SIGNS, CLUES AND HUNCHES

There are obvious and less than obvious signs of spinning. Many times management begins to recognize spinning through a series of observations and hunches. Resistances and extreme positions should lead you to a hunch that something in the movement of the energy in your system is not moving correctly or flowing smoothly. That is a clue. There is a scene in a movie about tornado chasers where the hero of the story, a former tornado specialist and scientist, suspects a twister is imminent. He doesn't confer with technology, like his counterpart the anti-hero who is presented as an unfeeling, human techno-robot bad guy. The hero has a hunch and smells the air. He notes the color of the sky. He picks up a handful of dirt and lets it fall between his fingers and watches how it falls to the earth. He closes his eyes. He hunches down and becomes quiet and still. He listens, smells, sees, touches, and attends to the signs, visible and invisible. He recognizes the early signs of a potential spin. He has a hunch first because he has seen spins very close up.

Case Example

The consultant had presented the seminar 28 times. The meetings were in the conference room and limited to 5 employees at a time. The timed sessions were exactly two hours to allow for shift work, coverage, and lunch breaks. Everyone was mandated to attend . Employees were instructed to be on time and to set up procedures for coverage within their departments. Word was out that the consultant was interesting, active, entertaining and that the information was useful.

Group 29 came late. The first employee to come was five minutes late and the last entry was 23 minutes late and entered without apology or explanation. The consultant had a powerful hunch that the resistance demonstrated indicated that he had found the troublemakers in the institution.

Learning Byte

Hunches are a good place to begin paying attention. A hunch is a feeling that can generate research data. All good science begins with a hunch.

DO THIS: Pay attention to your hunches

DON'T: Use hunches as complete data. Hunches include bias and opinions . They are important as a starting point only when backed by data.

 

Some Early, Recognizable Signs of a Spin Risk

Incongruent Giggling	Avoidance
Malicious Compliance	Non-Compliance
Blame Statements	Eye Contact
Body Language	No Eye Contact
Littering	Procrastination
Gossiping	Self Projection
Unsolicited Opinions	Avoidance Of Tasks
Not Returning Phone Calls	Humiliation
Excessive Perfumes	Inappropriate Humor
Unsolicited Religious Evangelism	Trashing Shared Space
Invalidation	Anger
Seductions	Minimizing
Leaving Tasks 1/4 Undone	Innuendo
Whisperings	Raised Eyebrows
Nagging	Dismissing
Ignoring	Interrupting
Discrediting	Partial Truth
Partial Lie	Arrogance
Intimidation	Distance
Disgust	Corrections
Jealousy	Inattention
Boredom	Incongruence
Denial	Unwillingness
Criticism	Questions
Intimacy	Manipulations
Poor Grooming	Compliments
Negation	Poor Boundaries
Poor Hygiene	Untreated Health Issues
Outbursts	Drug/Alcohol Abuse
Excessive Perfume	Offensive T-Shirts/Clothes
Illegal Activities	Sexual Innuendo
Incongruent Perkiness	Demanding Praise
Non-Completion of Agreements	Gestures
Negative Facial Expressions	Mind Games
Rebelling Against Dress Code	Power Plays
Loud Stereos in Quiet Spaces	Manipulative Silences
Teasing	Harassment
Jokes	Eating Loudly During Meetings
Illicit Love Affairs	Spreading Rumors
Starting Rumors	False Charm
Guilt Language	Shame Language
Cursing	Exclusions/Racism