Is it time for some ‘dangerous’ thinking?!
It seems to me that we’ve been going through an enormous real-life, real-time experiment where Nature has somehow upended the world – and the results are starting to come in.
Working with a regular SME client last week I heard some fascinating things. The archetypal extrovert, always key to new business and sometimes a bit overwhelming in her drive to succeed, has discovered that she enjoys a bit of solitude and hasn’t (as she feared) ‘lost the plot’. In fact, she is now determined to reshape her work-life completely. The archetypal ‘quiet one’ has discovered that online she can contribute so much more than round the usual noisy table – and is also getting more done because she isn’t constantly interrupted by those extroverts…
That’s just one data point, as they say. Proves nothing. Yet it’s very real, very human and feels significant. How many of us have made similar discoveries? What have you discovered about yourself and others during lockdown?
Big Picture
There is no denying that this forced experiment of online working, even living, is a unique, vast catalyst for change. It brings into sharp relief the yawning gap between those who have the resources and means to survive and those whose harsh lives will become even more difficult in consequence. I’m wondering what’s the very best change that could come out of this, far-reaching for climate and for societal norms? (So nothing too challenging then!!)
Easily the most inspiring guide to the future I’ve found so far is Margaret Heffernan, whose prescient new book Uncharted is a bracing call to individuals, societies and governments to think afresh, to abandon the ‘false security of old and broken systems’ and to challenge ourselves not to replicate the failures of history. That’s what I mean when I talk about ‘dangerous thinking’ – thinking that upends the tired assumptions behind so many of our current systems, thinking that might sound dangerous to entrenched interests, yet which would support and liberate so many at this critical point in time. That feels like the big picture we are looking at now.
Individual Practice
As coaches and thinkers, as facilitators of the thinking of others, what does this new world mean for each of us? It has been astonishing to see just how quickly people have adapted to the new spaces online that have replaced regular in-house meetings, forcing even the most sturdy Luddites online on Slack and into Zoom Rooms. Who would have thought it, just 3 short months ago?
I do wonder how much of our practice will be online from now on – both one-to-one and in groups? I think it’s wise to allow a margin of at least 12 months before (if) ‘normal service resumes’.
(If you are working online in groups please do check out the TTT Virtual Meetings Guide here, with apologies for the faulty link last month!)
A Different ‘Place’
What do we gain and what do we lose when we are doing our thinking online? I’ve found out far too much to put into this newsletter but am very happy to discuss this important question with you if that helps, and it’s already a significant new element as I take the TTT courses online.
And if we are going to continue thinking together online like this, how do we make it even better? The Component of Place becomes ever more significant, as we magically gather in our 2-dimensional ‘Place’ on the screen, yet remain separate each in our own home office space. Here’s one funny and practical suggestion: this brief YouTube video could become a classic, demonstrating how vital it is to be aware of our position on the screen – have you ever been, or been in front of, a Giant or a Mystic – check it out! Some other really useful insights are in this HBR article on Zoom fatigue, well worth passing on.
The Thinking Environment principles and ‘processes’ give us everything we require in order to think afresh and challenge old thinking. The need for clear, independent, truly inspirational thinking has never been greater than it is today. As a community of practitioners and/or as private individuals, how do you think we can contribute to that? Is it time for some really ‘dangerous’ thinking?!