“… the turkey was “a little vain and silly.”
–
Happy Thanksgiving.
No matter how you may look over your past year … inevitably you find things to give thanks for.
But I am going to look into the “way-back” machine to find what to be thankful for this year.Like maybe 1776 or so.
If cooler heads had not prevailed early in the beginnings of the creation of the good ole US of A … we may be eating eagles for thanksgiving.
Why?
Because if it had been up to Benjamin Franklin the turkey would have been the national bird instead of the bald eagle.
Which would have then <of course> made a turkey a protected species <therefore uneatable because unkillable> and … well … I imagine we would be eating eagles on thanksgiving <okay … maybe not … but it made for a fun thought>.
So.
This Thanksgiving I would like to give my thanks to whomever we should thank for getting Ben to focus on something other than turkeys as a national bird.
In case you didn’t know about this the National Wildlife website was kind enough to have actually written something about this in 2007 so I will share their words:
Nations often adopt animals as symbols: England has its lion, India its peacock. On the afternoon of July 4, 1776, just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress appointed a committee made up of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to select a design for an official national seal.
The three patriots had different ideas and none of them included the bald eagle. They finally agreed on a drawing of the woman Liberty holding a shield to represent the states. But the members of Congress weren’t inspired by the design and they consulted with William Barton, a Philadelphia artist who produced a new design that included a golden eagle.
Because the golden eagle also flew over European nations, however, the federal lawmakers specified that the bird in the seal should be an American bald eagle. On June 20, 1782, they approved the design that we recognize today.
At the time, the new nation was still at war with England, and the fierce-looking bird seemed to be an appropriate emblem. But from the start, the eagle was a controversial choice. Franklin scowled at it. “For my part,” he declared, “I wish the eagle had not been chosen as the representative of this country. He is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched in some dead tree where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing hawk and, when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish and is bearing it to his nest for his young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes the fish. With all this injustice, he is never in good case.”
Some people have since questioned whether the eagle would have been chosen to adorn the seal had the nation not been at war. A year after the Treaty of Paris ended the conflict with Great Britain, Franklin argued that the turkey would have been a more appropriate symbol. “A much more respectable bird and a true native of America,” he pointed out. Franklin conceded that the turkey was “a little vain and silly,” but maintained that it was nevertheless a “bird of courage” that “would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”
In addition.
In a letter to his daughter Franklin was not particularly nice with regard to our bald eagle:
Franklin’s Letter to His Daughter (excerpt)
“With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country…
By the way.
Three other types of birds were suggested in the preliminary United States Great Seal designs:
– a rooster
– a dove
– a phoenix in flames
Also. An imperial two-headed eagle <not unlike the pre-soviet Russia emblem> was in the initial discussion..
Oh.
Speaking of birds with honors <and … no … I am not speaking of giving the honorable proverbial ‘bird’ to someone> … what’s up with state birds?
Why the heck do we have state birds?
And its kind of screwed up because they aren’t even really state birds … because states actually share state birds.
<… heck … every state has an official state bird, state flower, state tree, state flower … bla bla bla … what the hell is the point of this? A state has a lot of different birds, trees, flowers so why pick one to be “official”? … oops … sorry … I digressed …>
Anyway.
Apparently the cardinal is the most popular bird. It is the official state bird in 7 states <Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia … I think> followed by the western meadowlark in 6 states and the mockingbird in 5 states. This also makes me ponder the thought that if say maybe the cardinal reached a majority of states as a state bird … would it then be voting out the bald eagle and become the national bird?
Just in case you are wondering.
Every state officially flips the bird.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Give someone a bird today.
“He built his fences out of doors and made the trespassers into guests.”
by Secret Vespers on January 14, 2008 at 6:20 pm
=====
Well.
The first time I saw this from secretvespers I loved it.
I loved the thought.
We build fences around us.
I imagine all of us do in some form or fashion.
We sometimes build fences to keep people and things out. It’s just our way of keeping our sanity.
And sometimes we build fences to … well … keep ourselves in. It’s safer that way. Instead of wide open spaces with unlimited choices we seek order and limits and a place to go in and out which is where we know we can stand at the threshold … stop … take a breath … and say ‘this is it’ … and go. A place to enter where once we step over the threshold we are in. In and away from everything. And no other doors exist to slip out of.
Without fences?
Uh oh.
Where are the limits? Where are the boundaries? Not only can anyone or anything enter … but what keeps you where you are?
Ah.
But a fence of doors.
What a thought.
We get to keep our cages <which we seem love> but invite the world to visit through a variety of doors. Doors can be closed but entry ways abound.
We have our boundaries and cocoon within which we can be safe but guests are invited.
And we can explore the world in any direction which takes our fancy every morning … not just one door … not just one direction. And you now what? even if we only use that one door every sngle day? We know we have other doors we COULD choose if we wanted to. Sometimes knowing that you have freedom is as important as actually using the freedom.
Oh.
But all those doors. Yikes. Is it safe?
Therein lies the challenge in Life. Doors aren’t mean to be closed all the time. Life isn’t either. You may get lucky on occasion in that Life may come knocking. And, frankly, the odds of that increase if you have a fence made of doors.
But Life isn’t always that friendly … more often than not you have to actually open the door and walk out.
I am certainly not suggesting everyone have a ‘fence of doors.’ It is a great thought … but, practically, not a thought for everyone.
But.
More than one door? Having the ability to accept guests from any direction, any walk of life, any belief or thought?
Well.
We could all probably be doing more of that.
Anyway.
The whole idea we all have fences we build around ourselves and the fact in this case we would decide to make a fence out of doors so that people who infringe on our “space” are guests is an amazing thought.
I envy people who can do this.
Being able to welcome someone into your personal space is a talent and an attribute … and an attitude … that is remarkable to watch.
Watch how people seemingly flock to those who have doors for fences.
The other aspect of this I love is that the fence doesn’t have a limited number of doors.
All are welcome to enter at anytime as a guest.
I recognize I am not this type of person. I enjoy my fence and having one door for guests to enter.
But in my life I have been fortunate to encounter those few who seem to have limitless space in their days and lives for others to enter. And each time I am lucky enough to be able to enter one of their doors and watch how each trespasser, myself included, so quickly became guests.
This is a nice thought.
Lastly.
When Life trespasses … what would happen if we treated it as a guest rather than someone unwanted?
Well.
That is probably a completely different post.
But an interesting thought.
Ok. In the end.
A fence made of doors.
Think about it. Or maybe as Alice in Wonderland suggests … ‘nothing is impassable.’
Regardless.
A really nice thought.
“There is no privacy that cannot be penetrated. No secret can be kept in a civilized world. Society is a masked ball where everyone hides his real character, then reveals it by hiding.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
<by the way … he wrote this in the 1800’s before twitter, facebook, internet or even cable tv>
“I confess … that any theories which I had formed from the newspaper reports were entirely erroneous.” – Sherlock Holmes
Whew.
I will begin with the belief that 24 hour news is the bane & burden of this generation. Now. I opened with the two older quotes because news reporting has always had the ability to erroneously guide our thoughts and attitudes <but hopefully not our behavior>. It just that in today’s world … well … it is 24/7 download of ‘whatever they have’ to download to us.
Never has an entire population had too much & too little information … at exactly the same time.
We are barraged with soundbites of truths, semi truths, quasi truths and non-truths. So much so we either blindly grasp at any one of them and pass it along as something we believe as truth … or ignore them all remaining indifferent to what is happening around us and focusing on ourselves <our own little world>.
Me?
Basically I have a love/hate relationship with news these days.
And after thinking about it I believe it all comes down to 24 hours and supply & demand.
Not people’s demands but rather Time’s demands. 24 hour news means news people have to supply something over the 24 hours.
I didn’t say supply ‘news’ but rather ‘something.’ Earlier I called it “whatever they have.”
News is often forced to deliver incomplete, inaccurate, speculative, rehashed or simply pointless information because they have time to fill up <and silence doesn’t sell>.
Well.
That, my friends, is supply & demand at its worst.
Where demand is not driven by the user but rather by the distributor.
Think of it kind of like a retail store and how they decide to open and close their doors. Except in this case the store doesn’t give a shit about the quality of what they put on the shelves … they simply have decided to keep the store open 24/7 and put whatever they have available on the shelves on the off chance someone comes through the door.
As I further thought about the ‘supply’ issue I was reminded of a semi-fantastic book <it could have been half its words and been 100% fantastic> called It’s Not News, It’s Fark: How Mass Media Tries to Pass off Crap as News.
It was written by Fark.com founder Drew Curtis who delightfully skewers the media industry by examining the consistent patterns of the ‘go-to stories’ they use when there is a lack of any real news to report.
<note: I used to be an avid Fark visitor if only because they rehashed the real news and the absurd news in equal amounts with outstanding headlines>
Anyway.
The consistent patterns for everyone:
– Media Fearmongering contains news stories used to scare the audience. Examples are terrorists attacking, ‘what if’ weapon scenarios and the Avian Flu.
– Unpaid Placement Masquerading as Actual Article is about news stories which, whether intentionally or not, advertise a product or organization. An example is an article indicating that 90 percent of the ocean’s large fish are extinct—an unconfirmed statistic written by an author promoting a book about damage to the environment.
– Headline Contradicted by Actual Article are news stories which have misleading or contradictory headlines that are the opposite of what is implied by the article. An example is an article run by the Detroit Free Press titled “Asian Vehicles Rank Low in Survey” which later contained the statistic that 29 of the 31 cars that earned a top reliability rating were Japanese.
