How To Ignite Human Brilliance : Difference

In this series of blog posts, I will be exploring the 10 Components of a Thinking Environment® and bringing each component to life by sharing my own personal experiences and stories of how these components make a positive difference in the world.

All quoted text is attributed to Nancy Kline, unless otherwise indicated.

The 10 Components of a Thinking Environment® are: Attention, Equality, Ease, Appreciation, Feelings, Encouragement, Information, Difference, Incisive Questions^TM and Place.

Click on each component above to read a blog relating to each one.

This post explores the component of Difference.

Difference is about “prioritising diversity of group identities and understanding their lived experience.” Knowing that “the mind works best in the presence of reality. Reality is diverse.” And “homogeneity is a myth.”

This refers to acknowledging and respecting the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences that each individual brings to a group. This concept is rooted in the principles of inclusivity and empathy.

"Honouring Difference" in a Thinking Environment® speaks to the importance of creating a respectful and inclusive environment that values and leverages the diverse perspectives and experiences of all its members. This approach not only enriches thinking but also fosters a culture of empathy and collaboration.

By embracing and welcoming diversity, of people and of thinking, a Thinking Environment® becomes fertile soil for bold, fresh, innovative ideas to emerge and take root.

The explicit seeking and protecting of Difference in the ways we gather and think is a much-needed antidotes to the pervasive and dangerous cultures of ‘fitting in’.

I recently saw the above image on social media with the caption “Just because you fit it, does not mean it’s where you belong.” It really struck a chord with me. Having spent 30 years working inside of organisations big and small, I have experienced several moments when I felt like a zesty mandarin segment trying to squeeze myself into a bulb of stinky garlic.

And, I am acutely aware that the pressure I have experienced to betray or supress the things that make me different was nothing compared to what others experience.

As a middle-class white woman, the pressures I experienced was mainly about supressing my longing to care about others and feel cared about by the people I worked with. I felt pressure to be more ‘masculine’, to have more of an ‘edge’, basically to lock my heart away and get on with the business of delivering measurable results in the fastest and most efficient way possible (regardless of the human cost). Once, in a performance review a manager told me directly “You know, the problem with you Cassie is that you care too much. If you ever want to make it as an executive, you have to learn how to care less.”

Research from the Diversity Council of Australia tells us that shockingly:

• 83% of people who identify as culturally and racially marginalised women report experiencing pressure to act, look and sound like existing leaders
• 67% of people who identify as culturally and racially marginalised women report having to “act white” to get ahead

As the research of Brene Brown so clearly highlights, belonging flows from authenticity. In her words: “The minute I become who you want me to be in order to fit in is the moment I no longer belong anywhere.”

Belonging is vitally important for thinking because we can’t think well if we can’t think as ourselves. In order to think well we need to feel we can belong, we can be part of the group, as ourselves, diverse from the group.

Sadly, that so many people feel like they don’t belong in the organisations and communities they are part of. Recent research from McKinsey revealed that 51% of employees who left their job in the past 6 months lacked a sense of belonging.

Now more than ever before we must embrace and harness Difference in order to navigate the wicked challenges we are faced with, both within our organisations and institutions and in our communities.

Difference is essential to our capacity to do brave, clear, good thinking. Difference explodes our narrow assumptions and catapults us to above our invisible biases and prejudices. It firmly ground us back into the reality of what is and bursts the bubble of what should be.

Often in my work within organisations I observe polarisation, especially around change. Given tight timeframes and pressured budgets I often see leaders default to simplistic ‘black and white’ thinking that leaves no space for Difference in terms of divergent thinking. This can result in messages along the lines of “You’re either on the bus or off the bus.” Of course, when our jobs enable us to put good food on the table for our families, pay the rent and go on the occasional holiday - most people zip their lips and quietly take a seat on the bus. 

However, the most respected and the most successful leaders I know invest time to create the space for Difference. They ensure everyone knows that is it OK to have a different perspective. They understand that that difference of opinion is essential.  They are the leaders who have a natural ability to make you feel like you matter, and that you belong.

And now more that ever before we need more leaders who have the courage to embrace Difference. So much depends on our capacity to be open to divergent perspective.

Jean Houston said it better than I ever could: “We are among the most important people to have ever lived. We will determine whether humankind will grow or die, evolve or perish. We will need a gathering of the potentials of the whole human race and the particular genius in every culture if we are going to survive our time.”

In conclusion

The only way to really understand the power of a Thinking Environment® is to experience it. The more I practice embodying the ten components, and the more people I share it with, the more natural and easeful the components become.

“We will get to a new and better world with new and better thinking. Brave thinking that dismantles denial. Thinking that is the simplicity on the far side of complexity.” Nancy Kline

Hi there, I'm Cassandra Goodman.

I'm a former global executive turned accredited Thinking Environment™ Trainer and Facilitator.I love empowering people to activate their own brilliance - and the brilliance of those around them.

Are you ready to ignite the brilliance in your team or organisation? 

The Thinking Environment is both a framework you can learn, and a way of being you can practice.

Learn about my workshop offerings here.

Or reach out to explore possibilities [email protected]