Other people’s capacity (OPC), like “other people’s money (OPM),” is a topic that we frequently notice and care about. We want others to do things that we want them to do; we work to enroll them in our visions of the future; and try to sell them and convince them that things can be different.
All of these kinds of approaches involve “how much” of something the other person has: time, resources, interest, curiosity, health – and, of course, the other person is the only person who really knows his or her capacity for giving of these.
What is your style for engaging a dialogue about OPC? Are you aggressive or, alternatively, are you someone who rarely mentions OPC? Think about how you would like others to engage your capacity and their requests about engaging it, and then revisit your own guidelines about how to best engage others.