We have much to learn.  No matter how far along life’s path I travel I am always reminded of my ignorance and incompetence.  It’s humbling and at the same time extremely nourishing. I find one of the juiciest aspects of my work is to find myself in the company of someone (or a group of people) who still has an appetite to learn, particularly if, like me, they are getting old and grizzled.  When this happens I often find a model helps people make sense of their experience and it’s then I usually reach for the learning ladder.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms; to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” Viktor Frankl. This quote by Viktor Frankl is the heart and soul of the simplest Challenger tool (link) I was taught; above and below the line.

I find myself using the confront model more and more in my work. There is much that needs confronting and yet it often feels to me like we are becoming less skilled at the art doing it successfully. Too often conversation leads to difference, which leads to debate and then breakdown; with entrenched views, righteousness and ‘othering’ being the norm. The difficulties we have with confronting situations lead to us become either more aggressive in our position or conflict-avoidant. This is the essence of the confront model.