Learning Deeply. Tension and Ambiguity as a Call to Be More

I see tensions as the gap between what you know and what you think you know, between who you are and what you think you are, between what you think you can do and what you can do, between what you know and new information that is being introduced. And in that gap, you now have a choice.

It can threaten you, and you can become very constructive and protective of what you know. Or you can choose to see that gap as a learning opportunity.

You can choose to go on a learning journey to learn new skills, embrace new perspectives, and understand how that can actually expand you.

I think about tensions as something that can help take organizations and individuals somewhere better. Because tensions when embraced as learning opportunities, can expand us.

I aspire to create in my classes a space - through webinar, assignments, your communications to me by email or in Zoom, your team interactions - that welcome tensions.

To welcome tensions, I aspire every learning space to be a brave space, a space that expects difference and is optimized to foster respect for these differences. Different backgrounds will lead to contrasting opinions and perspectives (cognitive skills, craft, race, gender, mindsets, etc...).

Brave spaces hold people accountable for learning about the differences they encounter so a group can evolve and grow. In brave spaces, people feel more than included—they feel like they belong. Because there is a price for admission.

Exploring tension within yourself: dealing with complexity normally requires a high tolerance for ambiguity.

A low score in your tolerance for ambiguity can serve as a warning that life might provide cognitive challenges as well as great opportunities for personal development and cognitive growth.

When my clients or students have low scores in tolerance for ambiguity, I encourage them to work through it together, to ask for help, to acknowledge the tension, and patiently deal with it.

Exploring tension within teams is also critical: belonging gives us a sense of natural acceptance, ownership, and agency within a group without requiring us to be exactly the same as everyone else around us. "Diversity is getting invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance."

When people feel like they belong, they know their differences add value to the group, even when they cause tension.

In brave spaces characterized by a sense of belonging, teams can tap into the transformative power that tensions contain And drive change, innovation, and growth for your team.

Leadership is not about position or authority. It’s not about big speeches or grand visions.

Leadership is engaging others to solve daunting challenges. Those challenges appear in our professional lives, communities, and families―and they seem unsolvable, beyond our ability to see what needs to be done or outside our capacity to make the necessary changes.

They are not.

Leadership is an activity―small actions taken in moments of opportunity. And as you start to look around, you can see more of those moments and seize the opportunity. Most importantly, you can help others see those opportunities too.

That’s why everyone can lead. When everyone leads, we have the real power to solve our most important challenges