from a distance...

We usually think of distance in terms of physical space, but it can often be length of time or even emotional separation. We have all experienced moments of clarity when we manage to get an objective perspective of our situation, but all too often we get caught up, or too involved in our own situation to see the whole picture, identify all the opportunities and make the best decisions. So what's stopping us?



Judgment. All too often, we are judging ourselves, judging others, judging the situation. We blame ourselves for being sad and thus pile anger on top of the sadness to make the situation worse, or we think someone is a little strange and thus lose out on making a great friend. This judgment is catastrophic for creativity and change. After all, our judgments are based on what we already know, creativity and change (by definition) are both outside of the realm of what we already know.



So, in order to create a climate which fosters creativity, be it for ourselves or for an organisation, we must learn the first rule of creativity, "defer judgment," at least for a while. Eventually, we will need to make a decision and good judgment will be crucial, but we will have given ourselves the distance to maybe learn something new about ourselves, our organization or the world.



When has judgement cost you an opportunity or made life harder?

When have you been able to succesfully defer judgment? What was the result?

Have you ever noticed someone else too involved in their own situation to see the big picture?