(2 minute read)
“Do the best you can, until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”
MAYA ANGELOU
Whether driving our own vehicle, or a passenger in a Taxi or Uber, we all rely on the satellite mapping system being utilised to get us to our destination in the most efficient method. To achieve this, navigational software is regularly updating the maps we use.
Imagine if our car navigation system had not updated in the past 5-10 years, and relied on the original information it was programmed with. Couldn’t that lead us to miss certain opportunities (e.g., new routes) and lead us to potential threats (e.g., closed roads)?
Just like these vehicle navigation systems, it is important for us to regularly update our own mental maps– the beliefs and practices we have adopted to help us navigate our personal and professional lives.
As humans, we have an innate need for certainty, and often fortify and protect our existing beliefs, despite the possibility of new information being available to us. This mentality has become known as a Soldier Mindset, where we vigilantly defend the ‘fort of our thoughts’, preferring to remain entrenched in our existing mindset.
The downside of this Soldier Mindset is that we can ignore new ideas, opinions, and feedback which may conflict with our existing beliefs.
Shifting from Soldier to Scout
Author Julia Galef – in her insightful book, The Scout Mindset – encourages us to operate from a different paradigm, from a Scout Mindset.
Galef reminds us that throughout history, it has been the ‘Scout’ of the regiment, village, or tribe, which has gone out – well beyond the normal boundaries of operation – to assess any potential threats or opportunities. In doing so, they are regularly updating the ‘map’ from which the group operates.
This Scout Mindset allows us to update our mental operating models, maximising any opportunities which may be on – or beyond – the horizon, and avoiding any threats which may be creeping up from the bushes of our blind-spots.