Ann Van Eron's new book Open Stance: Thriving Amid Differences and Uncertainty convincingly shows us that the simplest way we can improve our relationships and cope with life's changes and obstacles is usually to be open-minded, or adopt an open stance.
The book opens with a robust quote by Jim Collins, which perfectly sums up why this open stance is necessary: "If the initial 2 decades of the twenty-first century have taught us anything, it really is that uncertainty is chronic, instability is permanent, disruption is common, and we can neither predict nor govern events. There will be no new normal. There will only be a continuous series of not normal episodes defying prediction and unforeseen by most people until they happen." The response a lot of us might feel to the tumultuous change all around us is to run and hide. Ann Van Eron understands that. She describes a secondary she took to Santorini, Greece, which she thinks of as her oasis because there she learned to relax, quit stressing, and become open to what was around her.
Since being on a perpetual vacation isn't an option for most people, Ann encourages us to find our own oases or pleasant memories of times whenever we felt open and relaxed and apply them to situations in our lives that may be more difficult. Whenever we approach our obstacles with the same openness we approach a vacation or other positive things, we can shift to being more open-minded and finding methods to appreciate even probably the most difficult situations or arrived at find common ground with people we previously felt were too different for us to see eye-to-eye with.
Needless to say, being open or closed is all a state of mind. Ann teaches us how to be aware of whenever we are closed-to be familiar with our thoughts and how they could be sabotaging us or preventing us from taking an open stance that may bring us greater fulfillment or peace of mind. She reminds us that we each have an internal spin doctor who tells us stories about situations, other folks, and ourselves. We have to be aware of when the spin doctor is operating, twisting perspectives to make us look good among others less so. By watching our thoughts and to other people, we can open a door to possibilities.
As a small business consultant, Ann spent some time working with numerous organizations to instruct their members how to take this open stance. She has witnessed firsthand how companies confronted with diversity challenges experienced employees shift to being open so that they could co-create solutions. Now in Open Stance, she shares the tools and processes that have worked for the many people she's guided through the process. The book is split into four sections. Part One argues the case to be open, Part Two offers a process for shifting to being open, Part Three shares practices for embodying an open stance, and Part Four encourages us to take action from an open stance to help make the world a better place, whether in simple ways or larger ones in your local or global community.
Through the entire book, Ann shares not only her very own experiences helping others to become more open, but she backs up her statements with research, showing, for instance, how employees are more engaged when they are open and experiencing wellbeing. The effect for companies is greater financial success and positive impact on their customers. By creating openai history that is more open, people feel psychology safe, and they are more ready to share ideas, tend to be more creative, and work better together.
While being open might sound easy, it requires learning to listen to other folks to understand them. Ann discusses such topics as empathy and how to be open to and curious about others. She also cautions us not to assume we can easily understand another. Can we really know what it's like to maintain a wheelchair or even to be unable to get yourself a cab because of our skin color? However, we can pay attention to others and come to understand why they contain the beliefs and opinions they do so we are able to find common ground.
We can also expand our emotional vocabulary to raised listen to ourselves. For example, rather than use basic descriptions of emotions like happy, sad, or angry, we can expand to pinpoint whether we have been frustrated, irritated, afraid, or annoyed. By becoming more alert to our emotions, we are able to develop greater emotional intelligence. We shall also then be better in a position to notice what emotions others are responding from so we are able to respond better to them.
Some of this might seem like good sense, but it is simple to forget these practices if we have been closed. Additionally it is an easy task to forget what long-lasting ripple effects we can create by just having "compassionate curiosity" and connecting to one another. Open Stance's final section is a true tour-de-force vision of how good our world could be if we simply concentrate on being open, play the role of optimistic, and express gratitude.