“Something to chew on over breakfast”
Last evening, as I was leaving work and locking the door of our office, a 30-something year old woman from our neighbouring office said hello and started a conversation with me. “What do you guys actually do?”, she asked.
“We’re in the leadership business”, I replied.
“What sort of leadership?”, she asked.
“Senior leadership,” I answered.
“You mean for people over 65?” she enquired.
I drove home reflecting on the conversation and the about the question of this friendly, well meaning neighbour. In doing so I gained a whole new insight into the meaning of ‘unconscious bias’ and how the meaning of some words is changing. When I was a boy, people over 65 were known as ‘pensioners’. Now they are known as ‘seniors’.
My reflections also brought back to my attention the psychological concepts of ‘transference’ and ‘projection’. I wondered if my 30 year old colleague had been in this situation and used the words “senior leadership” whether the meaning might have been interpreted differently.
Some good learnings; in future I will be much more precise. “We are in the strategic leadership business”, will be my answer.
I hope this snippet gives you some interesting ‘food-for-thought’ over your morning ‘long black’.
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