– Equal Time for Nutjobs is about articles published just to give an opposite side to a story, even if that opposite side has been proven false. Examples include 9/11 Truthers, the anti-vaccination movement and climate change.
– The Out-of-Context Celebrity Comment relates to articles which give a disproportionate amount of attention to a comment made by a celebrity, like Brad Pitt’s position on stem cell research or the Dixie Chicks’ position on the Iraq War.
– Seasonal Articles focuses on recurring articles published the same time every year. An example is AAA reports related to increases in traffic during the Christmas holidays.
– Media Fatigue refers to stories examined and exhausted and continuously rehashed past their relevance. Examples would include the September 11 attacks or the Benghazi embassy and pretty much any JayZ/Beyonce or Michael Jackson controversy.
– Lesser Media Space Fillers are non-categorical articles which consistently reappear. Examples include the coverage of missing white women, random road rage and extreme weather in obscure places.
Oh my.
In most cases we are being bombarded with the obscure and the random to the point where it becomes difficult to believe these things aren’t happening everywhere <despite the fact it is one event in one place at one time in some time frame longer than a month or two>.
And this doesn’t count the ‘unbiased’ outlets spewing skewed information about key topics.
Well.
What this all translates to is that we “the people” certainly understand philosophically what impartial is but we just can’t seem to find it in the media.
But how do we save ourselves from the idiot box and the idiots pushing stupidity under the guise of news experts.
Sure.
There are a gazillion sources and opinions and we have countless options to choose from <which, by the way, is actually a good reflection of a democracy working at its best> … but who has time to sift their way through all that stuff?
Which then leads me to what we see and hear in the news and relevance.
It seems to me that journalists have a responsibility to spread news as quickly as possible to educate the public on important events.
But … watching the American 24 hour television news cycle, it is as though the country had been occupied by an army of Islamist radicals, right wing <or left wing> nutjobs and never ending local disasters.
No wonder it feels like the apocalypse is upon us.
Here is a truth.
24 hour news is derailing the sense and composure of America.
Heck.
I would argue 24 hour news is derailing the sense and composure of the world.
The media likes to cash in disaster and bad news … even if it is simply some isolated local event … which just stirs up people.
The 24 hour news cycle has caused so much misinformation or partial information to be put out in front of the public it can make you crazy if you try and keep up. They spout ‘what they have’ out of fear of not being the first to report often before even a cursory fact check and quite often in spite of a fact check.
Unfortunately … whether we like to think of ourselves this way or not … we people … if a lie or incorrect or distorted “fact” is repeated often enough many begin to believe it.
What this really means is that if you use any one of the 24 hour news sources as your sole source of knowledge then you are not only doing yourself a great disservice but you are getting screwed.
Screwed in what information you receive.
Screwed up in your head.
At its best … the 24 hour news cycle can merely put a topic out there and leave it for the public to decide its importance or relevance.
At its worst … the 24 hour news cycle can hammer home falsehoods until they are believed and inevitably inform opinions and even create them for some people.
Interestingly … I can draw on Sherlock Holmes <again> to state our dilemma as normal every day schmucks <like me> trying to discern real news and truth:
“It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence. The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of such personal importance to so many people, that we are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact–of absolute undeniable fact–from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences may be drawn and what are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns.” – Sherlock Holmes <silver blaze>
Whew. “The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact–of absolute undeniable fact–from the embellishments of theorists and reporters.”
Geez. Did Sherlock have 24 hour news cable tv? This is exactly the challenge we face day in and day out <actually 24/7 with news>.
Oddly … I remember how delighted we were initially over how great it was to have so much news, entertainment and information.
Experts called it news “choice, convenience and control” and suggested the benefit to us was that nothing would be missed.
But instead of news they have ended up giving us brief bursts of updates.
Every 15 minutes they seem to try and give us an update of the news.
And in between they’re trying to figure out ways to keep you watching.
So they’ll do reported pieces.
They’ll do a lot of interviews.
There are a lot of talk shows.
And there is a lot of things that we would classify as kind of pulpy, quasi-tabloid, quasi-celebrity news.
Oh. That may be bad … but this is the worst.
They will also do anything that implies we are simply waiting for the next great crisis.
Roman emperors used to often say ‘If you cannot give the people bread, give them circuses.’
Frankly … news today is not really about news … it is more about crafting communications by aligning ‘impact words’ with ‘impact images’ to impact the people watching.
I guess I will ask the real question.
Do we really require 24-hour news channels?
Do we really need the 100 odd some of them spewing the same breaking news from dawn to dusk.
In the past all the national and international news could be summed up in prime time news bulletins.
The world cannot have changed so much in the last 15 years that the quantum of really important news has suddenly multiplied a zillion times that we now require minute-by-minute coverage to get through it.
Test it if you want. Just keep switching on the TV at different times of the day and you’ll find that a lead news item that breaks in the morning usually keeps getting repeated right into the afternoon and sometimes well into the evening.
Well.
This made me think about what we did need.
And, no, this is not about that tired subject of “short attention span people.’
So let me digress for a minute and share an idea.
– something about 20 minutes.
20 minute workouts.
20 minutes meals.
20 minute conversations <usually fun & good>.
20 minute meetings <usually never happens>.
20 minute newspapers.
Yup.
20 minute newspaper.
Best selling paper in France.
The big idea?
It matches up with the consumer. Provides value <news> in a manageable time <20 minutes>.
As I look around me (a newspaper lover myself) and I look at decreasing readership I look at this 20 minute concept as an awesome concept (as a salvation concept).
Just as USAToday came in and redefined the newspaper market <traditional format with nontraditional delivery of the news> I believe something like 20Minutes could redefine the market again.
I choose USAToday because of all the papers I know they would be the one who could most likely pull it off.
So what if USAToday became USAToday 20. Today in 20 minutes. Tighten up the editorial and the format and make it the quick easy news read.
If they hired me to tell them what to do that is what I would tell them.
Heck.
They aren’t paying me … and I am still gonna tell them what to do.
Is it a radical departure from who they are and what they stand for? Nope. They have always been about sound bite news delivered in entertaining style. Just tighten it up and they become the super sound bite news in an entertaining style.
Shorter and just as engaging.
People will pick it up in droves.
Will some people bitch? Sure. Of course they will.
They did when USAToday came on the scene scoffing at their ‘amateurishness’ and such (and look how successful they ended up being).
Take your lumps USAToday.
Change the game again.
Why do it?
In 2010, for the third year since 2007, the daily newspaper daily called 20 Minutes is the best-read newspaper in France.
The paper has over 2,675,000 daily readers beating all paid papers. (data from Epiq/Audipresse)
This paper beats even the awesome sports paper L’Equipe (which has about 2.3 million readers).
Sorry. I digressed.
Well.
I imagine my real point is that whether we discuss 20 minutes or 2 minutes or 20 hours … people DO desire news, WILL consume news and SHOULD get news.
But news should be news … and not entertainment.
Oh.
And we really <really> don’t need it 24/7.
Ok.
Lastly.
Pundits, opinion peddling and snarkiness and eyeballs.
The talking heads. The pundits.
They are dangerous. To society, to us … to civilization as we know it.
Anybody who considers Glen Beck, O’ Reilly, Limbaugh, Maher or any of these opinionated <but seemingly smart people> as a true news source … is simply nuts or hasn’t done any homework.
We simply have all of these sources pandering to various fringe groups who are not a microcosm of the whole country but rather a minority voice which the news manipulators have elected as ‘stuff that will create rating points.”
These talking head ‘experts’ are exploiting news to expound upon their personal views on immigration, healthcare and a seemingly nonstop fueling of hatred of Islam.
The danger?
People become aggressively opinionated based on what really are entertainment shows rather than legitimate news sources. They take ‘opinions’ and make them ‘unequivocal truths.’
This is opinion peddling at its worst.
Oh.
Which leads me to snarkiness.
Snarkiness is the key component to today’s talking head experts.
They seize upon the minutiae and nuance and raise it to an absurd level.
About what I mean by ‘snarkiness’:
Snarkiness involves:
(a.) insulting someone or some group in a nasty, heckling way. It is a variant of the ad hominem fallacy because it’s a personal attack instead of a scrutiny of the substance of an argument
(b.) a knowing abuse that appeals to the prejudice or preconceptions of others. The coded insult or innuendo involves slyly drawing attention to an understanding shared by others of a similar ilk. Simply put, an underhanded reference is being made.
(c.) tinged with humour, although the humour is never very funny and is often quite pathetic. It’s a form of “teasing” and “rug-pulling”, as Denby puts it. There may be enough humour, however, to allow an attacker to deflect blame. If the victim gets too angry, that person can be dismissed as a humourless and overly sensitive mope who takes things too seriously.
<source: Snark by David Denby>
As Denby correctly points out, snarkiness tends to be a form of intellectual laziness and conformity. Snarks tend to use hackneyed terms and expressions. The snarky comment lacks originality and imagination. Old sayings and jokes are recycled. The language used is neither well crafted nor clever. Thus, an adversary is put on the defensive by an attacker who expends the minimum amount of effort. If someone lacks knowledge or expertise, they can attack the adversary to discredit their views while diverting attention away from their own inadequacies. Thus, snarky comments can be a form of evasion. Is it any wonder that snarkiness is a popular technique among lazy pundits who can’t bother keeping abreast of their area of supposed expertise? This inherent laziness also means that the personal attacks tend to pick on any available vulnerability.
As Denby puts it: [Snarkiness] seizes on any vulnerability or weakness it can find—a slip of the tongue, a sentence not quite up-to-date, a bit of flab, an exposed boob, a blotch, a blemish, a wrinkle, an open fly, an open mouth, a closed mouth. It exploits—slyly, teasingly—race and gender prejudice. When there are no vulnerabilities, it makes them up.
