It was a question to make you blink and become aware of your brain skidding in real time as it attempts to gain the traction that comes with understanding what was just asked. Then the Gods of Logic come to your aid as you realise the question is unanswerable, because you did not know then what you know now. And of course, if you had known then, what you know now, you would have done things differently. Duh!
But would you be willing to risk insulting your interrogator by giving such a logical response? If it’s someone you don’t know well you could always ‘mwah, mwah’ aka smile and move on? But a friend or a client? In this case It was an honest question from someone who simply lacked empathy … probably.
But 20/20 vision only comes with hindsight. In real life we often don’t know the right response to novel situations. And the right response always varies according to who is involved (participants and their cultures) and the environment (markets or institutions). Most of the time we get by, we apply our own general knowledge, or skills from other situations, and even what we have been told ‘should’ happen in certain situations. But sometimes we need to learn new skills to respond and move into Transformative Learning.
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This blog hopes to be helpful as you navigate the various challenges of your life – professional or family.
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