“That’s just what I needed to hear” I proclaimed to a friend as we all shared a meal together. My wife looked at me incredulously, “I have been telling you that for years, then ‘THEY’ say it and you think it is a great idea”. Deep down inside I knew it was true but I could not help the feeling that it seemed to make MORE sense NOW than BEFORE.
Everybody has heard of Deja vu, right? That “I have been there before” feeling. The French origins actually directly translate “already seen” (déjà, already + vu, seen)
But have you heard of its opposite ‘Vuja de’ (pronounced as “voo zha-day”)”.
Vujá dé is that moment of clarity when something becomes “all of a sudden clear” You discovering something new in something you’ve already seen a million times before.
In our innovation seminars, we often discuss a technique called “Fresh Eyes”. Which was aptly described by the French novelist Marcel Proust when he said, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.”
I am sure when the young Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree in his mother’s garden in Lincolnshire, it was not the first time that had occurred in his life. It was not “WOW I have never seen an apple fall before” moment. Rather, Newton experienced a Vujá dé moment, had fresh eyes and went on to devise his theory of gravity after witnessing an apple falling from a tree.
Right Time Right Place
In my life, I have often been surprised by those moments where knowledge turns into insight. Call it what you like
- A Eureka moment
- An Epiphany
- A moment of clarity
- A moment when a thought moves from the head to the heart
- A revelation
- A moment of insight
What has been surprising is the fact that for some reason old information makes sense at a level it did not before. Despite the fact you have known a concept for years, like a ‘bolt of lightning’ the right person, in the right place and the right times says it in the right way and you have your Vujá dé moment.
You then respond, “Wow, what a great thought”. It then impacts us in a way that is enlightening and its motivational force is profound. People look at you “What is the big deal”.
The big deal was prior to that time your mind was not open or ready to receive the information. You did not really believe it. Then one day it hits you like a sledgehammer. On that day you were at a point in your life when you were ready to hear it, ready to absorb it and ready to act on it. Thus, it created the illusion that it magically made its appearance at that particular moment.
Leaders FLICK the SWITCH and FACILITATE VUJADE
We often encounter people who make dramatic changes in their lives. It may be fitness, diet or some level of success that is impacting. It is impacting because it was a struggle for the person and then a metaphorical switch gets flicked and their lives change. A common denominator you will notice is they were ready. They were ready for success, ready for change, ready to see themselves better than they were.
Many have heard of the old maxim “When the student is ready the teacher will arrive.”
This alludes to the moment when we are ready to gain insight. The teacher is not necessarily a person but rather metaphorical. That moment when you see a situation slightly differently and it hits you like a ton of bricks. That moment of clarity. An epiphany. The essence of Vuja de is not merely seeing things with fresh eyes. It is getting yourself ready to receive an insight that is more than head knowledge. It is facilitating a moment of clarity.
It is a leader’s role to facilitate this ‘Readiness’’ for people, teams, and organizations.
How do Leaders Facilitate
Here are four tips for cultivating VUJA DE.
1. Amplify a Need
Leaders amplify what matters. It is not fostering fear and anxiety but ensuring attention is on the stuff that matters. It is not a matter of making sure the office staplers are replenished but addressing the needs of the organization that when addressed will deliver the most value.
2. Ask Great Questions
A name alludes you and exasperatingly you say “It is on the tip of my tongue” (AKA TOTS). You know that you know the name but in that moment you cannot retrieve the information. It annoys you and the harder you try still no luck. Then three days later you are enjoying a cup of coffee with some friends and BANG, the name you were trying to recall arrives unannounced.
This phenomenon is a psychological quirk of the mind. Our brains do not like unresolved questions. For three days your mind unconsciously kept on trying to recall the name. All of this totally outside of your conscious awareness.
Hence the logic follows. Ask a question you need answers to. Our mind will aim to resolve the questions even we are not aware of the process. Searching for answers outside of your conscious awareness. Hence, ask GREAT questions and your mind will search out GREAT answers. Ask AVERAGE questions and you will get AVERAGE answers.
Leaders frame up pervasive questions to facilitate Vuja de. Eureka moments happen when a penetrating question is being asked in your life. Linked to point 1, Amplify the need, there needs to be a question associated with the issue or challenge that you are wanting to solve. Once you start asking the right vuja de questions, you might find that the answers can lead to big opportunities for your business.
3. Adjust perspective
Vuja de is central to innovation. It requires that we should always look at the familiar with new eyes, and from some fresh perspectives. It makes us observe things about the familiar that we had never seen before. It requires looking at the familiar in an unfamiliar way. This enables us to create new options. There is a reinterpretation of events.
4. AMUSE
To amuse is more than just to have fun. It has its origins in the facilitation of insight where the Muses were the Greek goddesses of inspiration. To amuse means to “cause to muse”, to ponder to the point of inspiration. The Greeks found this happened best when people were entertained, in an enjoyable and cheerful mood.
Going back to the notion of TOTS. The more you try and recall the name the less likely you will retrieve it. Stress and anxiety do not facilitate our best thinking. However, three days later when you are relaxed the information arrives. So relax and have fun. The Greeks understood this. You will have your best thinking when you are relaxed. Your team will have Vujá dé moments when it is having fun. It is when you are relaxed your brain is able to make mental connections that are fresh.
By Aiden Holliday
Have a Laugh: Sometimes we miss the Obvious
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson decide to go on a camping trip. After dinner and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.
“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”
Watson replied, “I see millions of stars.”
“What does that tell you?”
Watson pondered for a minute.
“Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.”
“Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo.”
“Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.”
“Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant.”
“Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.”
“What does it tell you, Holmes?”
Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke: “Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent!”
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