All of this tends to reinforce conformity and mediocrity. Snarkiness is a characteristic of the less capable, although Denby makes a distinction between high-brow and low-brow snarkiness based on how cultured the attack is.
Well.
I included this because snarkiness seems to be mandatory to be successful in today’s 24 hour news world. Next time you listen to your favorite ‘expert’ maybe take a step back and assess their level of ‘snarkiness.’
Ok.
All that said.
The big close.
Here is where now that I have skewered the news media I will shift to us <the viewers>.
We have 2 things we could work on:
– Not caring about knowing everything as soon as it happens
– Question everything, believe nothing
Propaganda style reporting, sensational headlines, adrenaline pumping hyperbole, speculating panels of experts, distortion of facts happen all the time … and not only can we ignore it … but we can also question it.
Me? personally I have two pet peeves.
– Equal Time for Nutjobs. It’s funny when you talk about people not believing in moon landings, or who think an alien crash-landed somewhere or who believe that there was once an ancient Mediterranean civilization in Florida. It’s another thing entirely when people start to believe that denying the Holocaust is a valid opinion.
– <a derivative of nutjobs> Using a minority point of view for scaremongering. Its not funny when someone begins encouraging kids to not be vaccinated. Its not funny when the wacky minority <less than 2% of ‘experts’> who try and stall efforts to address climate change get airtime and headlines <but we can live with that> … but when something affects our health or security? That seems crazy.
<I include a letter to help make my point>
—–
Your article “Fifteen Years After Autism Panic, a Plague of Measles Erupts” (page one, July 20) illustrates the very serious concern for the health and welfare of people when misinformation is dispensed.
As a public-health nurse, I administered the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella and was confronted by concerns from parents regarding the relationship of MMR vaccine and autism. Many parents got their false information from the media, including newspapers and television, as well as the Internet, and convincing them that the information was wrong wasn’t easy.
The media have tremendous power in people’s lives and has a responsibility to be unbiased and accurate. Furthermore, people who have never seen the devastating effects of these diseases become complacent about being immunized until outbreaks occur.
Mary Ann Putnam, R.N.
—–
Regardless.
24 hour news is not going away. And I do not really sense that any of them are planning on taking the responsibility high road any time soon.
So think about this.
The Fark guy was asked once: If you had to limit your information intake to less than 30 minutes a day (excluding email), what would you consume/read/watch?
<his response>
Nothing. I’d wait until my friends asked me “did you see that?” and then say “no, why do you ask?” and see if their response is interesting. You can always catch up later. Oftentimes when news breaks it’s hours or days before anyone knows what actually happened. Wait until next week for the summary if it’s that important.
Take two weeks off. Don’t watch any news, don’t read any news, don’t listen to any radio talk shows. Then tune back in. Did you miss anything? Nope. It’s the same old crap, different days. That’s what I’m talking about in my book — the media patterns that are used to fill space. It’s 95% or more of the content of any given news show.
Look.
Those that provide the news must come up with words, subjects, interviews, etc. to fill 24 hours and, let’s face it folks, not that much changes from day to day … with the exception of some truly breaking news.
And while 24 hours news has a bad perception issue <a PewResearch study revealed a steady decline in peoples’ belief that news media “gets the facts straight” and as of 2009, this number was at a staggeringly low 29 percent> … that fact it is not slowing them down any. The full display of facts continues to be obscured and random events become hyped to the point they appear typical.
So it is up to us … we the people.
Anyway.
We should not treat news as entertainment … its news for gods sake.
But I imagine if you are required to have ‘news’ 24 hours a day … and sometimes there is no real news … you have to entertain.
“Bring in the clowns I say.” – Me.
Gobs of really smart, and some not so smart, people research cultural shifts day in and day out. So many in fact that we can all easily become confused on whether we are actually discussing shifts or rather ‘reflections upon the moment.”
I say that because sometimes people say shit simply because they feel the need to say shit.
And this pertains to ‘experts’ and researchers and futurists and trendwatchers and all the gobs of smart <and not so smart> people.
For example.
I struggle when someone claims “changes in culture” and immediately follow it up with “what lies ahead for brands next year?”
Huh?
Culture and next year?
Isn’t culture shift about where countries, groups of people, civilizations and maybe some larger attitudes & behavior are heading? Not ‘what lies ahead for brands next year?’
Isn’t culture more about generations and not individual years?
Call me crazy but while business pundits want to expound upon brands and such … culture shifts DO happen … and it is bigger than about some brand … and I maybe think of it more as “what we should be thinking about” <with our kids, friends & businesses> moving forward.
Because … inevitably … shit changes in culture.
And that means shit happens to generations of people.
And that means attitudes and behaviors change <that’s the big shit>.
Some change is short term shit <let’s call these fads> … and some change is long term shit <these are actually cultural shifts>.
I say all that as a prelude to some stuff because identifying shifts within a true cultural shift is very very difficult. And it becomes even more difficult in a world where we treat every little idea and/or action as the next big thing … or even the biggest thing since sliced bread.
Bottom line?
We should take all these futurist prognosticator thoughts with a grain of salt.
Now.
I am not a prognosticator.
But here is what I know for sure.
Culture moves forward … people adapt … civilizations ebb and flow <some die and some are born> … and what was new will quickly become old <and the old will hold on too long to the old and the young will embrace some of the new too early>.
Regardless.
I do scan all the ‘rend forecasters’ and ‘brand futurists’ and actual real-time research that doesn’t try and predict but rather simply measure <and permit us people watchers kind of suggest what the information is saying about culture>.
Here is another thing I am fairly sure about.
If the foundation within a culture, some underpinning, changes through some innovation or underlying attitudinal shift … you have the basis for a long term cultural shift.
Please note that typically culture shift is like a glacier … or at its fastest … an oversized oil tanker filled to the brim.
Very very slow shifts and turns.
Hmmmmmmmmmm … except when there is an abrupt and/or game-changer change in the foundational infrastructure … i.e. … when something at the core of how we do things … or how we think about things … changes.
Then all bets are off.
Think fire, iron, printing press, industrial revolution … and computer of course.
When something like that appears a current culture gets rocked … and changes.
Ok.
I wrote all of that as a preface to discussing some thoughts produced by Leo Burnett Chicago <once known as a brilliantly good advertising agency but now wants to be some ‘idea’ generation company or something like that> considered in developing a forecast of future behavioral trends called HumanKind 2012:
What’s apparent from the learning is that we’re beginning to see a profound change in the cultural fabric of society and the emergence of a different kind of Big Life Plan. It’s a new kind of America – where men stay at home, women win the bread, and nearly 40 percent of all children are born to a single mom. In short, it’s the “The Transformation of Aspiration.”
I’m not talking small change here. We’re beginning to see a profound change in the cultural
fabric of society,” the report says.
Well.
I imagine they have to say that simply to get people to pay attention.
But I am not sure we should be thinking massive transformation in the cultural fabric <which really sounds good though doesn’t it?>.
I would suggest that the ‘cultural fabric’ is constantly being rewoven … all the time.
Massive transformation?
Geez.
Sounds apocalyptic. Seems to me it is gradual cultural shifts.
Regardless.
Those smart folk at Burnett highlight 6 key trends which I will now share with my thoughts <not as smart> included:
<note: they suggest that “brands and marketers should embrace these in order to successfully engage with today’s consumer” … I would simply suggest that being aware of these is probably more important than ‘embracing’>.
Sense of fairness declines, happiness inequality rises. Americans as a population have traditionally been optimistic and happy. Even during the years leading up to the recession everyone was happy, regardless of social class. Since the economic downturn, that’s all changed. Americans are unhappier than ever, especially those with lower incomes. Feelings of inequality and unfairness are rampant and continue to dwindle
Implication for brands: This year’s winning brands will be those that consistently deliver acts of fairness and behave with morality. A company that treats all customers fairly will earn Americans’ trust and patronage.
– Bruce thought: painful as it is to tell business leaders … truth & transparency … it has always been the backbone of any business … and always will be. While I do believe ‘happiness inequality rises’ is true … I am not sure this is a massive cultural shift. It is simply a reflection of the state of society.
Now. If I am a company <or a brand> I cannot change the status of society <not even Coke can do that> but I can certainly acknowledge Life sucks … and people are unhappy … and do my best to insure everyone knows I am doing my best to NOT contribute to unhappiness and AM trying to make people as happy as I can. Behaving ethically and demonstrating consistent fairness is standard operating procedure … well … at least it should be <and that hasn’t changed>. Oh. Part of truth and transparency is the fact you cannot make all the people happy all the time. And while perceived fairness may matter … truth and transparency is far more important. I always tell businesses that they are in the business of being human. “Brands” don’t like to hear that shit because they aspire to be bigger than life … bigger than human … they want to be … well … superhuman.
Nuts to that.
Be human.
The average American family is anything but. Finish school, get a job, get married, have a family. That plan still exists, but only for some. Forty percent of kids are born to an unmarried mother. More couples have children out of wedlock. People define their own family situation and shape their lives according to their own needs, not their peer group.
Implication for brands: Popular media is slow to catch up to the changing American family. Diverse images of family ring true with consumers and can be a great way to show how your brand fits in to today’s reality.
– Bruce thought: Ah. Stereotypes. Marketing images typically lag behind cultural shifts, so being ahead of the curve is one way to give your business an edge. Risky … but an edge. The truly challenging part? There has never been a larger gap between the oldest generations and the youngest. Appeal to the youngest and there are a shitload <think maybe 100 million or so … but who’s counting?> who will not only be scratching their heads wondering what the hell they just saw but be slightly indignant on the decay o civilization. Appeal to the oldest and the young simply do not see themselves in that world.
