‘What we know for sure stand in the way of what we need to learn’
Richard Farson, in The Innovation Paradox

Share on Facebook

Have you ever taken a test, or assessment to discover who you are, what job best suits you, or which relationships fit you best? Do you know your “type”?

Thinking Styles.

Too many modern assessments and models put people in boxes: you’re an A-type, where you hang in the 4 quadrants, models of personality etc… As much as it is useful to discover certain character traits, those tend to limit us rather than assist us to expand our perception of who we are and how we are “supposed” to behave, because they tend to function deductively (from outside to inside) rather than inductively (from inside to outside).

Another less obvious, but probably more accurate and constructive approach is to focus not on WHAT people think or believe or their personality type, but HOW they think about them, looking at the lenses they use to understand their world: their work, their relationships, themselves in relation to the environment. It’s an inductive model of understanding (i.e. the opposite of limiting), because it reflects the increasing level of complexity that a mind has to develop in order to fit in a given external environment.

The question we ask is: are the mind capacities of a person suited to their life conditions? When we achieve congruency between the 2, we are in balance. Balance is the ultimate purpose, because when you reach a state of perfect equilibrium… you function perfectly in your world, and… what else do you need?

When life conditions change, we often need to develop new ways to cope with a changed reality, which means essentially, new mind capacities, and new ways to think about our world.

Want to know more? Click here.

Share on Facebook

The One Step To Successful Negotiation & Problem Solving

Share on Facebook

A Rabbi teaches his disciple. “Two men go down a chimney at the same time. One comes out completely clean, the other one dirty. Which one goes to wash himself?” The disciple looks at the Rabbi, thinks for a minute, then says: “the dirty one.” “Not at all!” says the Rabbi. “The dirty one, looking at his clean friend, thinks he is clean as well. The clean one, seeing that his friend is so dirty, concludes that he must be dirty as well and goes to wash.”

“Let me ask you another question” says the Rabbi. “Two men go down a chimney at the same time. One gets to the bottom completely clean, the other one dirty. Which one goes to wash himself?” The disciple looks at the Rabbi, totally puzzled: “You just told me! The clean one!” “Not at all!” replies the Rabbi. “The two men look t themselves, and the dirty one goes to wash.”

“Now one more question” says the Rabbi. “Two men go down a chimney at the same time. One gets to the bottom completely clean, the other one dirty. Which one goes to wash himself?” The disciple is lost: “I do not know, depending on your point of view, either or?” “Of course not!” says the Rabbi, “how can two men go down a chimney at the same time and only one of them remain clean? They are both dirty and go to wash themselves.”

Often, the solution to problems depends on the point of view we adopt. A problem-solving coaching style will promote the client’s ability to get out of his/her usual model of the world.

Share on Facebook