Registering the Shift

Many years ago I studied communication systems and had a special interest in ‘Code Division Multiple Access’ (CDMA) techniques. They are in common use today but were once considered very exotic and first found use in deep space communications where a method was required to extract a wanted signal from beneath a background of noise. Now having retired from my engineering activities I understand the underlying principles of CDMA in a new way. CDMA systems use electronic ‘shift registers’ to generate unique codes. There are many different families of codes with different characteristics but a key quality is that only the given sequence of the code can be used to encode and/or extract the intended signal. Short length shift registers yield relatively simple codes that are more easily used. They work faster to encode/decode signals. Their benefits are speed and simplicity. Long length shift registers yield vastly more complex codes. They are harder to ‘crack’ but more effective for encoding signals that can then be ‘hidden’ and later extracted from below the noise floor. Their benefits are uniqueness, diversity and security but they are much slower to use. We humans have unique contributions to make to the planet. Our lives are like one big shift register with each year adding an extra stage and corresponding complexity. When we’re young we’re faster, simpler and more easily used. When we’re older we can extract deeper meaning from within life’s noise. We’re slower but more certain; our complexity is a real advantage. For signal extraction to be possible the receiver seeks correlation between the incoming signal and a locally generated replica. We ‘slide’ the replica signal over the incoming one until we detect a match, which allows us to ‘lock on’ after which we stop ‘sliding’ with the local code and the encoded signal can now be extracted. The longer the cycle the more difficult the process but the greater the ability to uncover hidden signals. A similar process is at play in coaching. Here we want to assist clients searching for their unique role in life. It may begin with a gnawing sensation of lack of fulfilment, that their true purpose is hidden beneath the noise of everyday life. When they learn what their true desires are and what unique gifts they can bring to bear, they may ‘slide’ through a few possibilities before their lock is picked and their deeper life unfolds. Clients generate the ‘codes’ that they use to check for matches. Younger clients, with ‘shorter sequence codes’, may zero in quite quickly while older clients may take a little longer. CDMA receivers allow for fast acquisition, a kind of ‘course tuning’ after which a longer sequence code can be applied and deeper meaning extracted. A coaching equivalent might be where a client has worked with a coach over a longer period, initially working on tangible and readily accessible outcomes, but later, within an established coaching relationship, developing to investigate deeper life issues. With older clients, more deeply immersed in established habits, a coarse tuning might be a ‘quick win’ change, which emboldens them to seek greater purpose. Once upon a time CDMA technology captivated my attention and now I relate to it in a very different way. It is one of many engineering metaphors describing the deeper communication that life offers us. I am blessed to register this shift in perception of shift registers. May it prove useful for unlocking true purpose.