On making sense

My website was hacked earlier in the summer, which caused some hiatus in my publishing schedule – of course one delay led to another and before you know it weeks have passed. The extended break turned into something longer than expected but also provided an opportunity to think about use and value and creativity – particularly in the current climate.
I don’t have 10 Top Tips to resolving the current economic recession, or to creating work where none exists or to solving the myriad dilemmas that clients face. The question then of course is – well what can you offer that’s of any use? Sometimes it’s hard to answer that question – maybe that’s why a break from blogging can turn into a longer than expected absence.
For those of us interested in emotion and unconscious processes in organisations the current state of the world is a fascinating arena. Nothing much makes sense and that which does is often fleeting. The gap between intention and behaviour grows and trusted ways of interpreting the world don’t appear to work any more. But there are ways of making sense of the world that don’t involve trying and failing to fix it. Most of my recent work with clients has been helping them navigate relationships and behaviour that on the surface doesn’t make sense. In most cases those behaviours and relationships have shifted and transformed – but I couldn’t in good conscience say that what I offer is a sure fired, tried and tested methodology that will guarantee results. It’s that kind of thinking that has contributed to the mess we appear to be facing.
Managing complexity, anxiety, uncertainty and eschewing quick-fix solutions while at the same time trying to be in that uncertainty as you try to make sense of it is complicated work – but it’s the kind of work I am drawn to and the kind of work my clients seem to appreciate. organisations it’s the challenge of mediating and navigating complex relationships without offering a fixed solution or outcome.