Back to School, Back to Learning

September has always symbolized a new year to us. More so than even January, September represents new beginnings, new people, and new learnings (hello, #schoolnerd). It signifies a month of hope, of possibilities, of restarts.

What better way to reboot than by challenging old stories and assumptions? Consider a situation at work or even in your personal life that you’re struggling to manage well, or a blind spot that you have recently unearthed. Consider next how that might be getting in your way. What do you know? What do you NOT know? What would change if you had new information? Most importantly - What do you have to give up if it turns out that your current story is not accurate?

We get attached to our story of self and others, our world view and perception. If we get honest with ourselves, we realize we might have to give up power, ego, money, relationships, or status with a paradigm shift...and therein lies the challenge.

So how do we challenge ourselves and our assumptions, especially in our leadership and professional relationships? First, think of the values that drive you as a human being. Consider how you operationalize them. Second, often, we need to get closer.

Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, talks about the concept of proximity. “It’s actually in proximity to [sic others] that we hear things that we won’t otherwise hear, that we’ll see things we won’t otherwise see,” Stevenson said. “The things we hear and see are critical to our knowledge and our capacity to problem solve.”

Why bother? Because the human condition is built on connection. Our survival is predicated on belonging. And in our role as leaders, people, humans, we have always had the opportunity to challenge our beliefs, our assumptions, and build connection points. We lean on our values and higher reasons to push through assumptions. We just need to lean on and lean in...and stay curious.