Reimagining Imagination
by Robert Hackman
Photograph by Ava Sol on Unsplash
Let’s reinvent; let’s reimagine
We have a chance that will never come again
Lyrics from the song ‘Reboot. Reset. Reload.’
By Rob Mason
I facilitated three meetings last week in which we delved into our notions of imagination.
It is said we cannot live more than a few days without water or weeks without food, yet we cannot last a single day without imagination.
It is essential. Comprehending your regard for the mysteries of imagination significantly impacts how you relate to it.
Often, we associate imagination with specific individuals, a creative department in an organization, or the vision articulated by a leader. Yet imagination is much more fundamental, universal, and consequential than we realize.
Your beliefs about inventiveness reside below the surface, outside your level of awareness. Consequently, you rarely stop to consider its effects. However, you will find that exploring the role imagination plays will increase your appreciation for its impact.
What do you associate with imagination? What are the implications of your beliefs about it? How would reimagining imagination change its impact on you, your teams, and your company?
Associations
Do you consider yourself imaginative? Creative? Do your beliefs cause you to dismiss your musings or give them life?
Is imagination available to everyone or only some?
What draws you to compare and judge your capacity for imagination? Where do you imagine you fall along the continuum? Does it matter?
Do you believe you can turn your imagination on and off? Or does it have an automatic pilot and thus always remains active?
I noticed the participants immediately evaluated the quality of their own imaginations and linked them to their creativity and with their identities – as creative people or not compared to others.
They also believed they controlled their imaginations rather than the other way around.
What role does your imagination play in creating your reality? Do you see, hear, or experience things as they are, or do you add in meanings and attribute motivation and intentions?
Implications
Daniel Gilbert, the Edgar Pierce professor of psychology at Harvard and author of the illuminating book, Stumbling on Happiness, uses the analogy of the way our brains fill in the blind spot in our eye with what it believes is there to highlight the degree to which we ‘fill in’ information about our interactions with others from our imagination.
The problem is that we fail to realize we do this and, thus, mistake our ‘imagined reality’ for the real thing.
Ignoring your imagination’s role in how you perceive others and your environment dulls your curiosity because you have already added the missing information with your own. Thus, making it unlikely you will ensure your understandings are correct, degrading communication and lowering trust.
The estimation of the quality of your imagination influences your behavior and determines whether you speak up. Believing people are creative or not creates a dichotomy that cuts off contributions from those perceived as lacking imagination, reducing engagement and weakening teamwork.
If you control your imagination, consider what comes to mind if I implore you not to think about pizza. We can influence our imagination, yet we clearly do not control it.
Do you see where I am going here? As John Lennon said, ‘Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.’
Imagining Anew
What are the benefits of reimagining imagination?
Raising the awareness of your imagination and the meanings you create opens you to the possibility that you do not see things as they are. Consequently, you will ask more clarifying questions and test your assumptions.
People will recognize they are perpetually making up stories, and so is everyone else. Openness and honesty will go up. People will feel free to say, ‘The story I am making up about you or this is… Their perceptions can be aired, and misinterpretations cleared.
Imagination will be recognized as inclusive, not selective. It is related to creativity. Therefore, everyone will be recognized as inventive in their own way, and contributions can come from anywhere.
Leaders will be more cognizant that their associates always make up stories about them and attach significance to their every word and move. They will address their impact, verbalize their intentions, and overcommunicate to allay others’ concerns.
They will also challenge the stories they make up about their associates.
Humans are meaning-seeking story-making beings. A lot of our narrative comes from within us. Reality is not only what we experience. It is what we make of what we experience.
A collective mindset acknowledging imagination’s prevalence and significance focuses on its impact. Perceptions, beliefs, and creativity are intertwined and feed off one another.
Because as Mark Twain claimed, ‘You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.’
Worthy Inquiries:
- What do you associate with imagination? How do you regard imagination? What roles does imagination play in your life, your team, and your company?
- How does becoming more aware of what you add to your reality from your imagination change your behavior? Does it make you more likely to ask clarifying questions and test your assumptions?
- Do you control your imagination, or is it more mysterious than that? How does your imagination inform your perceptions?
- What impact does it have on communication? Does expanding your understanding of inventiveness lead to increased openness and honesty?
- How does the inclusivity of imagination open you to the contributions of others? What are the fundamental implications of imagination for leaders?
Please reach out to me to improve and expand your understanding of how imagination can benefit you, your team, or your organization. I welcome the conversation.
Robert Hackman, Principal, 4C Consulting – Courageously Curious Consulting and Coaching, helps people live and lead with fewer regrets. He grows and develops leaders through executive coaching, strategy consulting, facilitation, and training of individuals, teams, and organizations. He is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He facilitates trusting environments that promote uncommonly candid conversations. Rob is also passionate about the power of Everyday Legacies and developing Legacy Mindsets. He has conducted over 50 Legacy interviews with people to date.
A serious man with a dry sense of humor who loves absurdity. Rob can often be found hiking rocky elevations or making music playlists. His varied mixes, including Pandemic Playlists and Music About Men, can be found on Spotify.