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Making the Invisible Visible

Chuck Powell • Jul 09, 2019
Making the Invisible Visible
Paul Klee supposedly said, “Art does not reflect what is seen, rather it makes the hidden visible.” I say supposedly because I would have to do more than cursory research to ensure I had his actual words. So, it is true with all relationships in life. We can choose to take something at face value or we can make genuine effort to get closer to, understand, and embrace a vision closer to reality, of wholeness – to make the invisible visible.

When we first meet an individual, we get their name, take in their physical appearance – note the visible. Yet, we don’t know – unless we engage over time – their beliefs, their preferences, their practices, their potential. Organizations are similar. We need to focus on a variety of people/settings/situations to gain a true sense of organizational culture. And we have to be conscious of the enablers to our capacity for blindness. Others, unconsciously and consciously, passively and actively, can work to keep us from knowing about them or their workplaces.

How can we make the imperceptible apparent? It starts with curiosity, a mindset to engage in discovery going beyond the superficial, not being satisfied with scratching the surface; instead, getting to the essence of what is being examined. It requires an openness to finding differences from what we knew or believed. It takes effort. It takes discipline. We often say we do not have the time, but the investment of minutes brings huge dividends in hours, even days.

The goal is awareness of other – individuals, groups, societies – and self. A stunning insight arises from the acceptance that we do not know it all, nor do we have to; that we have help, that we have partners. The benefits are new and deeper relationships. Integration, rather than an insular view, results in a more global understanding. Moreover, we are increasingly likely to conduct optimal assessments, make informed decisions, drive sustained implementation of our initiatives, and cultivate attributes for future endeavors. 

After digging in various sites, I am reasonably sure that Franklin Thomas did say, “One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings.” His sentiment can be extended to groups, nations, and societies. When we comprehend that difference makes us much more effective in our words and deeds, then we can get down to the really important business of healing, saving, and developing.

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