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In 1633 Galileo was threatened with torture and sentenced
to house arrest for his scientific writings, which argued for
Copernicus' theory that the Earth moved around the Sun. The Catholic
Church was furious, refusing to accept the absurdity that the
Earth was in motion. As far as the church was concerned, God
designed the Earth to be the center of the universe and all the
planets and stars revolved around it. Looking up into the night
sky it was obvious; the Earth was standing still while the universe
went swirling by. That's just how it always was, and how it was
supposed to be. For daring to question this view, Galileo remained
under arrest until his death in 1642 for not withdrawing his
findings.
Today we all agree that the Earth does move, and so does the
Sun. In fact, the whole Milky Way galaxy moves in unison with
the expanding Universe. Knowing that spaceship Earth is circling
the Sun shapes our view of life and helps us understand our place
in the universe. Reflecting back to the 1600s we can empathize
with the people at that time, thats how the world appeared,
and seek to understand why human beings hold on to their views
so fiercely. This question could be asked over and over again
in examining the birth of new ideas throughout history. In trying
to move your life forward, questioning your views is one of the
most powerful tools you have.
How is it that we get blinded by our views of how things should
be? Imagine yourself being alive in the 1600s. Would you have
bought the idea that the Earth was in motion? Like Galileo, it is
rare someone would be willing to go against the grain and deviate from
the commonly accepted views of the time. Why is it so difficult
to see outside of our views? Is it because we like our view better?
Is it our fear of being humiliated or cast out? Often, it's a
matter of not realizing we even have a "view" to see
"outside" of. For example, just over two hundred years
ago it was far-fetched to think you could have a country without
a king or queen. Before the great experiment called "America,"
most of mankind lived under control of an all-powerful leader
or divine ruler. Until just 200 years ago, our approach to life on Earth
had been that way since our archaic human ancestors walked out of Africa.
Today, we call the old (or original) model of society a dictatorship.
But if you were alive then, you would have no label for "dictatorship," you would be
living inside the "invisible walls" of that time and place.
America's pioneers questioned this view
and proposed a whole new society. Another example of questioning
a long-standing view is the movement led by suffragists Susan
B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton from 1848 through the early
1900s. Except for a small group of women activists, most women
at the turn of the century did not expect to participate in public
life; the view was, "a woman's place was in the home."
Opening men's minds to accept a new role for women in society
was a hard fought battle, taking 72 years to win the right for
women to vote. When we are unaware of our views we tend to dismiss
information that does not comply with those views. It's impossible
to see "out of the box" if you don't know you're in
one.
There is a major benefit to having common views. Because we
have the tool of language, we humans can share ideas, build on
previous knowledge, develop culture, and have common understandings.
This is how we communicate. Society works because we agree on
how things are and should be. Human beings live in "agreements."
Without boundaries for conduct and agreements on values, style,
cultural norms, etc., life would likely be chaotic or at the
very least confusing. Every society and culture has its own
agreements, kind of a social contract. In fact, culture is mostly
a set of agreements for people to live by. In American culture,
everywhere you look you'll find an example. We all agree that
a little piece of rectangular green paper with picture of George
Washington's face is worth $1 dollar. Another piece of green
paper the same size with Benjamin Franklin's face on it is worth
$100 dollars. My dog Sydney doesn't agree; she eats these little
pieces of green paper because they taste good, regardless of
whose face is on the front. The fact that that little piece of
green paper has an exchange value is because we say so. Agreed?
Agreements powerfully shape the way we think and carry out
our daily lives. They are everywhere, some are written down as
rules, many are not. Men usually drive their spouses when going
out on a date, waiters get a 15% tip, men can go topless in public,
women can wear skirts way above the knee, and many families with
children seem to need a sport utility vehicle and a bigger house
in the suburb. In small towns, it's proper to greet a stranger
passing by you on the street. In big cities, it's proper to ignore
people passing by. On the cover of magazines we promote agreements
about what is tasteful, good looking, and sexy. You can study
how social agreements change over time by watching old movies;
notice what was considered "sexy" over the last 50
years. Thin wasn't always in. Sometimes agreements are created
solely by advertisements. As you can see, the pressure to agree
is often greater than our ability to see things a different way.
