The Integral Within

In Season 3, we explore some integral and integrating aspects of Dynamic Competence allowing us to better relate to the situations we find ourselves in and the hard work we all need to do.  Join Susan and Tom as they set up the context for Season 3. 

Transcript

Susan Clark and Tom May 4.20.22

Susan Clark: [00:00:06] Welcome to the Art of Dynamic Competence. I'm Susan Clark. Join me and my brother Thomas May for season three of our podcasts, where we explore new, integral and integrating aspects of Dynamic Competence. Allowing us to better relate to the situations we find ourselves in and the hard work we all need to do. Before we get started, I just wanted to let you know that you can go to our website to find more details about each person we interview. Please go to Dynamic Competence dot com and click on the navigation bar for the podcast organized by each season, the dropdown menu can guide you to where you want to go. Well, Tom, thanks for joining me for another session in The Art of Dynamic Competence.

Thomas May: [00:00:52] It's exciting, Susan. It's all of the work we've done over the last two seasons and to to actually come into a third season is pretty exciting.

Susan Clark: [00:01:01] Well, I want to talk a little bit about that now because as we start each season, we do a little recap. So I'd like to do a short recap before we start bringing in more interviews. We've really focused in the first two seasons on kind of a structure where people can understand that we live most of our lives in a reactive mode, that we're reacting to things. And I think that's so obvious to all of our listeners that how much reactive stuff is happening around us all the time now. And we've interviewed a lot of folks, really, about how to move people from that reactive space to more of an intentional space, a space where they're focusing on collaboration and working with each other.

Thomas May: [00:01:44] Yeah, Susan. And if you think about it, we have been working on the foundational elements and how do you move from reactive to intentional? And we keep saying them over and over again, but it's so important because they're foundational. It's like making sure the self, your self is in a great position to be able to lead or to engage and then understanding the group and the group dynamics. So that's that preparation phase. And then you move into the problem solving phase and then you take the problem solving phase. And as you develop those solutions, you move into the execution phase, how you get it done. And if you're in a reactive mindset, you can't shift from that. You can't understand yourself, you can't see the group. It's very hard to them. Problem solving is very hard to execute. But when you move into the intentional space, you clearly see where you stand, you see where the group stands. You start to then develop the skills you need and the group needs to help get you there. And then you have a much more robust problem solving and solution development, and then you have a much better chance of being to execute. So that does lay the foundation.

Susan Clark: [00:02:56] And Tom, we've had a lot of interviews about that from a wide range of folks. How do you see what we've accomplished in our interviews over the last two seasons?

Thomas May: [00:03:05] I think we've been able to pull out of the folks that we've been interviewing. You know, how do they center themselves? What are their techniques that they use to focus on self? And then what are the techniques and the processes that they use to then engage the group and understand what the group is and how to move them forward? And then also how do they problem solve how to do solution development and going there? So we've really been able to see a whole broad range of ways in which people accomplish that, which in Dynamic Competence is very important because we keep saying this there is no one way you do it, there's a structure to it. And how you work through that structure is really personal. It's all those things that developed who you are to where you are today and how you would actually work through those.

Susan Clark: [00:03:54] And what I see as well in your explanation, kind of what we've been doing is I sense this very intellectual understanding of it and that when we're talking about moving people from reactive to intentional and collaborative, there is that intellectual component to it. We have structure, we have ideas, and I get that's what you're talking about. But now as we begin to explore this integral world, right, we move into season three and we start talking about integral. What's changing for you?

Thomas May: [00:04:27] So, Susan, I think we actually have had a little bit of a taste of this on the integral side. So if you remember when we had Deb Nielson talking about the dreams and understanding your own dreams and then also looking at Will Roger Peterson, you remember he talked to us about feeling that or. Mm hmm. And it's the Passover. It's going from the structured environment, this kind of rational world in which we live in, and this whole other side that's out there that we can draw from and help build upon to help us get to that integral side. It's that whole other world that we actually need to bring into our rational side to have the full picture. We so often only want to look at the rational world, but not the other side. And it's not an either or. It's an end in both. We must bring all of that together.

Susan Clark: [00:05:24] And I think Newton Harrison also did that in his artwork where he's struggling to bring many different pieces together, where you're building that collaborative structure and exposing people to art. And yet he also had some struggles and increases.

Thomas May: [00:05:38] And if you think about it, it's when we start to have this appreciation for art, when we have appreciation. Passion for beauty, appreciation for a storytelling. It is that allowing that whole side to float into our rational world and all of a sudden you start to feel complete. Now it's interesting because you're pulling in variables that you have really no idea about. You don't really understand what they are, but it feels right and it feels very centering. And for us to be able to move into that integral phase, we have to understand that feeling and what it can do for us.

