Changing... our preference for the tangible
Dr Josie McLean
Changing Human Systems | Speaker | Author | Facilitator | Coach | Co-founder Climate Coaching Alliance | 314.3 ppm
I just received some feedback from a presentation I delivered a week or so ago. Overall, it was very good feedback, but one bit of feedback stood out as both familiar and frustrating (it occurs to me that this could also be relevant to my previous post about bubbles and triggers).
So here I go!?
This particular piece of feedback suggested that the work with the group had been ‘theoretical’ and ‘academic’. It's not the first time I've received feedback like this, and it comes with a sense of being inconsequential at the same time. “Oh, it's an interesting theoretical,” so it can't possibly be pragmatic!?
I know why it emerges. It's because I spend time talking about how the way we think about things influences what we do. This is a conceptual piece of my work.??
Think about it. Isn't it true that the way we think and feel about things determines how we act??
Why does this seemingly intangible element of the discussion, which I know is so fundamental to change, obtain such off-handedness and sometimes even derision??
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If you are a coach or psychologist interested in the stages of human development, you might suggest that it takes time for people to mature into humans who appreciate the power of the more subtle realm. This capability is a stage of adult development.?
If you are a sociologist or anthropologist, you may be drawn to explore the nature of our modern Western cultures, which seem to strongly reinforce our appreciation of the tangible over the intangible.??
I am running out of steam as I write. Recognising both these things are a part of my work. The work of change is working with both influences and guiding people through them to a realisation that the way we think, the things we assume to be true – as individuals and collectives – is the place to make tangible change. The intangible becomes tangible.?
How hard is that to grasp? And yet this is the work, changing …the preference for tangible.?
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Corporate Anthropologist | Supporting Visionary People and Culture Leaders, to align company culture to drive business performance, staff fulfilment and customer satisfaction.
11 个月Dr Josie McLean You are not alone in receiving feedback that what is provided is too theoretical or academic. I've have learnt to pause in my workshops and explain the reason why, we are exploring the theory of the topic. The etymology of the word 'theory' is the Greek Theorin - 'to look at', 'to observe', 'to speculate'. I suggest that by complementing a bias for action, we can provide ourselves with the opportunity to consider understand and evaluate our " ways of thinking" that are driving and framing our "ways of working". Theory empowers us to improve, advance, transform, change, correct and learn. Theory once understood, saves time, increases productivity, builds mastery, enables the transfer of knowledge and experience, provides clarity, foster confidence, enhances engagement, fosters growth, enables accountability and builds self esteem. Personally I encourage you to persevere with theory...people literally, don't know what they are missing without it. Of course when I explain all this, the hard core cynics in the room accuse me of using theory to defend my use of theory......they might have a point. ha ha ha.
NoProblem2Big | The Mentors’ Mentor: Working Artfully Together to Make (Big) Things Happen
11 个月I’m coming to a view that complexity is of our making in our minds. However complex we rate things, it serves as an indicator of how ill-suited our mental models are to cope with the alleged complexity. Same here, the more people criticise things as theoretical, it’s perhaps an indicator of their willingness to explore (let alone change) their ways of thinking. The charge they make is reflective of the mirror they hold to themselves.
I design and facilitate participative processes and conversations that cultivate relationships, transform culture and support whole-system change using the intelligence of life and living systems as touchstone and guide.
11 个月You're on the money, Josie. Push back. Keep pushing back. *This* is the rubicon.
Specialist in business & community development
11 个月“Together We Stand” If you can see the world through another’s eyes, And find the common ground where understanding lies; If you can share in joy, as well as in the pain, And see in every loss the seeds of future gain; If you can pause to help without a thought of fame, And lend a hand to lift when someone speaks your name; If you can hold the line when challenges arise, And muster strength from bonds that in adversity ties; If you can dream of peace and strive to make it real, And heal divisions with the empathy you feel; If you can champion the weak and guide the young, And find the unsung songs of hope that go unsung; If you can lead with love, and follow with respect, And build a world that future generations will protect; If you can stand for truth, with wisdom as your guide, And navigate the storms with conscience as your pride; If you can blend the voices of diverse domains, And weave a tapestry where harmony remains; If you can fuse the past with all that’s yet to be, To script a saga of communal symphony; Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And - which is more - you’ll foster peace, my kin, in every moment. Liam Clancy April 2024 Inspired by Rudyard Kipling and his poem “IF”
Specialist in business & community development
11 个月I awoke again this morning feeling renewed and thought I'd share what dawned on me during my morning walk and in my dreams about my previous comment. I came across a neighbours two dogs this morning who I hadn't seen before, they were in a reasonably sized pen, behind a wire fence. As I approached cautiously one of the dogs seemed quite happy to see me and welcomed some human contact. Then the other Dog approached and feeling confident, I reached out with the back of my hand for it to smell and Snap! It bit me. Interesting! In essence Dr Josie, Yes I agree we are indeed what we think and the discovery of who I am, who we are and who we might be together is not always easy. The discoveries we make about ourselves and those we love, or hate and about the world we live in are a challenge. Our physical, emotional and Intellectual perceptions are always switched on. It is how we choose to respond to the challenges we face and who we who we choose to be to each other that really makes a difference. I have one more way, I thought might also say this in a way that resonates but the automated systems within LinkedIn's program restrict this space. So, see my next comment for a glimpse into my mind and heart.