Time for Exploration

“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.” — Aristotle

The Obstacle

We waste time chasing the wrong thing, traveling the wrong path, going on insufficient information or assumptions. We move too quickly. We answer quickly, act fast, judge without consideration. We solve other people’s problems before understanding them. We assume we know the situation, the intent, the motivation, and we go. That impulse to fix, to direct, to correct, steals time, damages trust, and keeps us solving a problem instead of the problem. The obstacle is speed and assumption. Autopilot seldom knows the best path.

The Gift and Opportunity

TABULA RASA

The opportunity is to explore. Be curious. Wander. Explore. Desire to know more, to learn more. Pause, look, listen, learn. Understand where someone is coming from, what they are aiming for, the real why they do and say what they do. Beyond the position lies their aspirations - dig down. The gift is clarity, connection, understanding. The gift is solving the right problem instead of the first problem. Navigating the whole landscape. Build trust through curiosity instead of judgment. Exploration saves time, energy, and frustration. It strengthens relationships. It turns conflict into understanding. It turns assumptions into insight.

The Practice of Self-Mastery

• Take a deliberate pause before speaking or acting.

• Ask what else we need to know before deciding - what else might be important.

• Look for the motivation beneath the surface action - find the aspiration beyond the position.

• Explore the entire situation/landscape before choosing a course.

• Treat conflict as an opportunity to learn, your differences may be interesting if emotions are controlled.