Counter Intuition

Have our education systems and Western forms of philosophy and science raised logic and rationale to such a revered height that we’ve lost touch with our feelings?

I’m privileged to be working with a great organisation at the moment; great people, great ideals and great actions. And to grow greater the path ahead requires stepping up the levels of team working and leading. This is known and there is the eagerness to do this. But eagerness does not equal willingness to fully commit to the process of change. Perhaps there is a sense of discomfort about what potentially lies ahead; a situation where logical deduction and reduction cannot resolve a ‘problem’. While there is a desperate desire to identify cause for the effect and apply a solution, this will not work. We’re talking psycho-dynamics here (that’s dynamics, not babble). And that brings us to emotions, not logic. And that means talking, speaking our truths, listening and growing in awareness, both our own and that of our colleagues.

My experience with many teams suggests to me that the prospect of engaging in this type of activity seems to terrify most people. Whereas the reality is liberating and energising. It’s counter-intuitive to move towards something that scares us, but often the scary monster is only of our own making and we’ve granted it a tenancy in our minds. When we see it for what it is we can evict it and learn and grow. So it’s not such a monster after all. It’s there to teach us if we’re willing to engage in the learning on offer. Or put another way, to enjoy the gold at the end of the rainbow we need to be willing to experience the possibility of the rain.

And how to get there? Connection, conversation and courage developed in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. No Gantt charts, Cause-and-Effect diagrams or considered reports. Just talking.