The shark

As far back as I can remember I have been fascinated with sharks. Drawings from my childhood repeatedly show big fish with big teeth. As a teenager my fascination continued and resulted in sharks being the focus of my thesis in college. In my dreams I often encounter sharks or am swimming along with or as one.

In the process of creating changefaciliation ltd., I reflected in great depth about who I am and where I am coming from and who in me was creating this company.   The shark appeared again and again as part of my reflections, and eventually I understood why I feel so connected to this animal. 

Most of the time the shark swims below the surface, in constant motion drawing wide circles and relying on a highly sensitive navigation system. Sharks can detect one drop of blood in a 1.5 million drops of water and sense vibrations in the water using fine, fluid-filled vessels that run along the shark’s body under the skin. Sharks perceive taste through its skin and by rubbing his skin against its target, can detect whether it fits the prey scheme or not. The shark also has a special network of jelly-filled canals in its head that detect electric fields. The sharks’ strongest quality is that it is more sensitive to electrical fields than any other living being.

Likewise, facilitating change processes with human individuals, communities or organizations requires a particular sensitivity for everything that’s happening underneath the surface. Feelings, dreams, anticipations, atmospheres, body symptoms and relationship impulses are all forces that originate from under our waking radar and are often difficult to understand once they have surfaced. That’s where change and development can be helpful and where I as a change facilitator, like the shark, can draw my wide circles, use my sensitivity for forces under the radar, approach and help others face the unknown.