Knowing this gives you a big advantage when you are trying to
get others to see you in a new way.
Usually it takes some hard evidence to break an agreement
and accept a new one, even if it's obvious that the old agreement
doesn't make sense anymore. Scientists like Galileo observe reality,
take measurements, compare data, and make conclusions. If we,
the mass populace, believe the conclusions to be true, we have
a new agreement. In that instant, the old agreement is dropped
like a hot potato. Although we can't tell with the naked eye,
we agree the Earth is round. This new agreement didn't come easy;
we had to be convinced. The same holds true on a personal level.
Every day, each of us are "building agreement" to get
what we want. In making new friends, finding a mate, gaining
a new customer, selling yourself in an interview, asking for
a promotion, changing careers, etc., we are trying to convince
people to "buy in to" who we are. We are constantly
asking others to "agree" with us. Building agreement
is the process of getting others to see you (or your ideas) in
the light you want to be seen.
Developing an exceptional career takes being a master at building
agreement. If you're about to make a career move into a new company,
seek a better position with your current firm, or change careers
fields completely, you're going to need to strengthen your agreement
building muscles. Here is a real-life example to illustrate how
it works. Aaron, a high school physics teacher, had his heart
set on being a mathematics research scientist. He was committed
to making the switch from the high school teaching profession
to being an operations researcher. To do this, he set out to
"build agreement" that he already "is" an
operations researcher (he was willing to question the "credentials"
agreement). You might be asking, but how can he get his foot
in the door? To begin, he investigated the courses being offered
at a local university to see what subjects and texts were required
to obtain a graduate degree in this field. He then bought a few
of the books and began teaching himself the subject. He researched
all the leading operations research programs in the country,
talked to professors, and inquired into what it takes become
an expert operations research scientist. The overwhelming response
was, "if you want to be one, go where they go and do what
they do." With these insights, he decided to audit an evening
course taught by a professor who is a leading expert in the field.
He wanted to make friends in the new field, as well as be sure
he really liked the subject matter. Having studied the course
material in advance, largely for the fun of it, it was obvious
to the professor that he was a natural. In fact, he was doing
better than most of the students who were formally enrolled in
the program. In just a few short weeks the professor asked him
to come into his office for a meeting. Can you guess what happened?
The professor offered him a full scholarship with stipend to
study a subject he loved! This led to a part-time summer job
in the new profession. In just two years, that high school physics
teacher started working for a leading consulting firm as an operations
researcher. Now that's the power of agreement.
If you've been pondering how to get unstuck, gain momentum,
or get what you want in a career, it's probably time to question
the agreements you are living by. You could be limiting yourself
by reinforcing old generalizations or ways of achieving success.
Use your intuition to examine your views; outdated career agreements
are like invisible walls. Once you're aware of these self-imposed
walls, you can walk right through them to a whole new way of
pursuing your goals. Einstein was a master of breaking through
the career agreement "you must have a college degree to
succeed." As a young man he rarely attended class in college
except to take exams. Instead he discussed his theories of physics
sitting at cafes and taking long walks with friends. He never
graduated. Upon reviewing the General Theory of Relativity, the
leading physicists of that time eagerly accepted Einstein into
the club. Even without a university degree, the scientists "agreed"
that he was truly a physicist. This example illustrates the key
point of this article: A great career is much more than a certificate
of achievement, it is also an expression of your passions and
commitments in action. In the workplace we quickly learn that
a personal commitment to excellence speaks louder than formal
credentials. Like a dollar bill, your college degree is no more
than a piece of paper, just one form of agreement to get your
foot in the door. Building agreement that you're one of the best
at what you do is another way to get inside the door. Doing this
comes naturally if you're in love with what you do. What agreements
are shaping your career path possibilities? Maybe you are ready
for a breakthrough.
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