It's all about place

One of the 10 components that make up a Thinking Environment is Place.  Why is that important?  Well think about it.  When you’re thinking, making decisions where are you in terms of place? 

You’re leading a team.  You’re dealing with conflict.  There’s a project that’s behind schedule.  There’s teenagers making you seethe because of their behaviour.  There’s toddlers demanding instant, constant, unending attention.  There’s partners, friends urging you to do something you don’t really want, or have the capacity, to do.  There’s a myriad of other things that potentially can go wrong and you’re always firefighting.  Where are you in that moment when you need to take a decision about what to do next?  Where are you physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually?

Good decisions rely on place
For if you’re not in the right place, in all these aspects, the quality of your thinking will inevitably be less than it could be.  The decisions you make as a result will in all likelihood not be one of your best, not listed your top 10 of excellent decisions you’ve taken.  How then, do you get to be in the ‘right place’.

There’s a number of ways to do this and for each person it’s an individual choice as, being individuals, one thing that suits you in a particular context will not suit you in another.  Likewise whatever works for you in that context might not, would not, could not work for someone else. 

My go to is to be connected to nature in some way, even for a few seconds looking out of the window watching the wind sway the trees outside.  To switch off metaphorically and, if possible physically, all the noise and chatter that distracts, that plays no part in helping me resolve the issue.  For some it’s being surrounded, embraced by music, for others it’s sitting in a warm bath or meditating.

Place is more than physical space
The key is to look back at when you made that decision that sits comfortably in your top ten, or even better in your top three.  Close your eyes and go back to that time.  Revisit the occasion and ask yourself, where was I?  Where was I physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.  What was the issue?  What process did I take to understand and think, really think about what should be done?

By far and away the better option though is to fully embrace all of the components that make up a Thinking Environment.  To have a thinking partner that knows how to generate the environment that allows for quality thinking and decision making.  It’s amazing how much you can do in a very short space of time when you’re in that environment.  Because then, you’re in the right place.
 
Go to Nancy Kline’s website to learn more about the Thinking Environment or to discover our training go here.