This is my favourite scene from Total Recall…poor old Arnie attempting to adopt a completely incongruous disguise as a rather portly woman with none of the testosterone fuelled, monotonic, muscle-bound macho of the man himself. But look what happened…the Arnie breaks through the disguise in a bodily act of defiance. No mere disguise, however sophisticated, can suppress him – he bursts forth thwarting his planned approach to get to Mars. But hold on a minute – he actually does get to Mars right? He finds another way using his innate Austrian guile (and some well honed quadraceps) to reach his objective.
So where am I going with this you may ask? Well, it was a nice story to support my square peg round hole theory – I believe I have the answer.
If you take a square peg, shave off all the things that define its squareness and add a veneer of roundness, by my reckoning, bingo!…..its in!! The old square can now walk tall as an equal amongst its round counterparts, and they in turn will have a new appreciation of its curves, taking comfort in the familiarity of its dimensions. The square is now in the ‘club’ – accepted as one of the gang.
Problem solved right? Maybe not.
The challenge is that the essence of the square, however round it may look, is still square. The rounded veneer needs constant care and attention, and if not careful, those pesky angular edges will start to peek through. The square’s existence is a never-ending fight against its own form.
So for some, this is a fight worth taking to achieve their objectives and reach the heady heights of circular greatness. Over time they can master the art of roundness (or any other form) – a geometric chameleon, a shape shifting genius. For the dimensionally challenged, here’s a thought…why not just try to find a square hole? You may need to add a little extra squareness to your repertoire, or you may even find a flexible round hole willing to meet you half way with a mutually beneficial oblong aperture.
Flexibility is good and an essential part of communication and rapport building – as long as your essence is not lost in the angles and arcs.
Fight for your squareness (or your roundness for that matter) – not against it. Understand your natural form, enhance it and use it to achieve your goals YOUR way…..even if it means using your innermost Tyrolean charms to batter your way to Mars. Good old Arnie
The Nice Consultant 