Let go of your anchors!

Ships have anchors to hold it in place.  Is the anchor useful?  Absolutely.  Without the anchor, the ship drifts aimlessly.  But what happens when the anchored ship is caught in a sudden storm?  If the ship’s crew doesn’t let the anchor go, the ship will be swamped by waves.  The crew cuts their ties to the anchor to ride out the storm in the sea.  “They needed to be free from what was normally a useful source of stability.  Their lives depended on it.”  So, the anchor can be an ASSET and a LIABILITY.  A paradox!

Individuals and organizations have their respective anchors that serve both as an asset and a liability.  As individuals, our systems of beliefs or “ego” are our anchors.  For organizations, anchors are imbedded in their culture or “ego.”  These anchors are sources of stability in how best to cope in our world. [Read more…]