Playing with Fire

I think many of my regular readers will agree that I tend to offer content and ideas that are pretty well rounded and often researched for consideration - and action. In fact, I know that many of you agree that you have implemented tips, found the resources actionable, and the questions useful.

Yes, knowing to ask the right questions is the best way to build a solid foundation - in research and measurement by establishing baselines, in business and life by going to the heart of what matters or should be measured in the first place.

Ask the wrong question better and all you get is more precise nothing of use - garbage in, garbage out (GIGO).

Stories

They are our way of making sense of the world. Our brain's shortcuts for remembering stuff, by emotional connection. They often contain a narrative fallacy with the teaching.

Urban legends and myths continue to be transmitted from person to person, not because we're gullible. Quite the opposite. We do it because we need to confront and defeat the fear of the unknown and feel a sense of hope. We share our deepest one, that of being extinct, forgotten, ineffective, by taking hold of the most concrete minutiae.

We want to capture what we know and share it because it brings us attention and (potentially) acceptance and even love. 

Fear, hope, love.

Cultural underpinnings

Indulge me for a short review of the cultural assumptions that drive American choice. You'll see how these are relevant in a current conversation I've observed, which I'll address in a moment. According to Jaime O'Boyle, Senior Analyst, Center for Cultural Studies & Analysis, these are:

1. Individuals should determine their own destiny
2. Individuals should control their social and physical environment
3. Authority or “bigness” should be viewed with suspicion
4. Actions should be judged in a moral light (philanthropy, for example)
5. We should have as many choices as possible
6. Anything can and should be improved
7. The future should be better than the present

The big question here is how are these assumptions being shaped by our current environment and circumstances. Do we still buy into the hero values? What are our new archetypes?

How is our identity being shaped by derivative values (I'm cool because I'm wearing this jacket) vs. reflective values (this jacket is cool because I'm wearing it)? How much do relationships and context influence how we validate who we are to ourselves?

Businesses are made of people

People naturally gravitate to campfires, where those who share values gather to tell stories about who they are, how they got there, and what is expected of them. Think of virtual communities and social networks like Facebook.

Data point - technology has connected us in ways we could not have imagined, yet it has contributed also to our sense of isolation. The world is indeed flat, yet we may not know our neighbors.

Necessity also drives us to waterholes, where hierarchy rules. Think about the dreaded mandatory Monday morning office meetings, for example. This is also the opportunity place, to put it with Peter Block, for

"leaders to create the conditions that foster accountability and commitment, through their power to focus attention and to define the conversations for people when they gather.

So the leader’s job is to design gatherings and conversations that get peers engaged with each other—with the leader as a powerful member instead of a parent.

That’s redesigning the social space in which people gather. Just as design is about visual space, leadership is about social space."

Changing the conversation

We are searching for new guideposts that can help us rebalance our sense of control over our environment and help us create what Haque defines thick value. In many cases, that means rebooting the business model to find direction and purpose again.

Fear, hope, love. Those are the main drivers of human action - and interaction. If we agree that the value inherent in activities is given by the actor, the person(s) engaging in them, and the clarity so many seek is of the business to give, then how do we move people to act and business leaders to find purpose?

Jason, Scott, all of you in the comments - the answer to how is yes, there's barely time to get enough of the work done that builds the bottom line. The hacks you so lament about in your posts (have we gotten that out of the system already?) have replaced in numbers all those who were communicators and marketers only a few short years ago.

The art of conversation

There is a more fundamental challenge ahead of us than unmasking people with no experience in a profession. The challenge is leadership. Compassion and empathy are part of that. Providing the right example by doing yes, and by educating and seeing others as potential teachers, too.

Companies and businesses want to make a buck - so do individuals. Neither group is justified in how it goes about it if that means anything other than honest means. Yet, the leadership conversation is about creating abundance, not a narrower present.

Look at the cultural underpinnings, look at the context. There is tremendous opportunity for all of us to contribute to growth - in different ways and roles. Stop making sweeping generalizations and provide effective criticism. The comments here are open day and night and you get to poke holes in my logic and presentation, for example.

Number one on my to do list - learn more about the people in my business to offer better ways to help them reach *their* goals. Jay did have it right when he talked about what really changes the game in this new environment. Companies can now take their message directly to customers - and hear their feedback in real time.

