NICK WRIGHT
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Front to back

28/12/2019

38 Comments

 
Picture
‘It’s front-to-back!’, my daughter would say with a smile – when she was two. It was creative genius, depicting the meaning of the phrase, back-to-front, in how she structured the sentence itself. It’s a word play suggesting that something is, somehow, the wrong-way-round. This notion of wrong-way-round itself suggests implicitly that there is a right-way-round. Our notions of right-way-round are usually an indicator of convention, function or perspective rather than something that is, per se.

Take, for instance: ‘The West is in the East if you’re standing in Vladivostok.’ The statement only makes sense if we hold a Eurocentric view of the world, in which countries on the left of a flat, traditional map are regarded as the West, corresponding to directions on a compass, and those on the right are (progressively) East. If we form the map into a globe, however, everywhere is relatively West and East of everywhere else, marked only in relation to other places by relative direction and distance.

We could instead take, say, a geo-political view in which places are distinguished or related by location, terrain, access or resources. Or we could take, say, a socio-anthropological view in which places are distinguished or related by history, tradition, language and culture. There is no one, definitive, way of looking at and making sense of what is in the world. Whatever statement I make reveals an implicit personal-cultural construct; a hidden backdrop of beliefs, values and assumptions.

How easy do you find it to view things front-to-back at work, to notice, reveal and challenge existing paradigms and perspectives? If you do it well, what then becomes possible?

Do you need help with front-to-back thinking? Get in touch! nick-wright.com
38 Comments
Mike Johnson
28/12/2019 01:23:30 pm

Good post! Looking at things differently than others reveals opportunities they do not see. Changing perspective is like having 10 eyes in a one-eye world.

Reply
Nick Wright
28/12/2019 01:47:11 pm

Thanks Mike '10 eyes on a one-eyed world'. What a great visual metaphor!

Reply
Bianca Boyce
28/12/2019 01:24:49 pm

I hope you had a great Christmas Nick. All the best for the new year 😊

Reply
Nick Wright
28/12/2019 01:49:23 pm

Thanks Bianca. And you too! :)

Reply
Richard Gold
28/12/2019 11:20:26 pm

Having read your thought-provoking post, wishing you a Happy New Year seems a bit of an arbitrary greeting. But Happy New Year anyway. 😀

Reply
Nick Wright
28/12/2019 11:21:19 pm

Thanks Richard. And Happy New Year to you too! 😀

Reply
Zoryna O’Donnell MBA FInstLM
29/12/2019 08:39:46 pm

Happy New Year to you, Nick.

Reply
Nick Wright
29/12/2019 08:40:59 pm

Happy New Year to you too, Zoryna - snd thank you for sharing this post on LinkedIn.

Reply
Marie-José Hakens, Drs.
29/12/2019 08:43:22 pm

Everything is relative and subjective ánd nothing is personal in that things/experiences/perspectives change -are changeable. And that ‘freedom of certainty’ takes a lot of guts and responsability 😉 letting go, releasing, playfully changing perspectives again and again and again. Or not 😎

Reply
Nick Wright
29/12/2019 08:46:25 pm

Hi Marie-José. I’m curious: did you mean “freedom of uncertainty” or, perhaps, “freedom from certainty”?

Reply
Marie-José Hakens, Drs.
30/12/2019 11:11:18 am

Nick, not a native english speaker 😉 indeed, the letting go of/going beyond certainty and control. Beyond the (illusion of) safety that lies in judgement, categorising, perspectives and convictions/ideas that are set in stone.

Nick Wright
30/12/2019 11:22:51 am

Thanks Marie-José. I find your use of English language impressive! 😀 I just wanted to check, to make sure I had understood you correctly. On the theme of letting go and going beyond certainty, you may find this short related piece interesting? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/not-knowing

Marie-José Hakens, Drs.
30/12/2019 12:42:58 pm

Nick, interesting indeed and I read between the lines that, to be able to incorparate it into your work-field, you have lived and are living it ‘on a personal level’ (as in 24/7 ;) ). Living wisdom that invites beyond ‘having to know it all’.

Nick Wright
30/12/2019 12:48:42 pm

Thanks Marie-José. Yes, in my field of work, knowing too much (e.g. about a client’s situation) is often a distinct dis-advantage. Not-knowing is an important principle in my spirituality too, enabling me to be open to learn, experience and be transformed.

