The Capacity Network

Staying out of the "Typing Pool".

Getty Images

There’s an oft-used African proverb - “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. It’s on my mind as I start this post because it feels so true. Another thought concerns the idea of “white space” - what exists in the spaces between what we can see, or for fans of Mozart, the idea that “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence in between”.

Our business culture rarely reflects this. We are trained, encouraged and motivated to go fast, to go alone and expect others to keep up. When it comes to silence, one looks at social media or CVs on LinkedIn, and there’s not a lot of it to be found because it’s all about PERFORMANCE!!!

And yet. The times we are in require that we use our capacity intelligently. To sit in silence and listen.

Our talents vary; there are areas we have learned to be good at; for which we have qualifications, experience and a rich CV. Then there are those areas we are naturally good at but which may have little alignment wit…