I went for a walk this recently and something special happened.
My mind had been racing and I was not very prodctive. During the walk, I committed myself to being open to whatever experience came to me.
The first 10 minutes or so were filled with searching for things or holding onto issues that had been on my mind.
Then, it happened.
I came up on a group of Japanese grass blowing in the wind, sun shining upon it. I noticed the light sparkling off of the tips, the to and fro of the flowers and stems from the gusting air. I became open to understanding the scene in front of me more completely and I wondered what other people would have experienced from this scene. I put my experience at the bottom of this post, in case you wanted to read it.
How do the differences in how we experience moments impact the way we deal with each other in business? In our home and social life? How do we as leaders allow or restrict the ability of others to open themselves up, communicate what they experience and make our products and work more robust and impactful? A critical component of practicing the Four Fundamental Forces of Leadership is Respecting what we see and trying to take in the experience of others, as they may have a different experience of the same experience you had.
Training ourselves to experience on other levels?
Minnesota
Imagine yourself describing the above photo to someone else. Could you describe it the same way as someone else? The same as anyone else?
Some will be more literal, while some will be nuanced. Some will add in a time and motion component, adding other senses into the description. Nobody would be able to describe the experience I had with an osprey swooping down to attack a shipmunk only to bank up quickly once it noticed me.
With the varying descriptions of the same or similar experiences, why then do businesses and 'leaders' stifle the experiences, insights and imagination of those around us. We set them on tasks to get things done. We direct them to do certain things in certain ways.
We are stifling the very essence of what makes each individual special.
What is the ONE thing you can do for yourself, immediately, to help empower yourself and those around you?
Today... In 10 minutes.
Take a walk or a bike ride and allow yourself to just experience what's around you. Allow all of your senses to provide information to you. Let your thoughts come and go as they please.
Sit on the stoop or deck and just take in what's happening - the emerging scene, the bees hopping from flower to flower, the sound of the rustling leaves, the coolness of the breeze on your skin.
How does that feel? You've may have put yourself in such a situation as you were reading this. Did it feel good? That openness, used in business and other parts of your life, will benefit those around you. They will be more fulfilled, energized, productive and so will you.
The people that we call trendsetters, geniuses or true experts in a field seem to have the ability to experience on a different level than others. Part of it is innate, much of it is recognition and training.
My Japanese grass experience
As for my experience with the Japanese grass, I ended up going in a scientific and systemic direction when I saw the stand. I first thought about how the light flickered off of the flower of each stalk and how that changed as the wind blew. That took me to how the structure of the plant itself interacted with the varying wind speed. The flower of each unit was set to take wind onto it. The stem had structures to keep the plant from breaking. I thought of the energy balance between the force exerted from the wind and the potential energy being created in the stem that resisted the wind force, bringing the plant back at some point.
I then thought of how marvelous the creation of the plant was in that there were separate breakdown points for the flower of the grass and the stem. The flower wants to let its seeds go in the wind so it can propagate. However, it doesn't want a wind that is too light, so that the seed can travel a reasonable distance.
Also, each stem is supported by the other stems around it as well as leaves that intertwine in the lower-to-mid regions of the plant. That system supports itself to manage the environment and ensure survival.
That got me to thinking of human systems and how there are so many nuances to human relationships and decision-making. In setting up strategies and programs to connect with customers, some of these nuances are irrelevant. However, it seems the truly special products or strategies recognized those special aspects that really bring forth a connection.