This and the many other operational aspects of conversation can be a temporary replacement for those businesses that have not built a product or service that itself is the conversation with customers. And for those who have not found the customers for their product and service conversation, with the hope they exist as well as those businesses that are built to collaborate. There will be more of those in the next couple of years.

Indeed, in trying to find order within process and many of the - dare I say? - invented (and mature) disciplines of marketing and communications, we look for control because of fear, hope, love. From the master of the distinction between theory and practice:

"I have never doubted the truth of signs, Adso; they are the only things man has with which to orient himself in the world. What I did not understand is the relation among signs . . . I behaved stubbornly, pursuing a semblance of order, when I should have known well that there is no order in the universe."

"But in imagining an erroneous order you still found something. . . ."

"What you say is very fine, Adso, and I thank you. The order that our mind imagines is like a net, or like a ladder, built to attain something. But afterward you must throw the ladder away, because you discover that, even if it was useful, it was meaningless . . . The only truths that are useful are instruments to be thrown away."

- Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, Seventh Day, Night

As my friend Peter said before me - agreement is often the greatest misunderstanding. Talk can and does change our lives. Just not in exactly the ways we planned for, heh.

[image of playing with fire by jswieringa]

____________

Reminders:

Getting Things Done

Leading Brands Lead

14 Year Olds May Think You're Cool

© 2006-2009 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[edward boches]

V:
I found this post a little rambling, and not sure of it's most fundamental point, but these two thoughts were worth the price of admission. Actually more, since they were available for free.

Just as design is about visual space, leadership is about social space.

Companies can now take their message directly to customers - and hear their feedback in real time.

Also, thrilled to see Umberto Eco referenced in a blog post. Wonder how many of your readers know who he is or have read his works.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Ed,

I appreciate the feedback. Some days I might make connections seem easier. I'll work more diligently to provide clarity of exposition.

The most fundamental point of the post is: get over patting yourself on the back for being so darn good at what you think you deliver. Are we tired yet of putting others down to look better? Aren't we subjected to that enough? Can we change the conversation?

Take it as a fundamental philosophical stance on the current "me smarter than you" thread. We collectively are smarter than any one of us.

Unspecific and all sweeping criticism is not helpful. Those who care want to learn, those who don't, well they don't. For the social space to mature, we need less wining and more leadership.

Glad you were able to find value in there and thank you for reading.

[Carolyn Ann]

My first thought was "Midsummer's Night Dream". My second was "Hamlet?" So I reread Hamlet. (Moment of dread...) I was right the first time. Umberto Eco does seem to have a habit of not exploring his points. Some? Yes. Most? I'm not so sure. I'd have to read more of his work to know for sure, though. I don't know if you've ever read Midsummer, but if you haven't, it explores your quote from Mr Eco. (There was a superb movie made of it, but I can't recall who was in it, sorry.)

You're a heck of a lot more optimistic than I am, Valeria! I do think people are gullible; those inane "Tea Parties" prove as much. Not to mention Glenn Beck and his boss, Sarah Palin. Cynicism is a little too easy, though. I think you mentioned that; please forgive my echoing! (Mr Beck's and Mrs Palin's cynicism is the easiest of all, however.)

I'm not sure that "we" are smarter than the individual. To be sure "all problems are shallow" when you have a hundred eyes look at it. But some visions are simply unknown until one person points it out! Great art often has such principles.

And again, I point to Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. Destructive and entirely focussed on the negative, those two somehow manage to abuse the idea that the individual matters, while espousing political points (they are assuredly not philosophies) that detract from what it means to be individual. Indeed, they remove the individual, and concentrate on the mass, and mass hysteria.

On the other hand, we have Linux: some say it's beautiful. I'm not convinced, but I don't quibble. Too much. It's the product of a million minds. Apache, the favorite web server, seems to capture both aspects: an incredibly complex architecture (for a simple task), and some amazing bits of coding. It's definitely the horse built by committee: much to admire, much more to wonder the sanity of, and it's still called a camel. (If I ever code a web server, it will be called "camel". :-) )

Speaking of which...

Arrogance is a trait I've seen often in the computer business; oddly, never among good woodworkers. Among poor ones, yes. I saw it far too often on Wall St. Oddly, when I worked for a retail bank, I saw it far more often - among those who thought they were "on" The Street. "Me smart, you not" was particularly in evidence when I had one foot in construction, and one foot in Wall St. The construction guys were never what anyone would call arrogant.

