This is not a new Cameron Diaz/Ben Stiller movie. Polarities are serious stuff. They are reoccurring and unsolvable problems that we deal with every day. One common polarity is WORK and HOME. For many of us, we need to manage the polarity Work Life and Home Life. If we focus on one ‘too much’ it tends to impact the other. They are interdependent. We can’t solve the polarity (problem) of Work and Home, we need to manage it. Here is another example. Steve (Collabrium partner) was coaching a leader who was wrestling with what he called a problem. His problem (polarity) was Productivity and Presence. He explained that he has difficulty getting work done (being Productive) when he is ‘out and about’ in the organization attending meetings and chatting with people (being Present). On the other hand, if he is ‘heads down’ getting his work done in his office with the door closed (being productive), he fears that people will not view him as present. Another common polarity leaders face is Change And Stability. If leaders focus too much on driving change, they can destabilize an organization. On the contrary, if they focus too much on stability (not rocking the boat), they might miss important opportunities for organizational improvement. What polarities are you trying to solve vs. manage?
Adapted from the work of Barry Johnson
