I had no idea I had actually heard of some of the principles
of The Art of Possibility until I began
reading it. You see, last quarter
I took a class entitled “Personal Creativity and Innovation.” Best class ever, everyone should
take it. Anyways, my professor was
pretty much the coolest person I’ve ever met and he once told us about this
book he read where anytime someone would make a mistake, the author would reply
with “How Fascinating!” So as I start to read TAOB, I come across that line and
laughed because everything has truly come full circle. In fact, once I finish writing this blog, I am going to
email my professor from last quarter to tell him I finally read this book!
So plain and short, this book is awesome. Aside from being a super easy read, it
has a ton of concepts that really stretch a person out of their comfort
zone. The book focuses on the
importance of relationships within a group and how to improve those
relationships. As I was reading, I
found myself recalling on the Relational Leadership Model and how it can be
used in action. The book is
written by a couple, Roz and Ben, who discuss 12 practices to help a person
“transform one’s professional and person life” in a creative and different
way. It’s not about telling you
everything you are doing wrong (in fact, they are against that thought
entirely). It’s more about rearranging the tools in the toolbox to help make
work easier and maybe even more fun.
The 12 Practices:
1.
It’s All Invented
2.
Stepping into a Universe of Possibility
3.
Giving an A
4.
Being a Contribution
5.
Leading from Any Chair
6.
Rule Number 6
7.
The Way Things Are
8.
Giving Way to Passion
9.
Lighting a Spark
10.
Being the Board
11.
Creating the Frameworks for Possibility
12.
Telling the WE story
Like I mentioned earlier, these concepts weren’t entirely
new to me because of the class I took last quarter. I was familiar with these types of ideals, but didn’t have a
thorough knowledge. After reading
the book, I found myself thinking of ways to implement these practices into my
life and leadership practices. I
am a very relational leader and put tons of energy into a group’s dynamic, so I
really appreciated Ben and Roz’s take on the possibilities. I could relate to
so many of the concepts and I was reading thought, “Duh! Why hasn’t anyone
thought of this before?” It all just makes sense. Now don’t get me wrong, just because I said I am a
relational leader doesn’t mean there are some differences between myself and
the book. There are lots, but
hopefully I can improve on these things.
The thing I struggled most with throughout reading was the huge
underlying factor of trust. Trust in the universe. Trust in other people. Trust in oneself. Trusting that if you are passionate
enough, things will work out. I
agree with this, but it is wayyyyyy easier said than done. I
am constantly struggling with trust and losing control in a situation,
which is something the authors talk about extensively.
The book says to think like this, spreading ideas and
building new ones instead of in a downward spiral of negativity.
My favorite part of the book was probably a little something
called “Rule Number 6.” Rule Number 6 basically means don’t take yourself too
seriously. Anytime you are feeling incredibly overwhelmed or stressed out,
lighten up! The authors say that
“humor and laughter are perhaps the best way we can get over ourselves” and I
totally agree. Sometimes I feel
like I get so stressed and just take everything way too seriously. People aren’t pulling their weight in a
group project, I’m 3 minutes late
to work (yes, I’m one of those people), or random happenings that I don’t plan
for can leave me feeling a tad crazy.
Remembering the importance of having fun and laughing is a great way to
be humbled back down to earth and to keep your sanity.
Another practice I really liked was “Giving an A.” The idea
of this is anytime you are going into a situation, you should give yourself and
others an A. People perform their
best when they feel they have nothing to lose so by giving them A’s, you are
setting them up for success.
Personally, I sometimes feel like I am not worthy when leading in a
group so the book also emphasizes giving an A to the leader as well. Everyone is on an equal playing ground
and you can therefore, move forward rather than keep trying to impress each
other. Labels are stupid. Every person has their purpose and
deserves to be here.
Like I’ve mentioned, the book brings up a lot of novel ideas
that are very different in the way most people think. They tend to be optimistic and compassionate but something I
kept thinking as I was reading was, “Man, you’ve got to be a mature person to
be able to do this.” One section
in particular that I thought was very interesting, and challenging, was Being
the Board. In this practice, you
put blame to the side. You accept
what is and you don’t blame others or yourself. This would be so hard to do! I feel like people are always
trying to prove that they aren’t wrong or something isn’t their fault, but this
book is telling us to do the opposite.
By blaming, you are putting yourself into a downwards spiral of
negativity and it only brings you down.
Being the Board helps you and the group move forward without dwelling on
things.
I’m really excited to put The Art of Possibility to practice in my own life. A few small changes could make a huge
impact in my leadership skills and personal life. It will take tons of practice and self-control, but I think
that if I truly buy into the practices, I will be a much more developed
person. I also hope to use some of
these concepts and activities they discussed in my groups next year to share
the message of the book. This book
has helped open my eyes to the potential I have and the potential within others. I better understand how to empower
others and tweak my thinking to be progressive, not destructive. Now, to wait and see all the possibilities
that will come my way…
