Erin Kelly examines how author Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle” model for success and leadership can be applied to individuals with disabilities.
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“Pain causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options.”
When English born author Simon Sinek first uttered these words, he most likely wasn’t referring to disabilities. He wasn’t referring to the pain that comes with being judged because of something you can’t control—judged as if you were just the old, dusty cover of a book that everyone has read but few remember.
Instead, these words stem from Sinek’s concept of leadership and success. Famous for popularizing the idea of “The Golden Circle”, Sinek entertains the notion that pioneers such as Dr. Martin Luther King and the Wright brothers think, act and communicate the exact same way—the only difference is that it’s the polar opposite of the rest of the world.
By the same token, Sinek believes that the reason why major companies like Apple are so successful is because they’ve utilized common, everyday knowledge in a different way. He also believes that such companies—and the brilliant minds behind them—have the same level of accessibility to that knowledge and the tools that come with it as every other person on the planet, and vice-versa.
So, how is it that that the concept of The Golden Circle can be applied to other aspects of life and still paint a full picture?
Granted, Sinek’s process may at first seem ridiculous and unworthy of a second thought. In fact, it might even seem elementary and utterly simple. However, when you apply this idea to an individual with a disability, all the pieces seemingly fall into place.
They fall into place to the point where they start to make sense—and the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” becomes a way of life.
Moreover, it gives rise to human nature and the urge to be “on the same level” as everyone else. Even if that can’t be achieved mentally, physically or perhaps intellectually, we all want to feel some sense of common ground at some point in our lives.
For someone with a disability, that can come in many different forms. For me, I often feel a lack of common ground or “chemistry” due to many things about my life. I don’t think any of them challenge my way of thinking and being more than having to literally look up to someone when I’m interacting with them.
From my view in my wheelchair, it almost always feels like I’m looking up at The Eiffel Tower. It has a way of making me question just how independent I really am, all while keeping my feet firmly planted in my reality.
With advancements in technology, however, society may be clearing a path for individuals with disabilities to finally have true “face time” with every person they come in contact with. It’s not only a step towards progression, but I think it’s also a bold statement about the direction society could be headed in, if we choose to continue on this road.
A disability—regardless of the type or diagnosis—makes heads turn. It makes one’s physical appearance to the outside world look as if that person is helpless or deserves pity. When you bring a wheelchair or any other type assistive device into the equation, it makes it all the worse. It only seems to give people even more reason to simply write them off as weak, feeble—often times unintelligent individuals.
I think that’s where Simon’s theory truly comes into play—and in many ways, gets put to the ultimate test. A person with a disability most likely is always going to have that disability as well as the effects of it, regardless of what part of the world they’re in or how many people they come across. Such factors aren’t going to change the situation or the simple fact that that person inadvertently stands out in the crowd.
Everyone surrounding that individual already has those nuggets of knowledge, because they can’t be hidden. However, it only takes one person in that crowd to take knowledge and process it differently than everyone else.
A way that makes the intimidating, often feared wheelchair user feel human.
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Maybe that one person processes it in a way that makes the intimidating, often feared wheelchair user feel human. Maybe that one person makes enough of a case to sway the opinion of the entire crowd, perhaps enough to even imagine themselves in a disabled person’s shoes.
Maybe that one person will be the one to think, challenge and change what we think we know—about disability and everything else we’ve been told.
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