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Rasa Baltė Balčiūnienė / photo by R. Verseckaitė

VZ.lt

While the industrial labour market has been much concerned with the importance of functional competences, it has been realised that soft competences are also important. Today, we hear another term: metacompetences, which are competences that a person develops throughout his or her life, and whose relevance is only becoming more pronounced in the face of the ongoing crisis (or polycrisis) and the rise of artificial intelligence. The success of our activities, and indeed of our lives, depends on them.

In a context of constant change and uncertainty, meta-competences help to identify outdated stereotypes and patterns that inhibit growth. So what are these meta-competences? Rasa Baltė Balčiūnienė, business psychologist and founder of the HAI Institute, identifies six.

1. Psychological adulthood. This is the ability to take responsibility for the authorship of one's own life and to cultivate consciousness.

According to R. Baltė Balčiūnienė, a psychologically adult person is able to define the contexts in which he or she can make influential decisions, just as he or she is able to understand the contexts in which he or she has no influence. He is also aware that he is part of a larger system, so if he has entered the system, he will be able to accept its rules.

For example, if there are external demands that do not correspond to one's inner life, a psychologically adult person will not take on the role of a victim and start complaining about injustice. A free person, who is the author of his or her own life, will choose one of the following solutions: a) accept the constraints of the system and find in it appropriate ways of acting; b) initiate a change in the constraints of the system; or c) leave the system in search of a more appropriate one.

"Usually, when there is a big change in the environment, we jump into a childish state because we don't know what to do, we don't find solutions. But if we are able to initiate change ourselves in uncertain conditions, for example, by changing our habits, projects, then we regain the position of the subject, that is, the active agent," says R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

Psychological adulthood is also characterised by emotional neutrality, the ability to distinguish between real facts and imagined reality, to reflect on one's behaviour, its causes and consequences. "Reflection helps a person to achieve coherence between reason, action and feeling. It is the first step towards self-knowledge, real learning from mistakes and awareness."

Awareness, according to R. Baltė Balčiūnienė, grows only through experience and its integration. We often think that if we went to a seminar, listened to a lecture or read an article, we have received that information. "This is not the case. Only a small part of the information we hear can be assimilated. The best way to really understand is to put it into practice. When we take action and make changes in real situations, change our behaviour, that is the only way to become more aware," says R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

2. Strong thinking.  A broad, deep worldview and the ability to recognise stereotypes and collective influence.

Strong thinking means having a point of reference internally and a very clear sense of direction. According to R. Baltė Balčiūnienė, a strong thinker is able to have an internal reference point in an unstable environment and does not follow imposed stereotypes of thinking.

Strong thinking is often abstract: the ability to think abstractly helps to grasp the big picture, to relate events or processes and to make generalisations. "Abstract thinking helps to navigate uncertainty, complex situations and crises, to take a long-term perspective and to stay on track in the face of difficulties such as staff turnover, unsuccessful projects and rising prices," says R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.
A strong thinker also has a broad, complex worldview, which can encompass a wide range of geographical, co-cultural and cross-disciplinary contexts. "Knowledge of a broad context helps to understand one's own position in a given situation, to see it from different perspectives and to be able to make appropriate decisions, to see the causes and consequences of phenomena."

A strong thinker is able to pause. It is necessary, according to R. Baltė Balčiūnienė, to see the future with a sense of direction and perspective. A pause is necessary when it is not clear what to do. It prevents impulsive actions. Sometimes people act just to act, to fill a void, and unfortunately they make costly mistakes. In business, such pauses avoid losses and save money and energy.

When the situation is constantly changing and it is not clear what decision should be taken, a strong-minded person is not afraid to make mistakes. He knows that, sometimes, the best solution is the one that works. It may not necessarily be the right one, but it will lead to a new context and a new direction. Once the action is taken, we see what comes out. That is the solution that works.

"A strong-minded person, when faced with uncertainty, is able to find a way forward because he has internal reference points. And there is only one criterion: vitality, manifested through variety, beauty, quality, functionality, sustainability and coherence. When the situation changes, it is not a question of "right or wrong", "good or bad". Once an action is taken or a process is started, it is observed whether there is more or less vitality."

3. Acting on a hunch. Strengthening the body's intelligence, the ability to draw on our inner knowing in an endless stream of information.

"Intuition is what we call inner knowing. We can also call it other synonyms, but acting from intuition is what allows us to make forward-looking decisions in the midst of uncertainty," says R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

The human brain can operate in automatic or experiential mode. Automatic functioning is based on patterns, stereotypes and repetition. We learn certain ways of doing things and repeat them automatically, without even thinking about it. This saves energy and speeds up processes. However, automatic ways of doing things can eventually start to limit us and no longer produce the desired results. Listening to your body, being aware of its signals, states and sensations helps you to find solutions in non-standard and critical situations. Being in your body, feeling your body, means talking, thinking and observing your body's reactions at the same time. The body reacts to information in the environment and sends a signal-response. If the body tenses up, it is necessary to look more closely at what is happening.