But. Here is where I believe Burnett is off the mark. They appear to be caught up in the trees and not see the forest. They are focused on the make up of the family … and not the core which actually holds a family together. What makes up ‘family’ is not defined by need or situation … it is defined by … well … family. That intangible bond of love, caring, discipline, shared space and shared experiences. Today’s family may not sit around the kitchen table as often <if ever> as the families of generations past but that doesn’t make them any less a family. In fact … families <parents and their kids> are actually spending more time together than any generation prior. It isn’t around the table but it is together. Well. that is family. Screw the stereotypes … that is the kind of bullshit you throw at ‘brands’ and companies hoping they think you are giving them some epiphany on marketing and sales. Behavior is behavior and attitudes are attitudes. Oh. And family is family.
The universal archetype of masculinity is over. Men evolve as the traditional definition of masculinity is being redefined. The old rules that define a man’s role in the home and office do not apply in today’s world. Women are out-earning their husbands and men accept this. In fact, 77% of all men are comfortable with their wives earning more than them and 72 percent are okay with staying home to take care of the children. Brands speak with caution when referring to traditional views of masculinity. Focus instead on shaping identities and transforming individuals, not a specific gender.
– Bruce thought: First. Brand don’t speak <sorry … just had to get that out of the way>.Second. Whew. ‘Universal archetype of masculinity.’ Well. I imagine this is kind of like suggesting all millennials are environmentally conscious <they are not>, or that all women want children <they don’t> or all koala bears eat eucalyptus <oops … they do>.
Stereotypes and generalizations for broad groups have never worked nor been effective.
Now. If this ‘cultural change’ is about how we view women … well … women have never been men … nor men women.
And if it is about how we view men and masculinity? Men who buy a Dodge Ram will very likely have a different definition of masculinity than one who buys a Lamborghini versus one who buys a VW bug. And, by the way … that definition will have nothing to do with femininity … just different aspects of what it is that makes up being a male and masculinity.
Oh.
While dual income households have changed how we all view things <materialistic to roles of genders things> masculinity is still masculinity. With various degrees of what it may mean as well as definitions. Brands should simply focus on what it is that they have to offer. If they are a ‘hair on the chest bar-fight brand’ then go for it.
Anyway. I hope the folks at Burnett were trying to simply suggest don’t stereotype and focus on who your specific target is.
Healthy is in the eye of the beholder.
Despite the rising obesity crisis, food remains an affordable luxury – a way to treat oneself when being forced to cut back in other ways. 47% of Americans say they would like for restaurants to offer healthier items, but only 23% actually order those items. When given the choice between a burger or a salad, consumers see more value in the satisfaction of eating a burger than a salad, especially on a tight budget.
Implications for brands: Regardless if you are in the food industry, think about how to satisfy consumers’ desire for smaller, bite sized luxuries. A small amount of satisfaction can go a long way.
– Bruce thought: The great thing for the food industry? We need food. Without food … well … we die. Regardless. We love food. All kinds of food. Good and bad for you. What that mainly means is that taste is king/queen. Make sure your shit tastes good … consistently. If it does … people will buy it.
Oddly I am kind of surprised people don’t talk about this next topic more … this whole ‘portion size’ discussion.
To me <in my pea like brain> portion size is related to its ‘health delivery.’
If it is healthy I would maximize the size of the portion as far as I could … and if it is unhealthy I would optimize my minimum size. By the way … this trend doesn’t only apply to the food industry.
Anyway. I imagine the real point is that people will always purchase things bad for them. Therefore while it may sound crafty cleverly dastardly … unhealthy food manufacturers should be trying to simply make people feel better about buying their unhealthy stuff. If that is portion size … go for it. If it is something else … give it a shot.
Am I really giving this advice <you may ask>? Yup.
Healthy is in the eye of the beholder mostly because no one has defined ‘healthy’ simply enough that any schmuck like me can understand. While I certainly can grasp that a cookie dough icing covered chocolate dipped cake is unhealthy … someone will tell me that if I cut back on other things it can give me ‘the protein I need’ <or insert whatever justification you want in here>.
Heck. Starbucks sells these amazingly tasty things called cakepops which make your head explode with the sugar content and they claim it is under 200 calories.
Bottom line.
No one has any meaningful guard rails built around what healthy eating truly means to the everyday person … therefore … we will build our own guard rails.
Collective bargaining is a weapon of survival. Daily deal giants such as Groupon and LivingSocial have paved the way for Americans to score deals on everything and anything. People don’t expect or want to pay full price ever again and collectively demand better deals and offerings in the palm of their hand, each morning.
Implication for brands: Integrate daily deals with customer loyalty programs. To compensate for downward pressure on margins, daily deal technology needs to segment customers that are already bargaining and offer more personalized deals to heavy users.
– Bruce thought: Well. Unfortunately I am not so sure I agree with the folks at Burnett. Deals are part of the mix but I tend to believe people just want transparency. They are willing to pay ‘full price’ if it matches their internal value compass. Simply to suggest ‘let’s make a deal’ with regard to everyone and anything <especially considering the Leo’s are talking specifically to ‘brands’> is simplistically and irresponsibly wrong <as well as misguided>. In fact … using Burnett words … ‘deals are in the eyes of the beholder.’ Look. I am not smart enough to be a prognosticator and see into the future. Groupon and LivingSocial may not even exist in 4 years. Heck. If I were telling Facebook what to do I would be telling them to already be thinking about how to dissolve Facebook and introduce the next new generation <some call that ‘planned obseletion’>.
Regardless.
The whole idea of ‘not being able to charge a full price’ or ‘a higher price than someone else’ seems ludicrous to me.
Social/mobile technology: abandon the novel, embrace the practical.
There will be 20+ million new smartphone users in … well … whatever year you want to focus on. These users want to leverage social platforms and mobile in their shopping and buying repertoire, but they need mobile and social to add value, not noise. Implication for brands: To activate shoppers through social and mobile marketers need to identify the problems shoppers are trying to solve and provide informed solutions. Brands that don’t provide practical experiences will be ignored.
– Bruce thought: oops. This is a cultural change? Uhm. Not in my world. This is a technological innovation … which feeds into an overall cultural desire <which I don’t understand why it isn’t discussed more often>. The overall cultural desire? Mobility. Simple as that. We want our world on the go as much as possible. Why? It makes us independent of … well … stuff & things & infrastructure. Geez. Why do you think cars became so popular so fast in our culture?
Anyway.
If I can get it on a smartphone? Amen brother. A wristwatch? Cool. In my wallet? Yahoo. As for practicality … well … Burnett is smarter than this. Anything ‘cool’ will have some initial purchase power … I don’t care if it is technology or clothes … but inevitably f it isn’t practical <or offers some practical functional value> it ain’t gonna last. That is not a cultural shift … that is a cultural reality.
Ok.
That was their thoughts.
You probably know by now if you have made it this far that I think these Leo Burnett thoughts are fairly pedantic but have some good basics to keep in mind.
Ah.
But what I think they missed.
And this is a biggie.
The relationship between being comfortable and uncomfortable has been irrevocably changed.
– We are in an age of constant uncomfortableness.
We are uneasy these days.
Call it being more risk averse.
Call it finding space, and decisions, that provide some basis of comfort and predictability. Call it ‘choice … or non choice … based on fear.’
Call it anything you want but businesses and people are taking less risk.
And putting more value on ‘safe.’
At its worst … people are living in fear. Heck. Businesses are living on fear.
And media constantly feeds the fear. Our kids are not safe walking to school … shit … they aren’t safe in school. Terrorists are around every corner. Big business runs the world conspiracies. Banks will fail tomorrow.
We fear living today because we are sure tomorrow is going to crumble before our eyes.
Bruce thought: This fear creates uneasiness in almost everything we do. It affects us by having us seek safe havens. Comfortable places to rest our minds. It affects us by having us take no, or significantly less, chances. It affects brand choice, starting business choice, school choice, spending choice and … well … living every day life choice. Oh. And it affects society.
Just something to keep in mind.
Okay.
I am done.
To be fair to the typically smart folk at Leo Burnett … it is always easier to edit than to create. It is easy for me to nitpick their words & hack up their thoughts & criticize. They studied, thought and created. I may not agree with their thoughts but my job was easier than theirs.
And in the end … because I shared their thoughts and mine … you get to study, think and create your own thoughts.
Bigger issues Facing Us, Business Thoughts, Favorite Quotes, Personal & Nonsensical, Rants and Observations
how 50somethings are an impediment to progress
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“The only thing that has ever made me feel old is those few times where I allow myself to be predictable.”
–
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Well.
I am a 50something … but I am gonna certainly piss some people off by suggesting 50somethings are slowing us all down <impeding progress> in business … I will do so by hopefully using some rational arguments rather than simply ranting.
The foundation for my thinking will center on 2 things:
– Compensating
– Compensation
Of course, this is … in reality … about ‘letting go holding on’ <with a dose of ‘please, please move on’>. Paradoxically … 50somethings are both the biggest impediment and most important catalyst for progress. They cannot let go. They are holding on … with a stranglehold sense of fear to what they ‘know.’ But if they could figure out how to let go <of the right things> business would progress exponentially.
I recognize that this is actually a topic on some elder generational life truths.
– No one can do it better than I can.
– It was always better when I was younger.
– It is always worse now than it was before.
