Making Space for Sense Making

In recent conversations it seems people are being hit at pace with many difficult and unpredictable challenges. And, our response seems to make things worse with unintended consequences, errors, and misunderstandings.

From what I can gather, professionals (and leaders in particular) have a deeply ingrained need to fix problems. To resolve issues. To strike it off the list so they can move onto the next one as quickly and proficiently as possible. Me included. We are all so bloody busy!

Some people react with a 'I'll fix it asap mindset' because they are people-pleasers. Others out of a pride in their work. Others to cover any perception they are incompetent or uncapable. Or, it may be because some are just trying to do their best. I don't think it matters. What matters is the cascade of behaviour that emerges:

↓ Problem comes to me

↓ I try and solve the problem

↓ It doesn't get solved

↓ More problems emerge (related and unrelated)

↓ Repeat

It is exhausting and it leaves little room for growth, learning and constructive change. By this, I mean there is no space for progress. And if there is no progress we stagnate and feel stuck. Not fun. But can also breed resentment and disconnection towards our work and between colleagues.

I heard an astronaut explain that to speed up a rocket on the cusp of the atmosphere they need to slow it down so it dips lower so it's thrust pushes against the denser air with more force and therefore speeds the vessel up. It is counterintuitive - to slow down when the situation requires speed. But, who said we need to move so quick? Who wrote the rule that we need to have the answers immediately? Who came up with the expectation that we need to pull clever stuff out of the back of our brains on call?

No one.

I wonder if we can go beyond slowing down when the heat is on. Can we stop? Can we be still? Can we breathe, think for a moment and then talk things through?

We can. I've tested it. It is possible!

We do not get the invitation or perceived permission to stop on work time (or even in our personal time). But, maybe we can give ourselves this permission. If we are truly trying to solve problems we need to go through a longer process than yelping out the first thing that comes to mind.

Lynne Cazaly wrote about the value human's bring to work in a world of machines. Full of thinking tools, techniques, and templates.
A good starting point is to simply stop and ponder!
Image Source: lynnecazaly.com.au

Stop - the act of being still for a moment and giving yourself the opportunity to pause and breathe.

Think - ponder what has been said. Weirdly, I don't remember being taught how to think in school. We may have been lucky and had teachers or parents that encouraged critical thinking, but that's probably as good as it ever got. The act of thinking may not come down to one technique or a checklist process, but allowing the mind to digest and explore a problem can only bring value.

Discuss - talking out ideas, perspectives, opinions, and thoughts helps us make sense of things, or as Lynne Cazaly calls it - Sense Making. I see this and experience it myself every day as a facilitator. Problems and thoughts can bounce around our mind and start getting to us. Then, we speak it out and it starts to feel manageable, or even trivial. Expression and deliberation brings better solutions and is obviously integral for any form of collaboration.

The tough thing about all of this is to do it. There is a discipline associated with this altering years of a familiar reaction and doing something new, different and therefore deeply uncomfortable. But, what choice do we have?

The act of Stopping, Thinking (or reflecting), and Discussing is a good start to lowering the pace of fires and subsequent fires we are being asked to extinguish. Give it a try. Let me know how it feels.

Banner Image Source: Words by David