The Hidden World
The forces shaping what we experience.
Someone can walk into a room and without speaking a word can shape the energy and experience.
From neuroscience and psychology to leadership embodiment and the hard to quantify “presence”, there’s a lot of under the surface or hidden qualities that shape the visible world we experience.
It shows up in hiring.
Someone on paper, ticks all the boxes, interviews well, meets the needs and has the credentials, but when asking for feedback from the recruiter there isn’t really any to share besides “We just felt.....”.
There is a deep body of research around the subconscious shaping what we do and say without ever knowing.
On the spectrum going into that interview process for example….
Desperate for work <-----------→ Showing up like you already got it.
In the title run-in for Arsenal, the pressure and stress was compounding - they couldn’t dare lose it again.
A couple months ago it was revealed, they decided they would go in to the games with the feeling that they had already won.
They finished the season 5-0 with only conceding one goal.
For the business or the leader that is struggling, there needs to be a similar energy deployed when in the face of challenging moments.
And it’s a fine line from reality to delusion, the feeling needs to be grounded in your reality of course.
Doing the work, being prepared, becoming qualified to land the job or win, is a process and does require some luck at times too.
In the challenge things may be dire, but obsessing over the worst case scenario won’t move the needle in the way you need.
And while you may not explicitly communicate what is going on behind the scenes, others can pick up on it, even though they may not be able to put a name to it or describe it.
This idea has shaped a big part of my work the past year and specifically the exploration of the hidden and visible worlds of business.
Every business has two worlds.
The hidden world is what drives it. Think origin, worldview, principles, belief and even lore. It’s present and real and often uncoordinated. Most people inside the business sense it even if they can’t articulate it. Almost no one outside sees it directly but there are hints and clues to what’s going on behind the scenes. If this world isn’t in a state of cohesion when challenges emerge, buckle up.
The visible world is what the world encounters. This is your people, products, experiences and stories that show up that customers, clients and prospective employees interact with. They will judge you, remember you and discuss you with others and even if they can’t quantify it, if something is off, their subconscious will shape their decisions.
Most businesses only work on what the world can see and often without foundational consideration, often chasing immediate results.
The most distinctive ones know that the visible world is only as strong as the hidden world that drives it.
Oh, and that threshold between the two worlds?
That’s where strategy lives.