Many scientific studies show that 70-90% of human communication is non-verbal, i.e. communication that is non-verbal, non-obvious, subconscious. Often, the interlocutor says one thing, but we feel that it is different, and we find it difficult to explain why. Non-verbal communication is also important because 80% of the information we receive is through our visual organs. Images have a profound effect on our psyche. Many advertisements are full of stereotypical images, and we don't even look at what is behind them. "Use your body's signals to see what's behind the words and images. If you don't feel your body, you will receive information automatically, and only by feeling your body will you be able to make a choice," advises R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

The wealth of information we all receive nowadays makes it impossible to perceive it directly, let alone check the correctness of each fact or interpretation. This is where the sense of touch can help. The better a professional is in his or her field, the stronger the inner knowing. It is easy for him to sift the wheat from the chaff without getting lost in the flow of information. "The more developed your body sense is, the easier it will be to get rid of excess information. Try sometime to follow the bodily sensations that certain articles or programmes cause you. You may soon realise that you are consuming a lot of meaningless noise. So by combining self-awareness, contextual thinking and body sensitivity, you can get a whole new quality of answers."

4. Learning from lively systems. Embracing the cyclical nature of life and fostering regenerative leadership.

Recently, there has been a growing awareness in Lithuania of organisations that operate on lively systems principles. Such organisations are inspired by natural processes and are called lively organisations. Like nature, they are self-regulating and continuously renewing. At the heart of lively organisation is the human being and the logic of life (survive, thrive, expand and evolve).

"Traditional organisations are inspired by the industrial revolution and based on a 'machine' logic. They are characterised by control, command and linear activities. These organisations worked well during the industrialisation period, but the unpredictable future is increasingly forcing us to look back to nature and its processes. Nature is a well-ordered system that is resilient to all kinds of adversity," notes R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

According to Baltė-Balčiūnienė, many organisations today are experiencing a crisis of meaning (purpose). One of the reasons for this is probably that we operate in a world of confused concepts. One of the fallacies is to think that corporate objectives and indicators are directly linked. Indicators are only needed as a sign that we can look at and say: if turnover is rising, we must be hitting the mark, we must be able to create the kind of value that is attractive to the customer.

The objectives of living organisations are a kind of landmark. That vector can be outwards, i.e. what good things we want to create for the larger system, or inwards, to create a different organisational culture.
Lively organisations are characterised by a culture of openness, a strong field of trust and no micro-management. "A lively organisation, like nature, is dynamic and unstable. A lively organisation is also a medium in which some things flourish and others simply decay. This does not mean that we build one day, tear down the next and build again. The process of reinvention is gradual and invisible to the naked eye every day. It happens naturally, by reflecting on how the organisation is performing and whether it is creating any value."

Lively organisations deliberately create an environment in which employees are free to create, to make mistakes, to know themselves and to realise their potential. So it is natural that organisations become a kind of school for personalities.

5. A sensory life of pleasure. The ability to expand the map of aesthetic experiences and pleasures.
R. Balte Balčiūnienė observes that the psychology of a leader is based on the belief that financial well-being must come from pleasure - when life is a deep, absorbing, fun game. "Human beings have two very different energies - that of assertion, action, aggression (through which we expand our psychological, physical, emotional territory). The second is the energy of satisfaction, fullness, eroticism, cultivated by feeling pleasure."

Often people think that once they have made a commitment, they will be able to afford pleasure. "But if we don't allow ourselves to experience pleasure, the energy of our action is not strengthened. Aesthetic pleasure leads to a stronger power of action and a mentality of wholeness," notes R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

Antonio Meneghetti, the Italian pioneer of ontopsychology and artist, said that a person's ability to earn and to buy are correlated - if you don't have the ability to buy and consume quality, aesthetically pleasing objects, you don't have the ability to create them. Money is energy, exchange, circulation. In a consumer culture, pleasures, aesthetics, tend to be superficial, but there are deeper levels of pleasure.

The first level of pleasure is physiological. These are the pleasures that enhance our vitality: a beautiful space, good food, good quality clothes, etc. Beautiful things raise a person's vibration. The second level of pleasure is emotional. Things that inspire us: beautiful places in nature, works of art, and anything that gives us a sense of wonder and awakens the impulse for a new quality.
The third level is ethical-moral. This is the pleasure we feel when our actions, ideas, decisions contribute to the satisfaction of the group (organisation, city, country, etc.) and to a better outcome.
The fourth level is the intellectual pleasure of cognition, which we experience when we learn about life phenomena and situations and see their deep causes. And although at that point the new knowledge has no practical application, it expands our thinking.

The fifth level is historical-economic. The pleasure we feel in contributing to a better quality of life for future generations. It may not bring financial returns, but it is focused on the unconscious needs of a larger system, a group, and creates long-term benefits.

6. A creative mind. The ability to see the future and create for the long term.
"I recently listened to a lecture by an astrophysicist, where he discussed the meaning of human life and gave his own version: according to him, human beings exist to give birth to new ideas, images that stimulate growth, quality, depending on the context you are in - an organisation, a city, a country, etc.," says R. Baltė Balčiūnienė.

According to her, a creative mind is not possible without the other five metacompetencies. Having the courage to make new decisions, to see potential, to create images of the future is not possible without strong thinking, acting from a sense of feeling, and knowledge of lively systems. A pleasant sensory life helps you to build up your mental energy, so that you have new impulses and ideas, a desire to change and evolve.

Creative solutions provide both functionality and aesthetic satisfaction. They give rise to new phenomena, new logic, new quality. Only 2% of adults are able to come up with solutions outside the previous logic, compared to around 28% of children. The brain, which works automatically, seeks to maintain a safe, comfortable, low-energy mode, to prevent mistakes, unpleasant emotions, etc. Choosing creative thinking is always risky, but it is worth it - it creates new functional connections between areas, between things that at first sight do not seem to connect.