Finding A Way With Others

Originally posted in January 2007 and the issue at hand long forgotten, this post reminds me that  answers can come from the places you least expect them. And with that, a blast from the past!

We have an problem to solve and I think we may have found a window in a room full of walls.  Let me explain.

I have written before about how, in HR, we are bound by many rules and regulations that the challenge lies in us finding ways to get the job done in spite of them by working in between the black and white and in the grey. Beware of self-imposed interpretations that, at times, can be more restrictive than they need to be.

Part of the challenge is getting out of the muck and looking at an issue from a completely different perspective. In a post on Fast Company, the author, Donna Karlin, leads with a quote bu Anais Nin that is so very appropriate, " We don't see things are they are, we see things as we are."

Getting beyond ourselves and realizing what we thought was an absolute, non-negotiable truth, is not that at all, is an exhilarating feeling. In this case at hand, what we thought was a solid wall may not be at all. There may be a way around, or better yet - right through - this wall. And this is where we are today - giddy all the way.

How did we get here? Not by any planful way at all but through a series of conversations, venting sessions and frustrating  interactions all converging, blending, stirring and leading up to one "AHA" moment - spitting out a possibility on my way into work this morning. My thoughts ranged from "of course, why didn't we see that sooner?" to suddenly placing a new light on previous interactions and conversations .

I am only able to accomplish the things that I do because of those around me and today, we may have stumbled upon a window in a seemingly airtight room. But you know what, even if we find out that this isn't the answer, it has reminded me of the value in discussing issues, of listening to dissenting opinions, of allowing all sides of an issue to be presented, and more so, of valuing the contribution of every individual.