David’s Commix
more about what people are willing to give up or change.
I worked with a client many years ago who wanted a more balanced relationship with his partner. In this case, balanced meant that they talked more and did an equal amount of things with his friends as with hers. Although this may look straight forward, when there is more than one person involved, you have different perspectives. It soon appeared that his version of balance was completely different to hers. And so the discussion began, which by all accounts was liberating for both of them. Together, along with a number of coaching sessions, they found the balance that they both needed for their relationship to survive and grow. They both gave some things up, or recognised that they needed managing. They both added some things too.
The same can be said for the old chestnut - strengths and weaknesses. If we are going to spend time developing a skill or body of knowledge, we cannot spend the same amount of time on other areas. We have to find a balance. Letting go of some things may not be easy. Some people love being in control. So, working with them to be able to relinquish this can be challenging for them. Founders Syndrome is a good example of this, whereby one or more founders maintain disproportionate power and influence leading to a wide range of problems for both the organization and those involved in it. This goes beyond balance, but balance is a key aspect. Coaching and mentoring helps them to achieve more balance between doing important things and letting others get on with other things without interference.
Cats! Cats have a number of physiological attributes that help them maintain balance including adapted shoulder blades and collarbones meaning that it places its feet directly in front of each other as it walks, thus walking along narrow fences requires no special movement. Plus it has a tail for added balance. They also have a very well developed Vestibular apparatus. This is part of the inner ear and sends signals to the cat about its balance, especially up and down orientation.
I’m not suggesting that you suddenly start walking along fences, hiding under cars and climbing trees. The point is about development. Whereas the cats’ Vestibular apparatus has evolved, we can all decide in what areas we want to develop our own balance. Ask yourself what it is you want and look deeply at how you might achieve this. What needs to happen for you to have balance in your life?
Thank you for reading.
David
David Monro-Jones AFC ASM
IIC&M Managing Director
References:
Management Research Group (MRG), Personal Directions training manual
Wendy McAuliffe, (2016), The biggest workplace trends to look out for this year
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