Catalyst / by Alexander Lyadov

If I were to show you the stacks of drafts and calculate the time I spent trying to solve my dilemmas, you would be horrified, “No way!” At home at my desk, rushing to a meeting, or on vacation while driving, I was trying to get out of yet another web I was stuck in. The process was like the unraveling of koans that a Zen master gives to a disciple. Unlike the monk, I did not attain the Great Satori, but there were tangible, though unexpected, benefits to be gained from years of self-torture.

Firstly, the range of tools I now have significantly expanded, although I did not set such a goal. Second, it has become clear where, when and what tools should and should not be used. Third, it became clear that, paradoxically, Problem = Solution. One easily transmutes into the other, if the necessary and sufficient prerequisites are created or are ripe for that. When in a deadlock, the first impulse is to look outside for the most promising resources in terms of efficiency and guarantees, while it is often enough to change the point of application of forces which are already available.

In fact, the latter is the greatest challenge. After the fact, a person is amazed: “Why did I ignore so obvious things for so long?”. The fact is that changing the angle of view is not so much a question of choosing a tool as it is of parting with hidden beliefs that are extremely dear to us for some reason. And how do we find what our eyes are adamantly unwilling to see? In chemistry, a catalyst is used to speed up a reaction. In business, a specialist (advisor, coach, psychotherapist) or fate (chance, providence, fate) comes in handy to accelerate the transformation of beliefs.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander


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As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.