What is a Polarity?

A polarity is an ongoing matter that is unavoidable and unsolvable. A polarity is distinct from a problem, which is something that will have a solution. Therefore, the first leadership challenge is for us to identify whether what we are dealing with is a problem that we can solve or a polarity that we should manage.

Example of Interdependence

One of the simplest examples of the nature of a polarity is to consider the act of breathing. At the start of the breath, we inhale, filling our lungs with Oxygen. At first, this feels good. However, if we don't breathe out, the build up of Carbon Dioxide will cause us pain. As soon as we breathe out, we release the Carbon Dioxide, which at first feels good! However, if we don't breathe in again, the lack of Oxygen will cause us pain. In this way, breathing is essentially a polarity to manage - we need to breathe in and breath out to manage the polarity.

If we try to look at breathing from the "problem" approach, we cannot "solve" the polarity of breathing by just adopting one of the polar opposite actions - breathing in or breathing out - because although each has a benefit, one without the other would quite literally kill us. The two polar opposite actions are interdependent - we need each to manage the polarity.

So what?

While breathing is definitely important to life and leadership (!) it's not exactly the type of polarity we'll have to manage consciously as leaders.

Business Planning can present polarities to manage. "Top Down" planning can help to ensure strategic alignment and clarity of message, but can come at the cost of employee engagement and wider idea generation. On the other hand, which "Bottom Up" planning can help to increase employee engagement and widen the pool for idea generation, it will come at the cost of less alignment and a less clearer message. We need to manage the polarity of Top Down vs Bottom up to achieve the benefits of both approaches, while minimizing their respective downsides.

Another business polarity to consider is the balance between centralization and decentralization. Both approaches are interdependent polar opposites and both have positives and negatives. We need to manage the polarity to achieve the optimal results.

The "Problem" Trap

One reason that polarity management can feel awkward to leaders is that we've generally been asked to solve problems from a young age. This starts when we're young, with questions that have just one right answer (eg who was the first man to walk on the moon?) as well as questions that can have multiple correct answers (eg how do you get from home to the local supermarket?). In fact, we become so used to solving problems that we start to see problems everywhere - sometimes when they are really polarities to be managed, not problems to be solved!

When we seek to "solve" polarities that we've misdiagnosed as problems, we actually incur a double cost. First, the wasted cost of attempting to find the "right" answer. Secondly, having chosen a "solution", in experiencing the pain of the downside of that pole (that only increases over time!). 

Therefore, before you seek to solve a "problem", check that it's a genuine problem to solve and keep an eye out for polarities disguised as problems.

Both/And

An effective way to be open to polarity management is sometimes referred to as "both/and" thinking. In other words, rather than solving a problem by seeking to choose "either/or", seek to manage the polarity by identifying and acknowledging two interdependent polar opposites and ask "yes/and". 

Effective Polarity Management

The first point must always be to distinguish between problems to solve and polarities to manage. 

Unlike problem solving, which has a defined end point, polarities often have to be managed on an ongoing basis. In the same way that not being able to find a "solution" can cause us leadership challenges, so too can the lack of a defined end point. Therefore, one facet of managing polarities effectively is to become comfortable with being uncomfortable!

Keeping the whole picture in mind - both poles, both sets of benefits, and both sets of downsides - is helpful too. At it's simplest, we are seeking to maximize both upsides while minimizing both downsides.

If you catch yourself neglecting one pole in favour of the other, just remember the breathing analogy. 


For more information about ENRICHED LEADERSHIP, please get in CONTACT

Click here for more INSIGHTS