Managing Identities
The Sunday Morning Church of ATTENTION Managing Identities
I spent most of the year in Managing Identities class finding, naming, labeling, introducing us (Id’s), and finally it’s time to put together a managing strategy.
There was the one strategy of keeping some identities out of the way. Having the ‘Doubter’ meeting a new client was not appropriate or effective. Even ‘outlaw Gary’ was not a good fit for a structured organization like Toastmasters. That was a case of recognizing the incongruity of a bad fit.
Managing meant finding the best or most appropriate identity for the job, so I thought of The One Minute Manager. Identities have a great ability to morph, to change, often chameleon like into another identity that when pressured to perform fall into being an ‘Excuser’, ‘Blamer’, or a “Whatever,’ someone who doesn’t care or goes stupid.
Spending a lot of time getting to know the Id’s and their skills was useful for The One Minute Manager and creating a dialogue by pinpointing the appropriate Id, then getting the Id involved in the process. Once they got involved I found they enjoyed the project.
Spending a lot of time getting to know the Id’s and their skills was useful for The One Minute Manager and creating a dialogue by pinpointing the appropriate Id, then getting the Id involved in the process. Once they got involved I found they enjoyed the project.
“It’s a fit” and the Id served as Rumi wrote, “Work is Love made visible.”
Using The One Minute Manager required evaluating and coaching. So the question of how to hold the attention of internal state long enough to coach. The valuation was easy as long as there was a goal, a decision to take action and create or handle something. It became obvious that whenever ‘Whatever’ was involved there would not be a positive outcome. Lethargy, laziness, inertia, all are Id’s that create more lethargy, laziness and inertia. Those Id’s need jobs of rest, recouping, or just hanging out. It takes the Manager’s intervention to call forth the proper Id. This is a tricky part when most of the Id think they know what to do better than each other.
To step away with beginners mind, watch and observe made it all possible. Becoming non-identified with self or non-attached was key. It became possible by observing how Id’s spoke in different vocal tones, had different and limited gestures and postures, different weight, used different words, and very diverse intentions. Catching a glimpse in a mirror of a facial expression differentiated my ‘inner critic’ from the ‘doubter’.
Using The One Minute Manager is a powerful tool for separating behavior from the Id’s. Having the ability to separate behaviors, an over view, an almost omnipresent essence, actually another Id, is essential to Managing Identities.
It’s time to thank ‘Mr Writer’ ask ‘Mr Editor,’ a very important Id, to edit grammar, and then Mr. Maintenance gets to trim to overhanging ivy on our house.
It’s nice to get the right person for the job.