The philosophy of LOTS^®

Thinking and acting Outside-in and Inside-out in a balanced way over time offers great opportunities for sustainability in our private and professional life. This will promote healthy long term relationships and good results. Nevertheless the Inside-out way of thinking and acting tends to dominate at times. We are in the center of our worldview and the more we are under stress or full of fears the more Inside-out we become. We may even end up in a situation where we project all our problems onto others.

The Inside-out force is as strong as the law of gravity. In order to function well and achieve good results we start to counteract gravity very early in life. As babies, we arch our backs and raise our heads with some effort so that we can see more. One day we can learn to walk around without support from our parents. Some of us learn to counteract gravity to such an extent that we win the Olympic gold medal in high jumping or send a rocket into outer space.

We need to counteract the force of Inside-out thinking just like we counteract gravity. Curiosity is a key component to do this and when we add an Outside-in view to our Inside-out view on things this may lead to a cognitive shift.

We all want to think and act in a way which will bring the best results for those for whom we exist, our most important stakeholders and also for ourselves and our team. We strive to see things through other people’s eyes and understand their situation in order to be able to provide them with the solutions they need to deal with what they are trying to do. In other words; in order to act in a loveful way towards them.

Why do we then find ourselves putting up defenses or acting out towards others in ways which can be hurtful or take advantage of them when they are vulnerable? Because we are human beings who alternate between Love and Fear. Sometimes we feel at peace and are generous towards others, we feel we belong and are united with others. But then we wonder if we measure up to other people’s standards and become fearful that others might reject us if we are found lacking. These fears can make us think only of ourselves, of what we want and how we can survive. When fears dominate, empathy and creativity are thrown out the window. Living with fears is a tough way to live and does not have to be.

As leaders, how much focus do we put on life energy, meaning, hope, trust and connectedness? How do we promote will, love, empathy, playfulness, spontaneity, curiosity, humor, creativity and engagement? Doing so will enable a better dialogue and more initiatives regarding how we can utilize and develop ourselves and our relationships.

Five Aspects is a model that helps us understand more about ourselves and others and our behavior. It reminds us of the necessity to think and act Outside-in and Inside-out in a balanced way over time.

Five Aspects, the model The Five Aspects model is not necessarily the truth, it can however supply us with a common language to talk about these things.