Author's Note: This morning I am sharing an inspiration from a Monday morning a few weeks ago.
Good morning and happy Monday!
I was chatting last week about how people get entrenched in their ideas and become unwilling to consider other options. “It’s got to be blue”, says one, while the other is set inextricably on yellow. Neither one is willing to shift. Result? Conflict.
It reminded me of a course I completed many years ago while pursuing a certificate in facilitation and negotiation, called Shifting from Positions to Interests. People tend to get entrenched in their position, without considering what the underlying reason for that position is. For example: Maybe the goal is to evoke an atmosphere mimicking the feeling you get outdoors, and thus you think blue is perfect because it represents the sky. Your colleague thinks yellow is perfect because it represents the sun. You both want the same thing, and yet your positions (blue vs. yellow) get in the way.
In work, as in life, it is worth discovering underlying motivations, as this could reduce conflict and help people reach their common goals. It involves a shift in perspective. The piece of fine art created by “environmental artist” Thomas Deininger displayed in the link below illustrates what a shift in perspective can achieve:
No comments:
Post a Comment