TOOLS FOR ASPIRING LEADERS...
On Seeing and Influencing Systems (From Perspcective in the book,
The Five Insights)
It is very difficult to solve a problem when you are working within the mindset that created it. Even if YOU didn’t create the problem or systems issue that needs attention and you are merely part of the system, you have naturally developed a window on the world (a schema) that makes seeing the real issues more complicated. The first—and most difficult—action to take is to try and continue to perform the tasks of your job while at the same time removing yourself from the mindsets, habits and assumptions that drive your actions so you can better see the system.
What to Do:
This is an exercise that reveals both our own personal underlying beliefs that guide our thinking about the issues and a clear picture of the system at work. To begin, pick a systems issue that warrants attention. At the top of a piece of paper, write down the systems issue. This will become the issue you apply all of your thinking towards in the rest of the exercise. Next, divide the rest of the paper into three columns. In the left hand column, write down the evidence or facts that show what you are studying is actually an issue. In the center column write down what you believe to be true about why what is happening is happening—this should reveal your window on the world.
For the right hand column, become a scientist and write down only real facts that you have observed, what you know to be unequivocally true. Surface as many major dynamics as you can, then review the list. What you may notice as you review the list is that what you have done is to identify things that are universally, unquestionably true from things that are fabricated or only partially true. You may need to talk to some of the people who are involved in the situation to see if what you are thinking they think is in fact accurate.