Rosie Elson
2/1/2020 11:36:44 am

I always try not to see or understand situations and opinions from just one/my own perspective. Becoming aware of different perspectives can be exhausting, lead to discussions or make me question myself.
But I also want to enable other people to think less rigidly too. Being flexible and empathetic, developing understanding for others, looking at the world from different possibilities, makes us all grow.

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 01:35:15 pm

Hi Rosie. Yes - that's very true. Seeking to see things from multiple perspectives can be hard work, especially if it causes us to question our own personal-cultural beliefs and assumptions.

Reply
Ed Shirhall
2/1/2020 09:41:45 pm

Perspective!

Reply
Nick Wright
2/1/2020 09:42:34 pm

Hi Ed. Can you say more..?

Reply
Ian Henderson
3/1/2020 01:08:05 pm

Happy New Year Nick and thanks for the insight which, I believe, is so true and aids creativity.

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 01:09:00 pm

Happy New Year to you too, Ian. Yes - and innovation.

Reply
Milton Miltiadous
3/1/2020 01:37:29 pm

You can always “reframe” any perception! Especially, when things do not go your way; both in your professional or personal life.

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 01:37:58 pm

Hi Milton. Do you have any examples from experience that you could share here?

Reply
Milton Miltiadous
3/1/2020 10:33:31 pm

Hi Nick,
Plenty of examples!
I have had made both some good and bad decisions throughout my life; with time I have looked at what has happened and reviewed both the pleasurable ones or of course critically analyzes the damage done with the bad ones!
Even though some of them were painful, in the process I have always learnt a lesson ( reframing a negative experience and making it a learning experience; hopefully, never to be repeated!)

Nick Wright
3/1/2020 10:35:27 pm

Hi Milton. Thank you for such an honest response. That’s a great example of positive reframing. 👍

K.V. Simon
3/1/2020 01:49:03 pm

Daring to question will drive change.

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 01:50:11 pm

Hi K.V. 'Daring' is an interesting word. On that theme, you may find this short related piece interesting? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/disruptive-influence

Reply
E.G.Sebastian - CPC, CSL
3/1/2020 01:52:41 pm

Hmmm... Nick, I thought you shaved your head... till I scrolled a little more and recognized that "Oh, it's not his face..." 🤪

I think this dude (the image) is scaring people away - it's really freaky.

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 01:55:03 pm

Hi E.G. I too found the image a bit disturbing, disorientating. In my experience, that's sometimes what if feels like when we encounter 'front to back', e.g. when crossing cultures into radically-different beliefs, perspectives and experiences.

Reply
Shannon Chappell
3/1/2020 10:20:14 pm

Excellent. When we lead like Jesus we empower our people, put an end to the blame game before it can even begin, and often unlock creativity that leads to being able to bless our company while growing those "under" us. 

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 10:22:11 pm

Thanks Shannon. Yes, and Jesus is a perfect exemplar of front-to-back thinking in a back-to-front world!

Reply
Ryan Barretto
3/1/2020 10:24:06 pm

Interesting perspective.  I call it being willing to see things from another dimension / viewpoint.  Not everyone can do it, let alone willingly.  

This is something which is a work in progress for me, that improves every day. It is astonishingly easy to stay stuck in your personal world view.

Thanks for the reminder, Nick.

Reply
Nick Wright
3/1/2020 10:26:09 pm

Thanks for such an honest response, Ryan. It’s a constant work-in-progress for me too.

Reply
Joshua Freedman
5/1/2020 12:50:25 pm

Nick, intriguing question. For me, EQ often helps me see that another’s experience is real and their perspective is legitimate even if I don’t get it or even if I disagree. This shift opens the possibility of connection and solution.

Reply
Nick Wright
5/1/2020 12:51:22 pm

Thanks Joshua. It sounds like you have some valuable experiences in this area. Do you have an example you could share here?

Reply
Merinda Smith
5/1/2020 12:52:09 pm

I love this take on a situation - it is all about reframing the situation and seeing ti from another perspective. Great concept.

Reply
Nick Wright
5/1/2020 12:52:47 pm

Hi Merinda - and thank you for such encouraging feedback! :)

Reply
Barbara A. Mellor
9/1/2020 03:53:20 am

When I was a kid I thought: it’s 7 of one or 10...still haven’t grown up.

Reply
Nick Wright
9/1/2020 08:18:33 am

Hi Barbara. I’m intrigued. Can you say more..?

Reply



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    ​Nick Wright

    ​I'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? ​Get in touch!

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