As they get older … every generation believes these things. Therefore every generation of businesses has a bunch of people sitting in their corner offices looking askance <as the young skip down the office hallways> tapping their proverbial fingers on their desks wondering how to corral all those young whippersnappers to do it the way they did it <before their comfortable world crumbles before their eyes>.
And it can get worse.
The old folk think they are living in the present <this is their perception> by implementing what is comfortable <the past> … therefore their behavior is incredibly difficult to impact because their mind is telling them what they are doing is actually different than what they are actually doing.
Sound complicated? You bet.
So complicated it is next to impossible to change or impact.
Now.
I have been asked several times if I believe it is truly any worse now than it has been between past generations.
I say unequivocally yes <within our life time experiences … although I could probably go back in time and point out several occasions where a technological or medical innovation has created such an experiential differential that this has happened before>.
It would be easy to make my case by pointing out that the PEW Center released a study around 2010 suggesting that the current generation gap is the largest in the almost 50-year history of the study. Even larger than during the Vietnam war era. Today, an astounding 79% of Americans believe that there is a generation gap in the ways young and old think and believe.
But I am not going to take the easy route … and I’m going to outline why I believe the gap may actually be smaller … but a harder, more deep, well defined barrier more difficult to cross instead. I will do so by focusing my argument on the compensating & compensation issues I brought up earlier.
But before I get to those reasons … let me begin with what is the same just to be sure I set the foundation … the whole ‘holding on’ aspect. That this is really all about change.
Look.
First.
I have science on my side <with regard to my opinion>.
‘When giving consideration to any change, it is very important to think about time, the time which is necessary for the change, the time it takes before a person can really change, adapt, find new ways of resolving things. Experts these days say that in terms of a change as fundamental as moving from a well-known domestic environment to a foreign one, a period of two to three generations is necessary. When we say of someone that they are inadaptable, have we ever thought about how long they have been living in the new environment?’
Generations are, in general, slow to change and adapt in a normal every day situation <and in business we cannot wait 2 or 3 generations in order to adapt>. Today’s 50somethings are exponentially challenged with change … and are not dealing with it very well <i.e., not letting go very well>.
In addition.
I believe it was a French sociologist, Emile Durkheim, who developed a psychographic method to establish different socio-cultural groupings <I believe it is called the Sinus Milieu>. Anyway. Basically it is a model that challenges us to think about behavior, preferences and cultural practices. The main premise behind the model is called ‘the lock-in principle.’
The principle simply states that if we get used to something we do not want to change our habits <or attitudes and beliefs> even if we are presented with something new or different that might be better. Simplistically it consistently shows <to a point that it is almost an unequivocal behavioral truth> that habit is stronger than the desire for improvement.
I shared not as an excuse for 50something management behavior … simply an explanation for how difficult it is to change.
Second.
Generational dynamics have always affected the holding on and letting go challenges. This means what pop culture calls ‘the generation gap’ has a basis from reality. Sociologically studies have examined every aspect of generation behavior. So many aspects it would be silly <and too time consuming> to review them all so instead I will give a high level overview.
The gap is defined by a complex range of relationships between members of different generations, children and parents. In addition these intergenerational relations can be influenced by the different age and life experiences of parents and their children, their different roles in the family <and business> as well as by cultural stereotypes. Compound all the personal aspects with the fact a generation is influenced by their life and historical experience.
When this experience is so fundamental in the shaping of attitudes in a generation I believe it is called a ‘cohort’. A cohort is a group of people who have the same experience in the same year.
The best example I have seen of this is:
– When a mother gave birth in 1960, regardless of her age (to which generation she belongs), her husband could not have remained at home with the child on parental leave; when a mother gives birth today, the father can become a house-husband. The father and mother from two different age cohorts can have completely different experiences linked with the same phenomenon (the birth of a child).
Each of these experiences is absorbed by people in a generation at various stages of perceptual development, therefore, they can process the input completely differently. Each person in life is influenced by their experiences. However, each grows up in a more or less different environment based on their personal experiences.
Older and younger generations do not only have a different outlook on the world because of their different perceptions <psychological>, but also because of different historical experiences which they have <a variety of local cultural environment, overall political changes, larger country cultural dynamics – things out of their control but still affect them>. These more historical type circumstances create an impact upon fundamental life decisions and ultimately plays a large role in molding formative life experiences.
And then there is what is called ‘generational wisdom.’
This term is exactly what it suggests … through a certain level of life experience <not just the sheer accrual of information and knowledge and practical skills> a generation gathers wisdom in various stages of their development <albeit it seems like some never attain it at all>. This ‘wisdom’ is typically attributed to the older generations who generally are considered <or are ‘hoped to be’> those with a wealth of experience with a stronger ability to resolve life and business problems and situations.
Oh. Not is it only attributed … it is often expected from older people.
<please note that I am including some of this because it will be relevant to what I consider the unique issue facing this generation gap>
In closing the background section I will say that relations between generations are naturally in conflict. In fact the issue is not whether there is conflict, or chafing <there always is>, but rather how much in conflict the generations are and how well they manage that conflict.
As noted … it happens because each generation grows up under different conditions therefore there are naturally different life experiences between generations all of which gives rise to different opinions, attitudes, norms and values. Interestingly <which I do not believe we discuss often enough> … this creates different perceptions of the same world.
Yup.
Each generation can look at exactly the same thing, the same world, and see something completely different <ponder that for a second>.
All of these dynamics <and conflicts> ultimately relate to the different level of power which one generation has over the other. And, possibly, that is the biggest point I would like to make as I move on.
This is ultimately a power struggle.
That is what a generation gap comes down to.
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“In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”
Shunryu Suzuki
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So while individuals do group in terms of attitudes & beliefs hence the term ‘generations’ because of common experiences, common life stages and common cultural stimuli generations inevitably chafe.
So why is this generation gap different? Okay … time for the Bruce rationale … compensating & compensation.
– Compensating
There is always a fragile relationship between generations … old holding on to what they know and have while the young are trying to pry things from the old … trying to get them to let go <of ideas, responsibility, things, etc.>. From a ‘wisdom’ perspective the current generation gap is different, and more challenged, at the moment <although it has been this way in the past … just not within our experienced past>.
While this wisdom gap between adults and the youth <in Life and in business> has always existed I will call this unique current gap challenge ‘the war on the adult advantage’ <or false knowledge versus real knowledge> for the sake of my discussion.
False knowledge.
This is harsh <and an over generalization> but adults have always made shit up. We pass our opinions and beliefs along as facts … as real knowledge based on real life experience. Let’s call this the ‘years advantage.’ Most likely it is a ‘focus group of one’ knowledge but in the past adults could own this advantage the majority of the time. And at its worst … it is simply a defense mechanism to deflect youth energy away from something we would prefer them not to be focused on or thinking.
Real knowledge.
Adults almost always had a real practical technical ‘how to do it’ advantage … mostly because in this case we had seen & done it. And done it many times so that it was almost with true expertise <or at minimum we had the process understood and efficient>. Nothing beats practical hands on experience <remember that old folk>. The internet has squeezed both.
Today false knowledge can be challenged immediately.
And today and real knowledge? … whew … with some professional proficiencies an adult will always maintain an advantage but with the advent of the computer and technology … many adults have actually LOST the advantage. Ultimately … the internet has squeezed this entire advantage perspective <actual wisdom as well as the learning process itself> to the head of a pin. Shit. Even ‘experiential knowledge‘ is being threatened. In some industries and professions <not all> an industrious young person can compile an almost limitless varied number of simulated ‘experiences’ from which if they use some mental dexterity can recreate a pretty fabulous ‘experiential knowledge’ base.
Older people will argue ‘you didn’t actually do it’ but if they shut up and listen … the thinking is solid enough that it almost appears that they actually DID do it.
What does that mean? Only those adults truly agile and adept at thinking are maintaining this advantage. But, in general, the 50something response?
We are threatened.
The two main pillars of advantage have become toothpicks. So we hunker down. We take an increasingly bunker mentality and batten down the hatches <ok … no more tired metaphors>.
This begs the question … what do the 50somethings inevitably have to hold on to <and put a death grip to never let go of>?
The answer: whatever slim margin of advantage we can own … the unassailable portion … is ‘how we learned to do it.’ This is the process and the mentality and the ‘work’ on HOW we learned what we learned that got us to where we are.
Shit <we say in our heads> … “We got here this way … so any other way is a short cut <or not the right way>.”
Uh oh.
Why is this an issue?
Well.
My good friends at topmodels.com helped me out again.
They refer to it as “why faith is replacing knowledge.”
“… our world is getting more complicated all the time. Black and white, good and bad, right and wrong have been replaced with complicated constructs that leave most people in the dark.
As the world around us becomes increasingly fast paced and complex, the amount we REALLY know – what we can really grasp and understands – decreases all the time. Today it is more or less taken for granted that we do not understand many of the things that surround us, such as mobile phones and ipads. And even if somebody tried to explain the DNA code to us, we would probably be out of our depth. We are increasingly surrounded by ‘black boxes’ … complex constructs that we do not understand even if they are explained to us. We cannot comprehend the inner processes of a black box but nonetheless we integrate their inputs and outputs into our decision making.
The amount that we simply HAVE to believe, without understanding it, is increasing all the time. As a result we are tending to assign more importance to those who can explain something than to their actual explanation.”
<The Decision book: 50 models for strategic thinking – Krogerus & Tschappeler>
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Well.
That thought scares the shit out of 50somethings. It stands against everything we were taught. Faith versus actual knowledge? How can you truly understand if you don’t understand <all the innards and stuff>? The young are replacing <some> knowledge with faith … and the old are not letting go of ‘stop and learn the knowledge.’
