Gregory Bateson once famously said that everything is a metaphor for
something else. I find this statement resonates with my own thought process and
remarkably reflects how I use metaphors to teach.
Recently one of my friends made a passing remark that, in his opinion, I
would give up on my business plans and return to the safe ‘corporate’ work
within 1 year. He did not realise I overheard the remark, and in all honesty it
has no relevance, his opinion is as valid as those who have expressed
confidence in my venture.
For real innovation you must be prepared to walk against the flow of
conventionalism, true entrepreneurs are not afraid to swim against the
tide.
Taking the plunge into business can be a daunting prospect, a leap into
the unknown without certainty and riddled with doubt. The natural human
inclination is to seek approval and advice from those you value the most, close
friends or family, but are these the best source for impartial advice in such
matters?
Firstly lets examine the quirky British penchant for pessimism.
Linguistically, as a nation, we will always air on the side of caution – after
all its best not to get our hopes up, you need look no further than our World Cup
expectations for this.
If you asked a friend “How’s it going?”
The response might be “not bad.”
Or perhaps even “could be worse.”
Catching an optimistic Brit might bring you “getting there!”
We use a famous metaphor when deciding important professional decisions,
whether that is leaving a job, starting a new business or moving home.
‘The grass is not greener on the other side.”
Before we examine this metaphor I think it important at this juncture to
agree some premises for the blog, presuppositions agreed within NLP.
Firstly the map is not the territory. The world that I see is not the
world you, or anyone else sees.
We will delete, distort and generalise different information through our
senses. The information is further filtered through time & space, memories,
values, language and meta-programs resulting in the internal representation we
both have, which are very different ‘realities’.
Secondly, perception is projection. Often when offering advice, not dissimilar to some therapy;
the friend offering advice is actually talking to themselves They are
looking in a metaphorical mirror and seeing your face, but the reflection is
theirs and it is themselves they are counselling.
Once you understand these premises it becomes easier to apply
perspective to any advice received externally. It’s also important to develop
the idea that all advice is intended positively, however difficult to
understand at times from your model of the world. The friends that are excited
and optimistic see that in themselves so genuinely ‘feel’ that way, those who are
pessimistic, the same applies and through their pessimism they are providing you
with future reasons for failure. Intuitively
the same reasons that have protected them from taking risks in the past, they
are loaning you their safety blanket.
So what does the ‘greener grass’ metaphor mean, at least in my model of
the world? For some others it could mean that most people do not feel content
with their lawn, so are drawn to the other side of the road like a magpie
catching a glimpse of silver; only to be disappointed once they arrive. It
could also mean that your better staying with the lawn you have come to know,
adopting a ‘better staying with a half full glass of something you know’
mindset than gambling on a move to something unproven. If you’re part of being workforce it could mean that it is
better to have many hands working on a large pitch of grass as apposed to
working a small plot independently, safety in metaphorical numbers.
This is the wonderful gift of metaphors; if a picture paints a thousand words then a metaphor can paint a thousand
pictures.
In my world the grass is not ‘greener’; the colour of the grass is
actually irrelevant on arrival. It is what you do once you take ownership of
the grass that is important. Enthusiasm, altruism, energy and determination are
all qualities needed to tend your lawn. Working when nobody else is looking and at
times enduring the bad weather while remaining true to the cause will keep you
on track to develop a prize winning lawn. Listening to advice and understanding its higher intention helps
retain perspective because at the end of the day, we’re all amateur gardeners in
need of professional advice.
Phil Quirk
Co-Director of HBP-Training
www.hbp-training.com / phil.quirk@hbp-training.com
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/philip-quirk/47/351/747
