different
ways of thinking and knowing
Reflecting
on today’s work day gives me a perfect example of different ways of thinking and
knowing. A coworker was showing me some
very specific functions of our computer program that we use at work this
morning. I could feel and see that he was surprised that I did not use some of
the features we were reviewing. In my mind they were insignificant and unimportant.
In his mind they were not. I believe he felt some type of superiority over
others because of his technical knowledge. At the same time I was making value judgments
about what I perceived as his lack of interpersonal skills. Neither one of us
seemed to appreciate what the other was offering.
Who
is to say what is more important or if that “more important” even exists? When
we take time to reflect on what type of “thinking hat” we wear we can begin to
see how that affects what we see, prioritize and experience and how others view
us. Reviewing Patterns of Thinking seems to remind us of this. The American model
of “getting straight to the point” seems blunt, simple, aggressive and rude in
comparison to other cultures. Other
cultures can seem repetitive, off topic, out of order in comparison to this
form of communication and thinking.
The
point is nobody should be caught up in value judgments believing one way of
being, thinking, communicating is correct. What matters is that we continually
reflect on our process and continually grow in appreciation and openness to the
ways of others.
The ending brings it home Levi, lets let go of our personal value judgements in one;s way of being, thinking and communicating and continually reflect on the entirety of the situation trying to understand from the other's perspective as well as understand how you have reached your own perspective.
ReplyDeleteHa. Levi I love this. I have the same issues with my coworkers and judgement is a constant source of personal growth if I choose to examine it. Thanks for this, Levi.
ReplyDeleteWell said Levi. Being able to reserve personal judgement of someone may allow us to learn something from them. It is difficult because I think we are often in a hurry to get our point across that we don't listen to what others are saying.
ReplyDeleteYeah Levi! It's so true Levi. It reminds me of a time when I was working in Alaska, and I was all worked up about things that were important to me but not to others. I remember hiking out to a remote cabin and sitting by a waterfall and thinking...I feel so much better out here. Everything back at the office was so man made...all of my frustrations, disagreements...they didn't exist by myself in the woods. Only after taking this step back did I realize that I was on the same team as the people I was working with and our underlying goal was to do a good job.
ReplyDelete