There is certainly a balance … but 50somethings are not interested in balance … they are interested in having ‘no faith’ because they perceive it as having ‘too much risk’ or ‘not the way we did it.’
<insert ‘get over it’ here>
There is a massive opportunity for 50somethings if they can get their shit together and quit ‘compensating.’ If they simply quit cocooning simply to maintain their adult dignity <their wisdom factor> and seeking to simply maintain whatever slim perceived advantage they can have over the youth <not actually increasing the gap but simply strengthening the fine thin line between the two>.
Which gets me back to “today”. Today isn’t worse than past generations it is just a more hardened thinner gap than in past generations.
The future is always ‘now’ to the young because the future exists in their ideas. Whenever the future ‘happens’ it becomes the present and then immediately the past <kind of my explanation for the excessive restlessness the youth in business seem to always have>.
50somethings need to learn to let go and hold on for the ride <as a conductor>. Ultimately … the old have lost their traditional grip over the young and are holding on harder than ever before. They are over-compensating to maintain control <or their advantage>.
Which leads me to compensation.
– compensation
While this is about management style as well as purpose ultimately this is about money … not only how we personally get paid <earnings & wealth> but also how the company gets paid <profits, revenue, growth, etc.>. Basically I believe that the demands of managing business has evolved generation to generation … bloated dollar management to squeezed dollar management to … well … I sense it will be something like the ‘added value’ dollar management in the near future <if the 50somethings help with some progress>.
The following chart diagrams my entire thought process:
Here is the explanation behind the diagram. The current 50something management generation is literally and figuratively the generation that got squeezed. This was the generation who had to learn how to do more with less and get more with less. This was the generation who was also demanded to generate more profits and sales increases … with less.
They squeezed dollars and organizations. Yup. If there is anything this management generation understands better … I don’t know what it is … they understand the concept of the squeezed dollar and squeezed organizations.
Now.
Let me explain.
As business evolves and the economic environment surrounding industry evolves the needs of the business leader changes. It is natural to adapt to what the economic environment demands <or be killed if you don’t>. The burden of this business generation? The squeezed dollar <versus the bloated dollar of the previous generation>.
Face it.
This generation of emerging 50something business leaders has already made a lot of money. The one before, let’s call it the boomer business leader, made even more. And each made it differently.
Boomers thrived on the bloated dollar.
The bloated dollar was when companies could charge whatever they wanted and got it. Project estimates contained ‘fat’ <or ‘fluff’ or ‘padding’> to absorb unforeseen changes or challenges and buyers assumed the price was what the price was.
The current generation of business leaders has had to thrive in a ‘squeezed dollar’ environment.
The squeezed dollar is the unfortunate byproduct from the boomer generation leaders’ wonderful success … the financial community demanded the same results … but the consumer demanded transparency. Therefore in order to maintain continuous sales growth <which is actually a relatively ludicrous concept> and continuous profitability the current business leader had to find ways to squeeze the same profit/growth out of less dollars <cutting staff while cutting prices while cutting … and cutting … and … well … cutting>.
I say all this because this economic pressure creates a certain type of management style in order to be successful. 5osomethings learned on the job and actually were quite successful maintaining the boomer ‘earn as much as I can’ attitude <a version of extravagant desire for more> as well as working leaner <on the edge of what an organization is actually capable of>.
The next generation? <the current ‘youth’>
They really don’t like either the financial aspect nor the organizational aspect.
Therefore, in my opinion, the young <who are obviously chafing under the existing management style> will most likely swing to the ‘added value’ dollar. It suggests accommodating sustainability <and purpose driven value> as well as simple ‘de-commoditizing’ industries <rebuilding value beyond lowest price>.
Regardless whether my prediction is correct or not … what is correct is that the 50something business management objectives are not aligned with the younger generation objective desires. And that lack of alignment pertains to both management style as well as corporate objectives. If you combine this point <compensation> with compensating you can clearly see how the gap is the proverbial River Styx which reaches deep into the fires of hell so that not even Charon can carry you across from the gates of this hellish divide.
Ok.
That’s it for my rationale. Compensating and compensation are kind of the two most important issues/factors in my eyes.
Well.
Now that I have blasted 50somethings as being stubborn bitter curmudgeons and the biggest impediment to change … I will take a minute and also note … given the right attitude … 50somethngs can be the biggest enhancer of progress.
There is a relative small percentage of 50somethings who have the ability to straddle generations <attitudinally> and have the ability to insert themselves into the younger generation’s minds and desires to strengthen the engine of progress rather than stall the engine.
<note: I described these 50somethings first in 2010 … and further mentioned them in a discussion on the lagged hiring effect on the current young unemployed >
To be clear … I am not suggesting these 50somethings have to be as good as the young at technology or whatever new innovative techniques out there yet to be discovered <they do not> … in fact … it may benefit them to not be or even try. Their value is in their heads and experience and the nudging of ‘what can be’ using selected knowledge from ‘what was.’
Let’s call it ‘selective best practice learnings.’
In fact … Topmodels, when addressing the ‘knowledge being replaced by faith’ theory, suggested the future will belong to the happy few who could explain things <not actually know all the confusing pieces in the black boxes>.
A truth?
There are not many of these 50somethings out there <especially in business>.
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“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
–
L.P. Hartley
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I equate it to the fabulous few who can travel to a different country and seamlessly blend into the attitudes & behaviors of the new country.
Bottom line on this topic.
It really comes down to two things … attitude and respect.
Attitude.
The right attitude <combined with some respect> is the requirement for adapting to change and generations. With the passing of time each of us changes … experientially and psychologically. In certain situations, younger people do not like accommodating themselves to traditional experiences and in others older people are reluctant to accept the new.
In order for a person to change themselves, it is necessary that they not only be convinced of the appropriateness of this change but they also have to have the right attitude. The attitude matters because … well … this shit doesn’t happen over night <despite the fact everyone seems to think if you don’t make changes immediately you will get crushed>. In order for everyone to adapt organizationally everyone, both generations, need time. Time to assimilate the new and the old and create the necessary experience as well as process it to make … well … progress.
Respect.
And oddly … I will suggest it isn’t that the young should respect the old … but rather the opposite. I believe the 50somethings need to get their proverbial heads out of their asses and develop some respect for the young and what they can do <that we cannot>. Show them respect and I imagine they will show us respect <if we deserve it>. If two generations are to have respect for one another … the younger generation will have to believe the older generation has some value <in what they offer> and listen to it.
I admit.
I fear we 50somethings are losing their respect. We have always been old and less adaptable … but now we are truly becoming an impediment to progress <or getting better>.
This is about Juliana Hatfield’s biography titled “when I grow up” … and some insightful things she says <and my thoughts on them and Life>.
Now.
To be honest … this is not a well-written book <a little whiny in spots> and kind of a rambling diary.
It didn’t help the book in that inevitably I compared it with the other music biography <which I thought was one of the best I have ever read> Kristin Hersh’s ‘Rat Girl’.
<about the book Rat Girl: https://brucemctague.com/rat-girl>
<thoughts … like I will write later in this post … inspired by Rat Girl: https://brucemctague.com/rat-girl-thoughts… there is some really good stuff in this one>
Juliana’s “When I Grow Up” is not quite as good, funny or insightful as “Rat Girl” … however … it has its moments <which I will use below> as well as it is a glimpse into life in terms of “if I invest my entire life into something I love and my work … what do I do when it is done?”
It is also a glimpse of the fact you sacrifice some aspects of ‘growing up’ when you put some blinders on professionally. In other words … your career becomes your life … and other things inevitably get sacrificed in Life.
In addition … if you care about music and why you hear the same crap on station after station across the country … the book is interestingly insightful about the shift in the music industry from alternative rock during the mid-1990s to the mainstream generally pedantic stuff you hear today on the radio.
As you read you have to feel for her <and what she went through> as the perspective of a musician who pretty much wasn’t eased out but rather dumped out of the mainstream at this time.
Throughout the book you can certainly feel an honest unfiltered conflicted passion of a musician who genuinely loves creating music combined with a grinding disillusionment of the industry as a whole.
So.
I bought the book, partly out of curiosity and partly for nostalgic reasons <I liked that east coast music wave of talent including Blake Babies/Juliana Hatfield, the Pixies, Throwing Muses, Til Tuesday, the Breeders, Belly and the Lemonheads >. And I liked her music. Her lyrics were interestingly smart and she was a pretty good guitar player. Her voice was a bit little girlish for me but her youngish innocent sound juxtaposed against some pretty gritty grungy guitar sound made for interesting listening.
While her story has no depressing drug abuse or alcohol excess it does seem to explore her somewhat painful shyness, bouts of depression and anorexia … all of which she actually shares in an honest, forthright non-whiny or ‘excuse’ manner.
Regardless.
Some of her thoughts … and my thoughts about her thoughts ….
“I knew I wasn’t the best and that I probably never would be. I was always competing, and I did all right, but I was never number one. I knew I wasn’t the best singer but I knew I didn’t have to be the best. My intense compulsion to write and sing my songs along with my persistence and dedication would carry me when I got bogged down in doubt and fear. And my imperfections would distinguish me. However they tortured me sometimes, my imperfections were what made me unique.”
– Well. This is about as thoughtful a ‘growing up’ thought as anyone could have. And it almost seems un-american <’I knew I wasn’t the best’> but at the same time an excellent recognition of ‘I didn’t have to be the best.’
Whew. I wish we taught this more often. To kids, to employees … heck … to people in general. Competing is the name of the game. Only one can be the best. There is only one number one <hence its name>. what a great thought … ‘I can be successful and not have to be the best.’
