Are you maintaining your flexibility? - Eric Albert - lesechos.fr

Blockages, breaks, interruption of exchanges. The spectacle of the world gives the impression that wherever there should be exchanges and negotiations, there is only closure. As if the protagonists preferred not to meet, not to move forward together. Everyone is sticking to their positions rather than making progress by making concessions.

In many cases, this is a personal posture that makes it possible to appear as uncompromising, therefore « pure ». By staying on line, we show that we do not let go. And too bad, if we don't get anywhere.

The example of the American « shut down » is an illustration of this at 11 billion.

This firmness posture seems popular; this is probably the reason why many actors who aim for adhesion on their person, adopt it.

Popularity is fortunately not the primary concern of most business leaders. This does not exempt them from having, each in their own way, their areas of rigidity: one categorically refuses a meeting with the unions, the other shows himself totally closed to an alliance, a third cannot stand to be contradicted in public, etc.

Underlying fears

Apart from certain personalities who can be stiff for everything, these rigidities are, for most individuals, limited to a few particular fields. But as soon as we talk to them about subjects related to this inflexibility, those concerned get blocked. Impossible to raise the question and even less to argue.

It's too bad. Because, most of the time, these resistances are linked to fears, underlying fears that the person concerned does not formulate to himself. However, in order to dispel your fears, you have to explore them, talk about them, measure how far they are justified.

In this, our rigidities or our positions of principle are so many alerts for each of us. They guide us towards our areas of weakness. And show us our limits. Because rigidity is rarely synonymous with efficiency. By blocking ourselves, we lock ourselves into postures, without giving ourselves the opportunity to explore the field of possibilities. We do not question what could be justified in a past context and which may no longer be relevant. Paying attention to your rigidities offers a good avenue for taking a step back and training your flexibility. This needs to be maintained, especially as we get older.