We’re all facilitators

When did we decide we are not?

Facilitator. Teacher. Guide.

I’m using the word facilitator. Someone who facilitates an interaction. Actively or passively.

It is possible to self-limit with job titles such as “Vice President”, “CEO”, and “Junior clerk”. They’re useful codes to estimate where someone is placed in a hierarchy. Beyond it, it is difficult to come up with a reason why it is useful.

The best people I have worked with and for have been great facilitators. Not letting their job title come in my way. If at all, they have exercised their job title to clear any roadblocks that might have interfered with my intended role.

When we understand that our role is to facilitate, three mental shifts occur:

* We start seeing things as a part of a large picture

* We start attaching to the process, not the outcome

* We start looking for collaborators, not competitors

If you look closely, these three mental shifts are equally valuable in personal relationships too. The better the facilitator you are, the better the interaction. The stronger the relationship.

Imagine a world full of people who seek to facilitate.

Seeks to serve.

I don’t see any reason why we can’t lead a content life with seven billion facilitators.

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