What are they talking about?
Are we really paying attention?
Recently I watched a well-produced, short video post on performance and the presenter was prosecuting their branded narrative on consistency in marketing, which is a valid message. They also drew a freehand graph to support their storytelling.
It had a great response with multiple ‘likes’ and affirmative ‘comments’ from leaders, coaches and experts across multiple industries, declaring 100% support.
Only one problem.
The sketch was wrong – or to be precise – it was impossible, much like Escher’s ‘Ascending and Descending’. The presenter had mixed up the two axes of the graph, so it showed activity that could go backwards in time. A simple mistake but a little ironic given the video was about consistency.
No one had commented. Are we really paying attention?
Do we all just hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see? (I worry at times that I might).
Gestalt psychology could explain why we are able to fill in the missing pieces but perhaps we should be applying more critical thinking to what is actually being said and done.
Break it down and thoroughly understand it, rather than accepting things at face value.
Rant over, my apologies.
Image: MC Escher’s drawing ‘Ascending and Descending’. The impossible stairs was an idea originally conceived by Oscar Reutersvard in 1937, then independently imagined by both Penrose (Penrose Stair) and MC Escher, in the 1950’s.
Does managing the business of your small architectural practice feel like ascending or descending the impossible stairs?
So they can step-up to their Next Level and convert their project-passion into Sustainable Prosperity, transforming their striving into thriving.
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