I’ve been perplexed why our collective business focus is often on what’s wrong and broken rather than what’s right and well as we move toward a vision.
Is it culture? Is it the nature of business? Or is the cause closer to home–the organizational culture rooted in the founders, or shaped by the current leadership?
One clue: We have fewer neural connections for the vision (something that does not yet exist).
Thus, our brain is being very economical when it dwells on what is most familiar—the state that currently exists—for which we have more neural connections. Just like a river basin comprised of an extensive network of creeks, rivers, and runs, we have the equivalent network for our current state of being. A second clue comes from our animal natures: We naturally focus on perceived threats (and if you need an example of our collective animal behavior—just watch the how stock markets react!). The combination of these two factors means that the current state and the problem state can become indistinguishable.
It will take persistent work to create a river basin of neural connections for the vision. You can do it by a continuing focus on examples of what’s right and well—examples that reflect where the vision (or aspects of it) are being manifested right now among stakeholders, in your strategic alliances, in your organization and its product or service delivery, or in your executive team. Listen for the underlying productive assumptions, emotional tones and specific behaviors that contributed to the examples. Bring them out into the light of day so that everyone notices them.
As you increase the capacity to build these connections, you can begin to embed that capacity by helping other stakeholders cultivate it as well. Here’s news your investors will love: This doesn’t take a tremendous amount of financial resources. It does require that the leadership or key stakeholders bring attention to what’s “right and well” that supports the vision and makes it possible.
Will naturally focusing on “right and well” ever be as easy as focusing on the problems? No, but when you get “in the flow” as I have the privilege of helping clients do, the effort becomes secondary to the gain. Here’s to creating your vision today.
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U.S. Library of Congress ISSN 2164-7240
©Leadership Hand LLC and Beth Hand, 2015 | (+1) 703.820.8018 Eastern Time USA | www.leadershiphand.com
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