metaphor

Catalyst for change

Diverse groups tend to think harder about problems because they often disagree more. That disagreement isn’t a weakness, it’s a feature as it forces teams to examine assumptions, sharpen their arguments, and consider alternative viewpoints. It’s a bit like going to the gym. If you just stand around, nothing changes. On the other hand when you lift weights, your muscles tear and rebuild stronger. This may be feel uncomfortable but it’s how growth happens.

The same goes for diversity. When you are challenged by someone with a different background, accent, or lived experience, it can feel uncomfortable. It might even trigger defensiveness, I think that if you stay with it, this discomfort can become the source of better ideas, stronger decisions, and more resilient teams.


A metaphor from nature

How do you make your work and life more robust?
There is massive value just taking time away from the office to spend time with smart, inspired people as their ideas and energy will influence you. I think we can use nature as an example for us that life is about rebirth and transformation, becoming exactly who we believe ourselves capable to be. This is not only possible, but inevitable, if we let go of the struggle and speediness, and of the need to become our best instantly and without journeying through several unique stages. Nature’s metaphor releases us from a sense of battling against our circumstances and invites us to rely upon an innate, perhaps universal, order and timing.

To have the results that very few have, we must be willing to start doing the things that very few are willing to do.
— Robin Sharma