#GuildChat for 08/18/17: Gaining Perspective

Our next #GuildChat takes place Friday, August 18th at 11AM PT/2PM ET. This week’s topic is Gaining Perspective.

In L&D, as in many other areas, we are continually bombarded with new ideas, tools, approaches and strategy. Our organizations can change direction quickly adding a new layer of complexity to our daily activities. Even at the project level we can become inundated with influence in the form of stakeholder’s  input and new information – enough to cause paralysis!

But is paralysis a bad thing?

It’s in these moments that we realize might be needing to step away and gain a new perspective. It’s not enough to simply pause and re-evaluate information and direction quickly, sometimes we need to detach completely. But how does one do this? Really do this… Is their too much risk from stepping out (way out) for a considerable time period or do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?

In this week’s #GuildChat we step back to look closer at the act of stepping back. We’ll explore the approaches and exercises in the effort to clear ones head, take a different angle or take a deep breath. How does this work in a complex environment? Can it? What forms does it take? And how do others view one’s who call for a “time out”. Have you stepped out? How did it work out? Join us!

Prospective questions:

Q1. We know the value of focus but what’s the risk of being too heads down in your own work?
Q2. What can you gain from taking time to step away from your work and get new perspective?
Q3. What do you risk from taking time to step away from your work?
Q4. What are the signs that you need to step away because you’re losing perspective?
Q5. What’s your process for stepping back and thinking about your work from a new angle?
Q6. If you’re taking a break, what can you do to ensure you’re gaining new perspective when away?
Q7. How do you keep from getting back into old habits after you return from a break?
Q8. Are there things your team (or groups) can do to help step back and gain new perspective together?

Missed this GuildChat? Don’t worry – you can still read through what happened on our Storify of the chat!