Susan Clark: [00:06:19] And part of what I'd like for us to do as we go through these next series of interviews, it's really a challenge for us. We can talk about how it is that people can move from reactive to intentional. But as we work with folks and try to understand that integral piece, that's a real challenge. And I've done a lot of work over the last year to try to understand some of the intellectual structures that are out there that we can draw from. And at the same time, it lets us both go back and relook at some of our big successes in our lives through things that we've done. And I would argue that most of the time when we are successful, it's because we found a way to tap into that integral agree.

Thomas May: [00:07:03] And what we really want to try to accomplish in the season three is to be able to pull out from these individuals. What is it that they do? And I would contend that we will find folks that really don't realize that they're tapping into that integral phase. Right. They do it by a feel. They do it by a gut check. They're managing so many variables that others probably couldn't manage. And by doing that, they aren't in that integral phase.

Susan Clark: [00:07:32] Yes, Tom, I'm interested in trying to explore that and tease that out of people both when they've been had successful careers, but just as importantly, when they've done something that really intrigues them and they are in the process of working it through.

Thomas May: [00:07:51] And for you to be able to ask those questions that help, as you said, tease those out to even help them see how they are being effective. Right. So the question really becomes, you know, why people get things done without anybody understanding how they do it.

Susan Clark: [00:08:08] And I think it's an important conversation to have, Tom, because as we're structured, as our cultural structures are currently falling apart left and right. We need to rebuild them with other components and often people who are able to come up with successful, integral solutions, the system kind of knocks it out really quickly, gets rid of it really quickly, because it can't be operationalized within our current rational structure. So the question is, what are those things? And as importantly, what are the things that need to be built around it to make them more sustainable? If we really are going to make this cultural change and I'm not sure anyone who's listening to us doesn't think that we were in the middle of a big cultural change. But if we're going to make this cultural change, people will have these insights, we're going to capture these insights. And then we're also going to ask the question, what needs to be there to support it?

Thomas May: [00:09:10] I like your your point that when there are individuals who are working in that integral phase, this system does push against them because it's not the norm. It's it's almost people don't even understand how they can be successful. And if they can't understand that they question the ability to be effective, then when in reality they're quite effective, it's just the lack of understanding. And I think that that just resonates with so many people who are in this position because they themselves are seeing the answer, they're seeing the way to move forward. And then all these folks that are in the system seem to reject it. And it's about learning how to draw those people in to get them to a safe spot in which they'll allow that to occur.

Susan Clark: [00:09:57] Well, as you say that, Tom, you're talking at the individual level. Talk more now about how that can happen on a more organizational, cultural level. You're my organizational guy. How do you see Integral beginning to impact our existing structures and ways that make them more efficient, ways that allow us to get back to holistic, sustainable activities?

Thomas May: [00:10:25] Wow. Susan, that's a that's a hard question. I mean, that's a question that actually makes me feel uncomfortable because I'm you're asking me to put into words what I seem to do, just kind of almost naturally, it just comes as instinct. And for myself or anybody to help others come along, we have to understand what is it that we do do to be effective? And I'm going to have to think about that for a while, because that's a that's a great question.

Susan Clark: [00:10:55] Well, Tom, that's exactly where I want to head. So if you're up for it with me, I would love for you to follow me as we start having some of these interviews where we talk to folks about the ways in which they've been successful and also the ways the system is pushing against them and be upfront that we also want to talk about what is the impact on existing structures to move beyond this? That's my interest is capturing that because if we can't do that, I think we go back to Will Roger again and say we're really looking at revolution and we're really looking at everything falling apart and we all have to take our steps to look at how we can do that differently. So if you're willing to do this with me, I'd love to have you join me on season three as we explore this with a whole range of folks.

Thomas May: [00:11:49] Wow, I'm very excited about it, Susan. And I think we're going to see things and understand things that we have never seen or understood before.

Susan Clark: [00:11:59] Well, thanks so much. And just for our listeners, we're going to try to post once a month. It will take a little bit more time to pull these together for just the reasons that we're talking about now. But we'll be back with you in May. With our first episode of Season three, we want to share a heartfelt thanks for all who have joined us for this episode of The Art of Dynamic Competence. We're incredibly grateful that you shared some of your day with us. We know your time is precious, and we hope that we've been able to share some interesting perspectives and helped you gain some insight in how you've used Dynamic Competence before in your own life and how to find it in new things you're taking on now. Launched our social media at The Art of Dynamic Competence, so please follow us on your favorite platform. In the meantime. And if you're intrigued with what you've heard, please subscribe to this podcast and please tell colleagues, friends and family about us. This is Susan Clark for The Art of Dynamic Competence. Thank you so much for listening.