Practitioner leaders are the future
You know the story of Rabbit - the one where car lights are thundering towards a direct hit and Rabbit is frozen to the spot? Switch to slow motion and witness the effectiveness of analysis in action, strategic planning and change management rolled into one. See the system clicking frantically as things speed up. Rabbit’s increasing stress symptoms: What do I do? Run? Go left or right? Duck and hope to catch the middle? Oh dear, brain freeze!
Unfortunately, we know exactly what can happen to Rabbit. Either there will be a debilitating knock-down or a miraculous escape. The result depends on what Rabbit does:
Obviously the Rabbit analogy gets a bit tenuous here, but let’s examine the choices as metaphors for dealing with uncertain times.
The first action, Refuses To Move, is surprisingly common. The thinking process goes something like: “It can’t be happening. I've always followed this route and I’m still alive, aren't I? I have too much invested in getting here, I can’t just change it all at a moment’s notice!”
The second action is as standard as the Standard Required Action. It involves responses calculated to ‘standardise outcomes’ based on ‘sensible theories’ which have resulted from assumptions and research into ‘similar situations and hypothetical outcomes’. You see what I mean? It’s formal and uses intelligent words and logical process. Here the thinking goes: “It is well documented that I am a speedy runner. In situations in which I am under threat, my immediate and most effective response is to run as quickly as possible in the opposite direction. Furthermore, this has proved effective in similar situations, such as the time I was chased by a dog. Of course there is also that well-documented case of a rabbit who refused to take its running skills seriously and was beaten by the tortoise. Out-running this threat is clearly the answer.”
The third action is almost the opposite approach. Acts Impulsively can be associated with regrettable behaviour and is often actively discouraged in organisations. With option Three the thinking is more like: “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what to do! I feel like jumping. Wow - I just hurled myself sideways. Random!”
They say there are no guarantees in life and Rabbit’s situation is no exception, but what is the option most likely to succeed?
All three of Rabbit’s options have the potential to produce results – you will have your own opinion as to the effectiveness. Each of the options is a natural go-to when we are experiencing cognitive overload, but the third option is the one least valued by organisations yet most likely to produce a positive result
Why?
Rabbit’s ‘brain freeze’ is a natural physical response to complexity. Humans are biologically designed to respond to threats in certain ways, but as situations get increasingly complex, urgent and fast paced, the flight-or-fight response jams and we experience a cognitive threshold. We cannot comprehend how to deal with overwhelming challenges so we use automated responses. This is a typical response in high stress, multi-faceted, unknown, changing realities.
Our brain is wired to respond to intense complexity by shutting down our generalised thinking capacity and focusing on seemingly random, yet critical information to produce an immediate solution in the form of an insight. This is a biological response that uses left and right brain capacity and emerges from a unique section of the brain that is not used in day to day thinking. Insights leap us through complexity by providing radical solutions that work.
The capacity for insight is a skill we can develop. It’s key to accessing solutions for systemic problems. Part of the uncertainty that exists for many organisations is that the systems that have worked so well are clearly no longer effective. These are new times and they require new focus, but exactly what and how seems too complicated! Old processes and systemised approaches are creaking to a shaky demise and new random, lateral approaches are definitely required. A culture of creative thinking needs to be actively nurtured. Innovation is not just a nice-to-have!
Unfortunately, although there is general acceptance of the need for creative thinking, most organisations do not have a culture that encourages it. Fertile ground for Insight requires rest, play, cross-siloed communication, open-mindedness, acceptance of illogical sense etc. This is not your average work day on the hamster wheel! It’s a call to shift boundaries, lighten up a little and change the status quo.
So, are you negotiating uncertainty in complex times? Are you beginning to feel that Wide-Eyed Rabbit Brain Freeze? If so, get off the hamster wheel, stop staring at the lights and make space in your life for Insight.
…or get squashed.
(If you're interested in more information, The Watchman’s Rattle by Rebecca Costa gives a detailed analysis of Insight and how and why to nurture it.)