Common Outlook Consulting Inc. New Perspectives

WHAT YOU SEE DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU STAND

February 2016 - Issue # 16-02

Founder's Message

The more we know about what drives us - about what makes people and organizations tick - the better we manage our jobs, ourselves, and really, the whole of our lives. So welcome to the first installment of our "Night Vision" series.

In this series, we'll be leveraging the cutting-edge insights and wisdom of the Executive Master's Degree I had the privilege of taking over the past two years at INSEAD, a Top-5 global business school based in France. While the degree is entitled 'Consulting and Coaching for Change', its contents are actually a deep dive into individual and organizational psychology from a psychodynamic perspective.

"From a WHAT perspective?"

In plain words, the program explores the dynamics below the surface that are driving the things we're experiencing. It's a little like being given 'night vision goggles' - you suddenly get to see what's going on in the darkness inside and around you that was previously hidden from your view.

So let's start building those night vision goggles.

Quote

"The hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes."

~ Goethe

Tip

When trying to figure out what might have driven a behaviour of yours that you can't rationally explain, instead of asking yourself, "Why did I do that?" which invokes rational thought, ask "What comes to mind?".

This invokes the power of the unconscious. It is a sort of mental wandering and wondering, more likely to uncover the root motivator.

Coming Up

Next month we will begin to leverage the four premises cited below in ways that will empower us... that will help us create a better awareness of ourselves so we can enhance personal satisfaction and professional excellence.

Article

Night Vision Goggles

Welcome to the first article in our Night Vision series, where we explore the drivers behind human behaviour to help explain what goes on in organizations. Let us begin with the grounding principles underlying this journey:

Four Premises:

Rationality is an illusion.
Much of what happens to us (and drives us) is beyond our conscious awareness.
The past is the lens through which we can understand the present and shape the future.
We all have blind spots.

Bold statements indeed, so let's explore each in turn.

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