In addition.
As we ‘compete’ in Life … I imagine we are all tortured in some way by our own imperfections … but if we take a moment we can revel in those same imperfections as the things that make us unique. Interestingly … we can often be tortured by both things … the uniqueness and imperfections. So often we want to be ‘like others’ despite not wanting to be like everyone else. Yikes. Now if there isn’t a paradox in life I don’t know what is.
Regardless. Standing out in any way can be painful <at its worst> and a burden <at almost all times>. The sooner we can accept that <and hopefully teach our kids this> the sooner you accept the burden and move on.
Trite thought about imperfections/uniqueness … but … it is what it is <they are what they are>.
You can either invest a shitload of energy wishing it was something else or invest the energy being ‘persistent and dedicated’ toward something so you don’t get bogged down.
Next.
<about a magazine interview & article she did>
“… when the issue with the pigtails and men’s underwear photo came out and I opened it and saw myself I thought then, “how the hell did this happen? I look like an idiot. Who in her right mind could have ever thought this was a good idea? … maybe they were right to want to enhance my appearance. Maybe they were really trying to help. … but what does this have to do with music? That’s what I was always asking myself.”
– Oh. The things we all do on occasion when someone who supposedly knows better tells us it is the thing to do. I am not going to suggest we should ignore what other people tell us … in fact … this is often a lot of trial & error in finding out your own ‘what to do’ compass. Each time something happens you will always ask yourself ‘why’ or ‘what does this have to do with music <or your version of that>? Sometimes you will scratch your head and wonder, sometimes you will scream in frustration and sometimes … well … it turns out okay.
That inner voice develops over time. You hope to avoid looking like an idiot but I hate to break the news to you … you will look like an idiot at some point.
At some point in childhood, in your working years, heck, as a parent … you will look like an idiot. Why? Because Life doesn’t come with a ‘how to’ manual. You learn ‘how to’ live life by doing and watching and listening <and being an idiot>.
Sure. At some point your inner voice matures … but until then? You will do something at some point that will make you look like an idiot.
“I decided I had enough of the road. I was burned out. I’d been on this schedule for years … write, record, tour, write record tour … the schedule had become a grind. But that consistent repetitive work cycle was all I had ever known. If I stopped what would happen?
A job like mine – any job without specific hours really – can start to make you question whether you are working hard enough or working enough … whether you are even really working at all. Without a clear schedule every minute you spend not working is one you later worry you should have been working.”
– Yikes. So this means following your passion or doing what you love for a living isn’t all champagne and chocolate?!? Oh Life … please don’t be so mean!
Sorry. I needed to get that off my chest.
Every job, every career, every person … has its challenges and issues. The grass may look greener … but even your passion comes with some issues.
Yes. Even following your passion is work at some point.
That doesn’t mean you don’t love it … and aren’t happy you chose doing it … but everything and anything can become a grind. This is something we should all think about a little as we gaze at other peoples’ lives.
Lastly.
What happens when I stop doing what I am doing?
Oh my.
And we wonder why so many of us remain in the ‘rat race’ despite the fact we call it something to do with rats let alone bitch & moan all the time about it? Well. The devil you know is better than the devil you haven’t met yet. There is a Life lesson for all of us.
What devil will I meet when I stop doing what I am doing? Yikes <most of us say: Just keep doing. >
When working is all you know … and it defines who you are … stopping work is really really difficult. We should all remember this. Why? Because I bet we all know someone going through exactly this issue.
Next <and lastly>.
“… this incident taught me that a person with confidence doesn’t necessarily know more than an insecure person. It just means that she has confidence. It doesn’t even necessarily mean that she is especially skilled. Or maybe she does have certain impressive qualities and is justifiably confident about them but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t lack other qualities. From then on I felt a little less insecure about my place in Berklee <school of music>.”
– Confidence. Whew. People with confidence can seem so intimidating in their … well … confidence. It is a suit of armor that protects them from the rest of us ‘less confident’ people. But here’s the deal … confidence doesn’t equal knowledge or skill or ability.
Simplistically … all confidence equals is confidence. It is simply an attitude <albeit it sometimes appears as a skill>. Until actions match attitude all you gots is a whole bunch of attitude.
It seems un-american these days to suggest that confidence isn’t the key to success.
But here is a Life thought to ponder … maybe it is simply being a little less insecure that can insure some success … not having more confidence.
Having less of something means getting more of something else? <sometimes a good Life formula>
Sure. Someone could probably argue that is confidence … I would suggest it is simply being lessening some weight slowing you down and rather than adding something that can pull you forward <but possibly is an additional burden>.
But, hey … that sounds a lot of some Law of Gravity or something like that and what the heck does that have to do with Life?
Well.
That’s it.
Some of her thoughts and some of my thoughts.
Oh. To close this out … in case you don’t remember Juliana … she is most recognized as singer-songwriter for the 90s band Blake Babies and later as a solo artist <Juliana Hatfield Three>.
Here is my favorite Blake Babies song:
Blake Babies ‘temptation eyes’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fShYRCqlyeI
<I was tempted to use “Out There” but their version of temptation eyes, even not being an original Blake Babies song, is very good>
And here is My Sister which was a staple on early MTV:
My sister: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cer5n10rXAg
And another good one, Spin the Bottle, which had fairly heavy radio rotation:
Spin the Bottle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUAVbGoR81I
In the end.
Not a particularly good book from a pretty good musician … but with some really thoughtful thoughts interspersed.
I am going to briefly discuss the Korean War and a marine … to ultimately share some thoughts about managing perceptions.
===
“Remember, whatever you write, this was no retreat.
All that happened was we found more Chinese behind us than in front of us. So we about-faced and attacked.”
–
Marine General Chesty Puller as he refused to call the retreat a defeat let alone a retreat
===
Please note … I believe Chesty Puller is the most decorated Marne in the Corps history.
Oh.
It should also be noted he stood tall, and still, before entering a ship and stated this to a fleet of reporters.
Yes.
He went ‘on record’ with this statement.
Did he put his balls <and his reputation> on the line? You betchya.
Sometimes managing perceptions is all about making the people who need to believe … believe.
By the way … this takes more than a lot of kahones … you gotta believe it yourself.
Trust me … Chesty believed in everything he said … and his Marines.
Now.
The difficult thing is that even though you believe … you need others to not only believe but ‘do’ … and sometimes those you need to make the perception a reality … just cannot deliver.
Sure.
They do the best they can.
And sometimes they even go far beyond what normal capacity is capable of … and they still cannot deliver.
And that is where the rest of us can fail the best of the best.
We fail to discern between perception and reality. And we fail because we make it black & white.
The perception is ‘x’ … they didn’t deliver ‘x’ … therefore ‘x’ is not reality.
What a bunch of baloney.
Even Marines do not achieve an objective on occasion.
Is that because they are ‘lesser than’ the perception of what we expect of a Marine?
Absolutely not.
It is simply because despite the fact they went farther than any normal human being could have ever expected … they simply didn’t reach ‘x’ <the objective>.
Milestones, goals and objectives are tricky things.
Upon a razor thin line perception and reality dangles <and balances>.
In my mind … we are too harsh and unforgiving with regard to meeting objectives <meeting perceptions> and exactly the same time we are too apt to encourage bluster and puffery <which makes it even more difficult to discern what is truly falsely managing perceptions and good management of perceptions>.
In my mind … to avoid this false harshness means we people just need to be smarter and less judgmental and more discerning.
We need to think a little bit harder and be less quick to judge in the absence of some thoughtfulness.
Why?
Because we need more Chesty Pullers today … and I believe it is harder to be a Chesty Puller today than ever before.
Anyway.
I am using to Chesty and the Korean War today because it was about 60 years ago that the 2½-mile-wide DMZ <demilitarized zone> that separates North and South Korea was officially established. The Korean War doesn’t get spoken about often because it came upon the heels of WW2, was fought on the other side of the world in a limited geography and was followed by a morally conflicted war in Vietnam.
Oh.
One more thought about managing perceptions.
==
“We’ve been looking for the enemy for several days now.
We’ve finally found them. We’re surrounded.
That simplifies our problem of finding these people and killing them.”
–
Chesty to reporters after the Marines barely had time to set up base camp when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army attacked their position.
==
Well.
Managing perceptions is tricky.
I often believe it is all about part attitude and a lot of behavior.
All words and it is just puffery <smoke & mirrors>.
All actions and you run the risk that people believe you just got lucky <i.e., you made it up as you went along and it was sheer luck, and non-replicable, that it was successful>.
Managing perceptions is a combination of communicating what will be … and delivering what is. Oh. And in the best of all worlds … not saying a thing about ‘what was’ and let the world talk about it instead <because that is where legends are created>.
As Blake said “… If the doors of perception were cleansed … everything would appear infinite.”
In other words … if you manage perceptions … anything seems possible.
In other words … people start thinking about what is … they start thinking about what could be.
Anyway.
You know … I began this thought about managing perceptions by speaking about attitude.
Here is what I mean:
“… there are not enough chinamen in the world to stop a fully armed Marine regiment from going where ever they wont to go” – Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller
Half the battle can be won before it even begins … with the right attitude.
Chesty not only created a perception of the Marines … his attitude built a behavior within the Marines.
Huh?
No opposing army was going to stop the Marines from going wherever they wanted to go.
They believed it … and you know what? The majority of the time it became ‘truth’ <reality>.
Uhm.
Think about this.
We do this every day.
We do this with our children <telling them they can do anything and be anything they want”>.
We do this with our friends <encouraging them to be better and do better>.
