“The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”~Albert Einstein
I recently was at a gathering of coaches from pretty much all over the world, and we were deep in discussion about the state of the world. Many shared their sense of hopelessness. Many shared the small – and big – actions they’re taking to make a difference. All of us brainstormed, and brainstormed some more, about how we can help address the seemingly unending complex problems that we, as humans on this earth, now face.
I heard stories of pain and suffering…and joy and change.
What crystallized as we talked was the essence of Einstein’s quote. When we stay stuck in the thinking that got us to our problems, we very rarely find a way out of our problems. When we intentionally bring our brains – and hearts and spirits – to a different level of thinking – and feeling – we often stumble on or create solutions.
I’ve seen this over the years with clients, as they find a new way to raise funds for their organization or they try a new approach with the colleague they seem to only struggle with. I’ve seen this over the years with my friends and family (and myself), as we choose to see a problem from someone else’s perspective or to step away from our need to have “them” be the first one to apologize.
The challenge is that our brains think we’re thinking – and viewing situations and people – in the best way possible. As I like to often say, my favorite bias is the illusion of objectivity, the bias that I’m not biased. Our brains work hard to keep us at our same level of thinking.
However, when we can step back enough to at least recognize this tendency, we push ourselves to different levels. With this new perspective or thought pattern or willingness to question our own hard-won certainty, we open ourselves to solutions for our most significant problems.
Both personally and for the world.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in thinking and seeing in new ways, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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