“Let’s solve this together!" vs "ugh what a nightmare - THIS again"
In Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman describes studies of “priming”. The studies reveal that the first item in a series can shape someone’s interpretation of the subsequent items, positively or negatively. When given the exact same set of adjectives describing someone, those who read the positive word in the set first are likelier to interpret the person positively on the whole. The converse is true for those who read the negative word first - that negativity colors their impression of the whole.
Set A (positive priming): kind - responsible - industrious - conniving
Set B (negative priming): conniving - responsible - kind - industrious
An unscientific, mathematical way I’ve carried this idea around with me is “averaging against”. Thanks to priming, my brain averages the later stuff against the earlier stuff. The early stuff sets a floor or ceiling for the later stuff. This has many implications and applications for leaders looking to set the tone for their teams and promote zesty collaborative problem solving.
Email subject lines and posts on the top of Slack threads are places where you can costlessly take advantage of priming. Frame your subject lines positively, even and especially in cases where you’re solving something urgent or complicated.
In tricky problem solving situations, that email thread is going to re-appear in inboxes many times as teammates discuss different approaches, toss in wisecracks, find the dead ends before the daylight. Each time the thread reappears, so does that subject line. Someone who reads “let’s solve this together! We can do it.” over and over is likelier to bring an open, builder’s mindset to the problem than someone who reads “ugh what a nightmare - THIS again.”
Your subject line primes your people. It’s a miniature factory of positivity or negativity.
Fine-tuning subject lines is definitely in the micro-move category - it won’t change the face or fate of your organization all by itself. It is a small way you can lead, acting as the calming thermostat for your team instead of a chaotic thermometer.
-Eric