We do this with our employees and organizations <getting everyone to believe in a vision or mission>.
This is managing perceptions.
And managing perceptions is often about managing attitudes … which ultimately means managing behavior.
If you can make someone ‘believe’ … they can do some pretty amazing things.
Uhm.
On this razor thin line does behavior lie.
Well.
“.. at that time … everything was perfect.”
As I wrote yesterday about the here & now I remembered a fantastic little tidbit a young person … someone who is just beginning a full life … wrote about cherishing a moment.
“Everyone has a certain part in their lives where they truly wish they could just freeze time. Whether it was three years ago, today, or still to come. Whether it was just a moment, a whole day, or a whole summer. Everyone has a time in their life when they wish everything would just stop. The world would stop turning and people would stop changing because to them, at that time, everything was perfect.” – xanga blogger
So this is actually about looking back … and that one moment … the moment when everything was perfect.
Now. I am not a ‘looking backwards and dwelling’ type of guy.
Shit happens <some good … some bad> … you store it away … and move on.
But.
I tend to believe … just being normal human beings … that not only do we wish the good times could last forever <or at least longer than they seem to last> … we also wish we could somehow figure out how to replicate those moments.
Well.
You can’t.
Everything in life is temporary and most moments, good or bad, are typically unique within itself. .
What that means is if things are going good you should enjoy it for what it is.
And store it away.
Additionally.
When things go bad … don’t invest too much energy … because the odds are that it won’t last forever either.
I believe people tend to over think these moments rather than revel in them.
How do you know if you have done this?
Well.
The infamous question either said to oneself or asked by another is … “why?” … as in “why was that moment so special?”
And then we proceed to unravel the moment thread by thread to explain it.
Silly <and non productive>.
The answer is “it just was.”
These moments we want to freeze just … well … are.
They represent a unique set of characteristics that simply ‘is.’
Maddeningly intangible and vague to a world of people who want to dissect everything into minutiae to try and ‘understand’? You bet.
But the moments you freeze are just that … indefinably memorable.
… ‘at that time, everything was perfect.’
Many people … with the intent and desire to replicate <or maybe ‘try and understand’> …pull apart the tapestry of the moment thread by thread.
That diminishes the moment.
Worse? At the end of all the reflection and endless analysis … you inevitably end up with a small pile of less than distinguished threads … not even close to resembling – by any stretch of the imagination – the magic of the moment … the entire tapestry as it were.
Regardless.
The point of this is we all have a time in our lives we wish we could just freeze.
A time when our life was in a “zone.”
I don’t call it perfect … I call it when everything in Life is aligned.
Not just the stars … everything.
As noted earlier … if I wanted to be more poetic … it’s a unique tapestry that existed only within that space of time.
Anyway.
Should we aspire to more of those times? Sure.
Should we recognize the fact that they are simply moments in life? Sure.
Should we know life isn’t always like that? Sure.
Should we freeze these moments? You bet.
We should freeze them and bring them out on occasion and maybe smile a little … maybe chuckle … maybe even cry. They were special moments … not to be replicated … but to be remembered on occasion.
This isn’t about dwelling.
This is about reminding yourself of something that contributed to the here & now.
Those frozen moments are meant to warm you from time to time.
“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” – H. G. Wells
So.
This is about truth, learning, unlearning … and contradictions.
First. I have always believed the moment you own a contradiction is the moment you capture an emotional and intellectual awareness.
Second. I am not sure I have always applied that thinking to Truth.
That said.
This is about letting go and holding on.
Letting go and holding on to … well … Truth.
<so I imagine this is about learning & unlearning>
And I imagine this is about the catastrophe called truth <these days>.
Because if there has ever been a time when conventional wisdom, aka ‘truth’ was challenged more … I cannot identify that time.
Regardless.
Truth is a contradiction <in a way>.
The dilemma always is if you explain truth … some people stop and debate <the edges of it> and some people start moving <simply accepting it as it is>.
And then if you tell people less than the whole truth? They will typically unerringly <and maddeningly> take action on the only path remaining … in the space that resides in the ‘less than.’
Regardless.
Truth implies some ongoing ignorance … because it is sometimes a moving target.
And understanding you have ignorance suggests you are ready to let go of something you have learned … and yet you will almost always want to hold on to your knowledge. Let me suggest one thing … Ignorance is relentless <whether you want to face it or not>.
What forces you to face the relentlessness of ignorance?
Typically it takes a catastrophe.
A catastrophe like something you have learned as unequivocal, or known as “truth”, has become equivocal, debatable and maybe even not a Truth anymore.
Now. Once facing the catastrophe … you should seek, and embrace, the contradiction.
Because owning this contradiction is powerful.
And because a real contradiction actually represents a real Truth in a way.
Because …
– truth is rarely simple.
– truth is often ambiguous.
I imagine an additional contradiction would be that … in its ambiguity … Truth is never frail.
In fact … it is the strongest, least frail, most powerful weapon of all.
But this ambiguity is difficult to accept. Me? I know better than to disbelieve what I find difficult to accept. But it is difficult.
It asks a lot for someone to think this way.
And in that thinking it has come to me that the idea of an irrevocable truth <always something I struggle with as the idea of an absolute, irrefutable truth> is perhaps not smart … well … maybe just not useful.
I do know that sometimes I worry that the idea behind most of my truths is nothing more than a story I’ve told myself so often that I can’t imagine anything but that idea … that story embedded in me <and we all like a good story don’t we?>.
The story, told and retold and retold again, embeds itself in the lore of the mind.
In the end I am simply calling my story ‘the truth.’
I think this is one of the foundational thinking platforms in Life.
It’s not unusual for my story truths despite having been told a zillion times mentally to become untrue. Sometimes it is unraveled thread by thread slowly.
Sometimes in the blink of an eye.
All it can take is for someone to say something … perfectly articulated … and the core of the truth … once unshakeable in its storied strength … becomes shaken.
The threads of the truth becomes frayed … sometimes even snipped clean … revealing thoughts <and some truth> unseen until then.
Sometimes I don’t even need anyone to watch Truth unravel.
Sometimes I read something and a small voice <of wisdom I imagine> begins weaving a new story in my mind.
Luckily.
I am not alone.
Smarter people than I … scientists, geologists, archeologists, physicists, astronomers … well … everyone who knows something about something … are all discovering that the world isn’t exactly as they learned when they were learning that something they are renowned for … or even imagined but a generation ago … and in some cases things they ‘knew’ even a year ago.
We are finding that the past is not written in ink but rather pencil … in fact … reality <in some ways> is the same.
It seems like everything in the world can shift shapes & colors.
It seems like in an instant a new version of some Truth in, and of, the world can arise.
It makes me wonder if there is such a thing as “the truth” … or an unequivocal Truth … if something can be unraveled or undone so quickly.
Despite the fact I have always wanted truth to be some kind of eternal reality … in the end … truth is often ambiguous.
And therefore I am forced to constantly learn … or unlearn … or I am faced with a world that no longer exists <meaning that I am doing and thinking relatively meaningless irrelevant things>.
“In times of change, learners inherit the Earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer
Now.
All that I have said, and suggested, is relevant to the everyday person living in everyday life. Heck. Everyday life <parenting, friendly debate at the bar, etc.” is difficult with regard to Truth and its ambiguity.
But lets take minute and talk business.
It would behoove today’s business world to think about this … and not just think about this as a ‘whole new world’ apocalyptic burn everything and start anew idea but rather taking what is known and ‘unknow it’ <unravel it and reweave>.
The leader who stops learning … or maybe better said … the one who believes he/she is learned on how things should be done … are only then equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
This is a big thought.
And while it seems like common sense … the business world is strewn with antiquated thinking leaders.
And certainly strewn with antiquated organizational management leaders.
Oh sure.
They may say some of the right things. and they may go through the motions <i.e., set up a digital department or send people to social media conferences or trying anything that is buzzworthy at the moment> but at the end of the day they continue doing the same things … or worse … applying all their learned antiquated thinking as judges on all the new aspects they have invested to put in place.
And then they wonder why their world and culture is dysfunctional and good people leave and … in general … productivity isn’t as good as it could be … and should be.
Or maybe they have stopped unlearning.
But they certainly do not know Truth as it exists in the moment.
Sure <once again> their lips move with the right words but what actually comes out is the same ole same ole.
I fully understand that challenging truth is difficult.
And therein lays the contradiction.
We love truth but maybe not trust truth <anymore>.
Ok.
Maybe we do trust Truth but rather we get distracted by the more philosophical truths when the on the ground truths are there and available to any and all willing to learn <and unlearn>.
“The big questions became increasingly irrelevant and felt more like a distraction. I was more interested in ground truth―the stuff you need to know on location in your life in order to navigate the twists and turns of daily human existence.” – Jim Palmer, Notes From (over) The Edge
Here is the funny thing in today’s world.
And, actually, it may be the same as it ever was … but just more so now than before.
As truth becomes more identifiably ambiguous the older people <business leaders in particular> are holding on to what they know, or think they know, harder and tighter than ever before.
As truth becomes more identifiably ambiguous the younger people <especially in businesses> are letting go of old truths <some would call it unlearning> faster and smarter than ever before.
So maybe trust is being placed in a different arena now … maybe we should trust learning & unlearning more than ever.
Maybe we should embrace the restless minds and the quest for Truth.
And maybe if we do so … we will learn to trust Truth once again.
Part of trust is in the constant challenge … challenging conventional wisdom in search of Truth.
Because in the end … Truth is good.
And restless constant unlearning is the path to Truth.
And truth can become reality once more.