By Randy Chittum, Ph.D.
The value in recognizing and managing through complexities
A differentiating characteristic of great executive leadership is the capacity for seeing what others cannot. This is not exactly magic, though it may look that way to those who can’t see. It turns out that “seeing” differently is predicated on “thinking” differently. A key characteristic of thinking differently is the ability to hold opposing thoughts and not feel an overwhelming need to choose one or the other. This article is about that ability.
Roger Martin refers to this capacity as having an opposable mind. In other words, do we possess the ability to hold opposing thoughts? Doing this requires an unwillingness to settle for an “either/or” when a “both/and” is still possible. And yet, as humans, we are drawn to the certainty we feel when we choose. Holding out on prematurely solving a dilemma requires a comfort with ambiguity that many of us lack. Of course we cannot settle in this ambiguity forever. At some point we will have to make the call and get into action.
In my experience with leaders, what animates this process is the recognition that certainty is not the same as truth, or right. Certainty is in principle an emotion. Uncertainty is a primary fear. We will often make poor decisions in the service of certainty. Marilyn Ferguson wrote; “we are more certain that ever, but less informed and far less thoughtful.” I believe that sums it up very well. My simpler advice to leaders is to “beware certainty.” Certainty is likely a false promise. What it actually delivers is comfort.
You may also notice how often in meetings the victory goes to the person who seems most certain about his or her position. Again, beware certainty!
What would it look like instead if we “sat with the questions” rather than immediately try to answer them? How would things be different if we took time to explore underlying assumptions? What would be the advantages of not leaping to a conclusion?
What if, instead of seeing complex issues as problems to be solved, we saw them for what they probably are – polarities to be managed? Polarities are interdependent “opposites.” In truth, polarities are a huge part of organizational life. We just don’t recognize them for what they are. This is in large part because we prefer the certainty of a problem solved.
Examples of common polarities include flexible and clear, relationship and task, and emergent and structured. In all three cases an argument can be constructed for both “sides.” It is when we see the polarity as choice that we create risk. For example, you cannot really choose between relationship and task. An over-focus on relationship to the exclusion of task brings with it both upside and downside.
The poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote “be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.”