Brand new Book Encourages Openness in order to Thrive Through Change and Obstacles
Ann Van Eron's new book Open Stance: Thriving Amid Differences and Uncertainty convincingly shows us that the simplest way we can improve our relationships and deal with life's changes and obstacles is usually to be open-minded, or adopt an open stance.
The book opens with a robust quote by Jim Collins, which perfectly sums up why this open stance is essential: "If the initial two decades of the twenty-first century have taught us anything, it is that uncertainty is chronic, instability is permanent, disruption is common, and we are able to neither predict nor govern events. There will be no new normal. There will only be a continuous group of not normal episodes defying prediction and unforeseen by many people until they happen." The response a lot of us might feel to the tumultuous change all over is to run and hide. Ann Van Eron understands that. She describes a vacation she took to Santorini, Greece, which she thinks of as her oasis because there she learned to relax, quit stressing, and become open to what was around her.
Since being on a perpetual vacation is not an option for most of us, Ann encourages us to find our own oases or pleasant memories of times when we felt open and relaxed and apply them to situations inside our lives which may be more difficult. Whenever we approach our obstacles with the same openness we approach a secondary or other positive things, we are able to shift to being more open-minded and finding methods to appreciate even the most difficult situations or come to find common ground with people we previously felt were too different for us to see eye-to-eye with.
Of course, being open or closed is all circumstances of mind. Ann teaches us how exactly to be aware of whenever we are closed-to be familiar with our thoughts and how they might be sabotaging us or preventing us from taking an open stance that may bring us greater fulfillment or satisfaction. She reminds us that people each have an internal spin doctor who tells us stories about situations, other people, and ourselves. We need to be aware of when the spin doctor is operating, twisting perspectives to create us look good and others less so. By watching our thoughts also to other people, we can open a door to possibilities.
As a business consultant, Ann spent some time working with numerous organizations to instruct their members how to take such an open stance. She's witnessed firsthand how companies confronted with diversity challenges have had employees shift to being open so they could co-create solutions. Now in Open Stance, she shares the tools and processes that have worked for the numerous people she's guided through the procedure. The book is split into four sections. Part One argues the case to be open, Part Two supplies a process for shifting to being open, Part Three shares practices for embodying an open stance, and Part Four encourages us to take action from an open stance to make the world a better place, whether in simple ways or larger ones in your local or global community.
Throughout the book, Ann shares not merely her own experiences helping others to become more open, but she backs up her statements with research, showing, for example, how employees are more engaged when they are open and experiencing wellbeing. The effect for companies is greater financial success and positive effect on their customers. By creating a workplace that is more open, people feel psychology safe, and they are more ready to share ideas, are more creative, and work better together.
While being open might sound easy, it requires learning to listen to other folks to understand them. Ann discusses such topics as empathy and how exactly to most probably to and curious about others. She also cautions us not to assume we can easily understand another. Can we really know what it's like to be in a wheelchair or to be unable to get a cab because of our skin color? However, openai can listen to others and come to understand why they hold the beliefs and opinions they do so we are able to find common ground.
We also can expand our emotional vocabulary to raised listen to ourselves. For instance, instead of use basic descriptions of emotions like happy, sad, or angry, we can expand to pinpoint whether we are frustrated, irritated, afraid, or annoyed. By becoming more alert to our emotions, we are able to develop greater emotional intelligence. We shall also then be better in a position to notice what emotions others are responding from so we are able to respond easier to them.
Some of this may seem like good sense, but it is easy to forget these practices if we are closed. It is also easy to forget what long-lasting ripple effects we are able to create simply by having "compassionate curiosity" and connecting to each other. Open Stance's final section is a true tour-de-force vision of how good the world could possibly be if we simply concentrate on being open, play the role of optimistic, and express gratitude.