Consulting from the Balcony – Perspective taking for everyone
You want to be the best person, the best professional, the best partner, the best parent you can be. I believe everyone does.
And sometimes you get stuck.
People figuring things out usually have some kind of story about what happened and why. But our perspective is frequently limited. We go over and over the circumstance and just can’t figure our way out. The tools that brought us to that place aren’t the tools we need to move on. We need someone to help us perceive more, to engage differently, to move forward with curiosity, openheartedness, and determination.
I reached out to CB during a challenging time in my career. CB was a rockstar offering a mixture of concrete support, big hearted acceptance, and a humane understanding of conflict which allowed me to respond intentionally and safely to a potentially explosive situation. Utilizing humor and brains, CB is a real deal straight shooter offering kindness, insight, compassion with practical know-how.
~Michael Carter, LICSW
In one-on-one or small group work, I join you from a metaphorical balcony, deck, boardwalk, or roof. We seek perspective that is unavailable from close up.
You’ve likely experienced this. Perhaps you’ve looked over a crowded room from the balcony and noticed how different the perspective is from that of someone on the floor. A person on the floor may experience someone bumping into them from behind and make a up story to explain what happened – “That rude person bumped me!”
Making up stories to explain something is one of the most human things we do. Although humans are also curious, curiosity and story-making don’t always happen in the order that is most helpful. The wrong story often leads us to take wrong, or unhelpful, action.
The person on the balcony might be able to notice that bump happened because a person tripped. They were not rude so much as had a challenge that was not obvious up close. The balcony provides perspective, a pause into which to insert curiosity. It is easier to take a moment to curious when one is not personally in the middle of the dance floor, crowded pier, family meal, or workplace.
I believe that every single person wants to do and be their best in this life. There are blocks to our being our best — lack of perspective, information, insight or practice; emotional reactions that come from somewhere (or sometime) else; challenges to differentiate what we can and cannot control, how we can and cannot change ourselves and our circumstances.
Every person and group has the potential to experience transformational change by embracing clear perspective, curiosity, accurate information, and transparent decision-making and communication processes.
Unfortunately, our usual lives don’t leave time and space for perspective taking as we rush from one thing to the next on our to-do lists without a breath to clarify our own thoughts, never mind reflect on those of our co-workers, or notice the many parts of our circumstances that are hidden to us.
That’s what I help with.
I don’t stay on the balcony. It is a metaphorical tool I reference as I join clients in the muck of figuring things out. You set goals. We chat and notice. We wonder. We hypothesize, try things, and realize.
I support the bravery and committment it takes to really do the work of change and development. I help people find perspective. I experience how you describe your life or work, hold it gently, and bring curiosity, focus, support and guidance as you notice new things, and readjust accordingly.
You want explore partnering with me in this way?
We can set up a single or series of 50-minute hour video conference conversations, with individuals or small working groups.
I offer a free 20 minute introductory conversation during which we will discuss your goals and challenges, and what I might bring to the table to support your next move toward your goals.
Contact me justiceandpeaceconsulting [at] gmail [dot] com or use the contact form on the front page of this site to set up a time.
* This is a metaphor I first encountered in Ronald A Heifetz’s ‘Leadership without Easy Answers.’