All in One Day

Here are some headlines from the Financial Times, December 1, 2009:

• No state guarantee for Dubai World
• France and Germany under pressure to raise troop numbers in Afghanistan
• US weighs risk of troop surge
• China and Russia face Iran pressure
• Cast adrift as credibility crumbles (Dubai debt woes)
• Anger levelled at leadership (Dubai debt woes)
  
• Danes face dilemma of developed world

What gives here? We are living in the most amazing of times. The convergence of technology, global financial connections, complete intradependency among countries and a (some say it's permanent) shift in the balance of power and influence in the world away from the United States and Europe and towards China, India and the other emerging countries.

All this in just about two years. But not really. This shift has been building up for awhile and yet we have responded to this change as if we did not see it, we continue to be surprised by daily events like Dubai World's debt problem, and we seem to have this latent belief that once all these "one off" events work their way through the system, the world as we know it will return.

It is the world as we "knew" it. It is not coming back. The question to consider is: Are the mental models I hold dear still working in this changed world?

Probably not. Ask yourself "How do I see my mental models, my microcosm of thinking from a different perspective and wake up to the change that is my life, the change that is my business, the change that is the world?"

Asking these questions is a powerful start. This changed world puts an emphasis on more inquiry. Asking questions, suspending judgment, holding steady at times and admitting ignorance when it is so. This is difficult work if you have chosen to lead others. It is also essential work.

Start by reflecting on your daily actions. Do this a couple of times a day. Make some notes in a journal. Notice patterns of behavior that seem to be both consistent and unproductive. Just notice for now. Keep reflecting. Get on the metaphorical balcony and observe yourself, your team, your organization. Watch for patterns, see systems.

Being aware is more important than being smart. A great many very smart people have been caught out by the events of the last two years. And there is a small group of aware people who did not get caught but the events. What did they know? More important, how did they prepare themselves to know?