Before I had the language for how I think

There's something about returning to a place where a different version of you once lived. I'm in Santa Cruz, California to deliver an off-site leadership session. I lived here in my mid 20s, working for a Silicon Valley start-up during a time when the technology was changing every day. In many ways, it didn't feel that different from what's happening now.

Silicon Valley initially felt like the right place for how I thought. The work was fast-moving and expansive - but I soon encountered friction. The way that I processed and communicated ideas didn't align with what people expected, and I found myself struggling to fit in.

At the time, there was no shared understanding of how different modes of cognition actually work. And that still exists in most organizations today. Companies encourage the upsides of certain ways of thinking, but are ill-equipped to work with the true spectrum of cognition.

Without cognitive awareness, Analytical thinking can be seen as slow moving when it's ensuring precision. Logistical thinking can appear rigid when it's maintaining structure. Conceptual thinking can be interpreted as unfocused when it's actually processing on multiple levels. And Relational thinking can come across as ambiguous when it's establishing connection.

When those aspects of our thinking aren't understood and legitimized, people begin to compensate for how they naturally think. Over time, that shows up as disconnect for the individual, friction within the team, and a loss of performance across the organization. Without cognitive awareness, even highly capable thinkers will struggle to make an impact.

Now, working with leadership teams like this one, it's deeply fulfilling to see organizations building that understanding into every aspect of how they operate.

It's the missing dimension of human performance - the one I wish had been there for me, and one I'm determined to bring to as many people as possible.

Gregor