Insights

Einstein said that the definition of insanity was ‘doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results’ – if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got!

This phenomenon is sometimes called the ‘See-Do-Get Model’. When we find ourselves in a situation, we (subconsciously) look back to when we found ourselves in the same or similar circumstances to see what we did then. Even if this action didn’t bring us quite the ideal outcome we wanted, we are still strangely drawn to repeat that action and do the same things that we did previously………but we are still surprised and disappointed to get the same results!

Einstein said: The problem is the way you see the problem! – The best way to get a paradigm shift is to get more information.

Yet so many of us fall into this trap and the comfortable option of dealing with situations, both good and bad, in the same way that we usually do; a process of unconscious bias which confirms or updates our beliefs based on our own pre-existing beliefs, knowledge or experiences. We are trapped by these experiences and our own perspectives, and are blinkered to alternative thoughts, perspectives and solutions.

So how do we break free of this cycle?

When I’m coaching or running workshops, I ask people to actively think differently – challenge any assumptions that might have unintentionally been made; what other information about an issue or situation could be out there that would help to see a different way towards a better solution?

The best answer I have ever had to this challenge was a lady who volunteered in her free time as a swimming coach. The most common fear that her would-be swimmers faced was being scared of sinking and drowning. She had a very insightful and interesting way of tackling this issue. Instead of focusing on helping her class to float and swim, she actually challenged them to try to sink! (In the safety of the shallow end, so that the children could stand up at any time).

Especially for the youngsters, she would throw some coins into the water and say to them that if they could sink to the bottom and lie on top of the coins, they could keep them. If you have ever tried to sink to the bottom of a swimming pool you will know how difficult this is!

This activity provided a safe environment for the children to experiment and find out that actually we will naturally float due to the amount of air in our bodies. She succeeded in seeing the problem from the children’s’ perspective to find a way to help them overcome their fears.

So with their previous beliefs and fears now eliminated the trainees could now focus on learning to swim! Have you successfully solved a problem by turning it on its head and seeing it from the perspective of others?

Written by Julie Evans, Bsc, MPhil

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