No middle ground

I wrote this to a friend of mine this morning.

"Mike,

In looking through all the blogs this morning, it occurred to me that we don't have to sit between polar opposites.

Nor do we have to compromise.

We simply have to take a stand, think out our rationale, smile, and offer suggestions as to how others might benefit from participation.

Pete"

My friend is wrestling with a new concept that he is seeking a name for, a process that can be both extraordinary and difficult.

While reading some of the blogs that I follow (not many, I'm jealous of my time) I suddenly had an insight when looking at the incredible photography you can find on "Extraordinary Light".

Renee has just posted some simply brilliant shots of really ordinary things - rusty sheds, crushed cans, wet fence posts - and produced her usual magic with natural light and her innate creativity.

Then I re-read one of Mike's blogs, and it got me thinking again about Time and Distance.

It got me to thinking about the Space between things.

Politics is the art of comprise - something I personally hate - and War is politics by other means - also something I hate.

But Politics is not a polar opposite, and War is.

So the conundrum is about the alternatives to War - negotiation, discussion, sharing, caring, respect, all of which are not polar opposites either.

Then it occurred to me that Leadership might well be the solution.

Leaders take people where they don't know they can go.

Leaders inspire, challenge, motivate, and create momentum where there is fear and homeostasis.

Leaders challenge the ordinary in us, and bring out the special, unique qualities that make us all different.

Renee's photography always makes my heart beat faster, yet makes me strangely calm. In her images I see creativity, inspiration, and an open and honest appreciation for what is natural but not obvious.

You have to look for the magic that she captures so brilliantly.

And that is the key. You have to look.

Desire, conviction, action, the last three steps in the Salesman's credo AIDCA.

Where is this going?

As I said to Mike, perhaps we don't have to sit in the middle between polar opposites. Perhaps all we have to do is take a stand, and stand by it, using our intelligence to provide a rationale that has appetite appeal and attracts like Minds.

And talk about things in a meaningful manner, with the objective of making a connection and not a position or a conquest.

As a very great friend said to me once when I was struggling to come up with the title for a book, "Pete, all the knowledge in the world is worthless if you don't share it".

There it is - share what you have, share what you know.

I'll start the ball rolling - if you would like the benefit of forty years of thinking and study into human performance, send me an email address, and I'll send you back a book called "Chapter 8".

It's about Leadership, Making Peace, and succeeding as a human being.

Or you can just go to earlier blogs here and copy it down in parts.

Over to you.