Like the Classroom, the battleground is a symbol.
The battleground represents wrong-minded thinking. It is a mental attitude or thought systemWhat you believe is your thought system. Pause and reflect on this truth, and above all, be thankful that it is true. that defends and encourages adversarial behaviors such as blame and attack [the model’s lower loop of behavior].
Think of the battleground as a psychological symbol for those moments when you realize you are listening to EgoEgo is the negative, wrong-minded teacher who continually tells you how difficult the world is and how you must constantly fight to survive., not ReasonReason is a mythological character and symbolic guide who shows you how to think and behave in a Right-Minded way. As your Right-Minded teacher, Reason helps you differentiate and choose between Right-Minded and wrong-minded attitudes and behaviors. (like when you notice avoidance behaviorIdentifying avoidance behaviors and understanding the harm they cause is key to moving from wrong-mindedness to Right-Mindedness.). You recognize that you are having an Ego attackAn Ego attack is a negative emotion. It happens when you believe your awful feelings have been caused by something someone did to you. for whatever reason and have made a wrong-minded choice. When you are on the battleground, you “punish” others for their mistakes, either by victimizing others or becoming a victim yourself.
On the other hand, when you are in your Right Mind, you see your team as a lovely and safe classroom, the opposite of the battleground. You do not punish others. You choose, instead, to rise above the conflict.
The purpose of recognizing the battlegrounds in your mind is to own the pain that you are causing yourself which helps you recognize that you consciously want to leave it, overlook it, rise above it, and transport your mind into the classroom where you return to the forgiving Unified Circle of Right-Minded ThinkingYour daily acts of living your team Work Agreements is how you remain in the forgiving Unified Circle Right-Minded Thinking. with your teammates.
Right-Minded Teammates working in safe and supportive classrooms do not fight, blame, or punish. Instead, they choose OnenessOneness is a psychological state of mind. It can be described in many ways using phrases such do no harm, and work as one. Separateness is its opposite. over separatenessOneness is a psychological state of mind. It can be described in many ways using phrases such do no harm, and work as one. Separateness is its opposite.. They are committed to the team’s success and achieving team goals.
To overcome a battleground in yourself or your team, pick up your copy of How to Apply the Right Choice ModelThe model is a teaching aid that helps your team choose a set of unique, “right” teamwork attitudes and behaviors.: Create a Right-Minded Team That Works as One.
Inside, you will find a list of battleground attitudes and behaviors as well as the costs and benefits of classroom versus battleground thinking and behaving.
Download the ebook package here at Right-Minded Teamwork