meetings at 5:30 am and because this is an unpopular time of day, those who gather in the same places around sunrise share a familial camaraderie. These individuals started to share their favourite books, family photos, and interest in both emerging and historical topics. Before delving into my work, which is currently researching research on research and requires some mental stamina, I noticed as I was speaking, often the responses would be coming at me while I was halfway through my sentence and would be based on 1–3 words, rather than the point I was making. This triggered my responses to follow to remain based on the surface-level words and focus on understandings that can be reached in the short attention span of the listener. We adapt the way we speak to people based on what we know they can grasp.
This has preceded one thing that has become increasingly prominent in my awareness, which is the depth to which people meet in conversation. This may be because I value deep and present conversation, or perhaps because I have seen what happens in businesses, healthcare, and relationships when people do not slow down or look deeply enough to see what is really needed. Errors, misjudgments, misinterpretation, and wasteful efforts provide enough reason for me to orient toward slowing down. If that isn’t enough, life is deeply unsatisfying if we brush over everything. Yes, we may be productive, but what is it that matters enough to slow down? What if we rush through life- the whole thing!?The pleasure, joy, and fulfillment are in the details, not the broad strokes.
For leaders, there is a huge responsibility to know about a lot of things and make big decisions based on the little information known. Rather than skimming and scanning the criteria needed to make decisions, there is more reliability in building a strong system of individuals based on trust and responsibility. To be effective, communication about the subtle contours of everyone’s role prevents misunderstanding, and once trust is established, the leader is no longer skimming and scanning, but seeing deeply through the eyes of a trusted individual. This trust requires high levels of self-mastery because biases can easily distort communication.
I remember sitting in a lecture by Paul Mohapel, a trusted neuroscientist and speaker, who discussed the impact of distraction in a lecture hall at Royal Roads University in 2017 (Paul also introduced me to the concept of BDNF, which gave me great hope for the future of neuroscience and planted the seed for my more recent work in the field of psychedelics). He shared that multitasking is a myth and that when we multitask, our brains are actually task-switching, which increases the likelihood of error (personal communication, 2017). Needless to say, I promoted unitasking in my work in healthcare and cautioned hiring managers who had “multitasking” in their job descriptions. Paul warned about the increased levels of distraction due to technology and this has left a lasting imprint and shaped the way I see my work. As a nurse, seeing a high percentage of the population on Adderall is enough to question what is really happening to our concentration and orient toward taking my attention seriously. He also recommended 3+ hours of uninterrupted screen free time per day just to maintain concentration. Could working more and being “always available” be catastrophic for our brains, and in turn our businesses?
After starting my first graduate classes, I was reminded by a student in her last year of my leadership program to “skim and scan, skim and scan”. I quickly realized a few things about this process. Firstly, my mind wanders to more tangible topics if I am trying to skim-read. Secondly, skim reading is really just browsing sentences for biases that fit my preferences and slowing down when my own preferences choose to. Thirdly, I literally miss the meaning of many author’s understanding because skimming and scanning require me to make assumptions. In addition to this, I reflected on the reason I am learning, which is to broaden my understanding, not to be handed a signed piece of paper at the end of a degree. For what? A salary change? Do we want graduates (leaders, healthcare providers, CEOs, etc.) to be motivated in their work work for a salary change, or tend to the process of there work with care?
Since this is an important topic to me (and should be for everyone), I will avoid a lengthy amount of content because by now, your mind has likely wandered toward the next juicy bit of content that marketers have created with colours, movement, and sound to ensure you are pulled in. I am hoping if nothing else, I can inspire you to get clear on what you want to focus your attention on. I hope you spend some time in this life uncovering your deepest values and sincerely devoting yourself to slowing down to enjoy the things that really matter to you. Please do not skim and scan your life. You are not here to merely produce and consume. Nor are you here to get stuck in looping surface-level conversations that lack depth and meaning. The stakes are high and this life is yours to explore.
Live in your values.
-Nikita
