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Health CareBuild Adaptive Capacity
It all began at Authentic Leadership in Action, 2009. Glenda Eoyang and Wendy Morris were leading a module using human systems dynamics principles to help people lead in complexity.
I encourage people to look for the "difference that makes a difference," but that is much easier to say than to do. Here are some examples of how I have used differences to make a difference in the past couple of weeks.
Fear loves stories; it thrives on them. The more fearful the stories you can tell, the more your fears grow. Stories expand your fear, and they distract you from the feeling, disconnecting the thought about the story from the emotion it triggers. You tell yourself this discomfort you’re feeling has nothing to do with the fear you are experiencing, as long as you tell the right stories. I have many stories around my fear of water. I tell myself it's not really fear, because I know how to float and can move myself with basic strokes. But the truth is, even if I'm maneuvering in water, I'm experiencing stress. I'm not able to relax in the water. I feel fear.
Have you ever sat in a meeting that you knew was going nowhere? The conversation continued to swirl around questions no one in the room could answer. You all bemoaned the uncertainty of it all. Or you were convinced that this time, one more conversation would get the answers you knew were out there. Or you were just stuck and didn’t know what to do, other than explore the question again. At best those conversations are frustrating. Often the unanswered questions just suck your energy and leave you tired and defeated. At worst, they are dangerous. They can trigger desperation that leaves you open to magical thinking.
Build Adaptive Capacity
In a complex human system, you can’t be certain of “top-down” control; you may not be able to predict of the future. Your every interaction shapes emergent patterns of behavior and decision making. The world you know is open to known and unknown forces that influence from inside and outside your system’s immediate boundaries.
“It’s supposed to be uncomfortable,” my cycling instructor told me. “That’s how you build muscle. Add a little more tension during each training session,” she continued.
Government
In the world of human systems dynamics, understanding is important, but it is not enough. We strive to see patterns clearly and to understand them. The ultimate goal, however, is to transform current patterns into possibilities for the future. In times like these, the journey from seeing to acting is not easy. My last two posts have told the story of my journey as I strive to transform the turbulence and uncertainty I see in US politics toward something more sustainable and equitable. As we approach Election Day, it is time for the NOW WHAT?