#CoachHG Collection 3: "Harmony"
The BEAUTY of Harmony talent theme
A person with Harmony talent feels unease with tension & conflict because he believes that tension is unnecessary & not helpful. This motivation of seeking consensus & agreement empowers him to look for common ground to mediate & reduce conflict. Often, those in conflict are absolutely blind as to how to resolve their conflict because their differences seem insurmountable. But the person with Harmony talent can spot the platform of consensus to bridge the gap of differences. He is indeed the glue that holds relationships together, and gets along with people to get things done.
The BREAKTHROUGH for Harmony talent theme
Often people with Harmony talent are unable to experience its beauty because they are caught by ‘the fear of authority’. They need a breakthrough.Do you find yourself in this situation: Living out the beauty of Harmony talent with your subordinates; yet when you are a ‘junior’ in another team, you find yourself unable to speak out to guide this team to a platform of consensus?
- You may be a manager who excels in your Harmony talent with your own team but is fearful to speak out in the directors’ meeting.
- You may be a student leader who mediates excellently for the student body, but fears that fellow student leaders will reject you if you suggest the middle ground.
Why are the above challenges common?
It has to do with how the Harmony talent operates. It seeks to maximise the ‘peace quotient’ and minimise the ‘tension quotient’. It captures input from as many parties and weighs carefully the following before suggesting ‘the best option’:
- Which option will result in the greatest accumulative peace quotient for all involved?
- Which option will result in many involved having high peace quotient?
- Which option will result in the least accumulative tension quotient for all involved?
- Which option will result in many involved having low tension quotient?
However, regardless of which option, there is bound to be someone who will likely still experience low peace quotient or high tension quotient. Furthermore, if this person has higher authority in the organisation than the person of Harmony, this is where the Harmony talent will freeze and hide if the person fears people in authority.
How to EXPERIENCE a BREAKTHROUGH?
The following may be useful considerations for you, when you find yourself trapped in the above-described scenarios:
- Authority given is responsibility taken.
- You superior needs to be responsible for his resources (including your Harmony talent) under his authority.
- Not utilising your Harmony talent is to withhold the resources that your superior has been entrusted with.
- Think: “What would happen if I don’t intervene?”
- You become more effective when you use Harmony talent outwardly instead of focusing on how you feel (conflict is never a nice feeling).
- Decide to contribute your Harmony talent to your organisation
- Envision yourself utilising your Harmony talent in the most contributive way.
- How does it look like? What is the difference between the ‘most contributive way’ and your present state? What are some small steps you can take towards being more contributive?
- When you are emotionally overwhelmed, zoom out of the situation and allow your rational mind to have clarity over the matter.
- Utilise your Harmony talent in humility and with great confidence
I have coached numerous people whose Harmony talent was ‘stuck’ at Basement level. I hope the above will bring your Harmony talent towards the Balcony – a place where you operate with great confidence and in humility to bring everyone to the common ground with great willingness on their parts.