I had an individual call with one of the coaches in the altMBA yesterday.
This is an intense 4 week workshop style course where effectively you learn a lot about yourself through the insane amount of work that you do and a lot of interaction with others.
I had no particular agenda for the call – it was an optional one-on-one check in. I’m keen to find out what “I don’t know I don’t know.”
What came out of the call was this question – what is the part of me that I’m looking to share, and develop in my work? What is hidden away still?
We all have different ways of operating in the world – one (likely of many) that I have is a chameleon type quality (I talk about this more in a previous podcast) that can stem from creativity* and seeing the environment or noticing people around me and their behaviours. This allows a kind of “shapeshifting” process to happen, as I adjust skills or ways of operating to new environments (upside is of course “fitting in.”)
It’s been something I’ve noticed for a few years – it used to run me I think, now I see it a little clearer, and mostly have become friends with it for the time being. This has been a helpful process.
These ways of operating are of course subconscious and for me, started very young. There’s always an upside to them, usually around safety, fitting in, or belonging.
There is also a darker side to them. The downside of the chameleon can be a sense of holding back, of keeping something from others, or a difficulty in expressing all 100% of you. Of course this impacts work, relationships and more.
It’s also a continual (never-ending?) journey, as we continue to learn and understand more about ourselves.
While we each may have a different superpower or way of operating, I’ve met a few chameleons in my time.
For you, perhaps the same question is relevant: “What is the part of you that is still there kept away? The centre that you are looking to share to the world and develop? What is your uniqueness that you can bring into your work?”
*I recommend Austin Kleon’s book “Steal Like an Artist”