I've even been accused of it! My goodness... :-D

I have to disagree with Ed: it wasn't a rambling post. It was quite pointed, in fact. It's good to stretch as a writer, and as a thinker. This post was different to your "usual" writing, that's all. May I give you a standing ovation? :-)

Carolyn Ann

[peter]

Bravo Indeed.

A worthy epilogue to Travels in Hyper Reality.

I'm struck by its art - A conversation with your self but we only hear "one" side (like an overheard phone conversation).

I sense I'm listening into a "passionate" discussion between you and "someone" else. It only appears rambling because I can't hear the other. But I hear your reactions as the other constantly interjects, arguing, throwing their hands up with the utter delight of the process (but unconcerned with agreement or changing your mind).

Although I have only heard the echo of this other in your words I know we would be great friends.

Yes talk does change our lives - what your post reminds us all of is with whom we have the greatest conversation.

Thank you ( By the way, if I misunderstand you I dont apologise. I see the measure of your art as the ability to inspire cogent misunderstandings - based on the comments, this is anything but "usual").

Peter

(On Eco not exploring his points - Caroly Ann, I can recommend Eco's introduction to Kant and the Platypus. There is a lovely admission that he is largely interested in explaining things to himself. He also quotes as his motto "I used to be indecisive but now I'm not sure".

My take on Eco is that his insights can be sacred and profound. The thing about sacred things is that the object and their meaning can be seperated by life times. I'm not sure you can hurry this up with words.)

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Carolyn Ann - read the book and watched the movie. Your example captures what Peter here also says: I am talking to people. Whether they're listening is up in the air. People are not as sophisticated or learned as they think they are, me included ;) Putting others down to look good has never been a charming quality to me, especially when the putting down is opportunistic. Glance and move on, would say Dante more eloquently than I, and so I shall. Thank you for the comment, I enjoyed every bit of it.

@Peter - I don't do sensational rants well. If I wanted to be popular and point people to hundreds of comments, I would emulate the best out there - use controversy, use others. The other in this dialogue may very well be a side of me, in that case I would welcome your friendship ;) Agree on Eco. Perhaps I have a slight advantage in being able to read him in the original language, although I know he's quite accomplished in English as well.

[Scott Gould]

Valeria,

First of all thanks for the link.

I agree with your sentiment that the way forward is to lead the crowd. Having caught me on a 'rant' day, I was exhibiting less leadership and more frustration. But I do know from experience that leadership allows rants and uses frustrations to provoke responses.

I'm working hard to lead the way forward for those that read what I write, listen to what I speak on, and attend what I organise.

S

[Valeria Maltoni]

From experience, I know that while frustration is a great incentive to do something, it is rarely the engine forward when we stop at being that.

Also, leading can be in a supporting role and we don't always have to be in front, we can lead by coaching others.

At the end of the day, I know that a well placed rant will garner more comments than a thoughtfully positive post. I've just never been the link-baiting kind ;)

[Scott Gould]

Hmmm

I'm not at all saying that frustration is the engine forward, and feel that you're taking one post out of context. I'm not a well known writer, I'm not a social media 'name' in anyway shape or form, I'm not the link baiting type, and I don't think that as an relative unknown I'd get anywhere even trying to link bait. That's not why I'm here.

My writing wasn't at all to get everyone talking about me. Yes, it was to provoke a response - because I'm actually at the edge *doing* the work of supporting others (Like Minds was £25 - IOW incredibly cheap, not to mention the pro-bono work I do, and detailed free frameworks I give away), whilst taking criticism from the few that do follow me for.

I have 33 blog subscribers. So please, I'm not in this for attention, and hinting that I am is insulting to say the least. In fact, not getting attention, but actually SUPPORTING people was the point of my post - it's about providing content that has CLARITY and helps people because is not vague but provides takeaways.

[Valeria Maltoni]

I'm saying that it can be ;) Link baiting is not necessarily a totally bad thing. Some of the smartest people online do that on a regular basis. They write their post with the specific intent of getting a strong conversation going - think about what Jason Falls did with his post. Brilliant! And now he can brag about a couple of hundred comments.

Somehow, I manage to make my posts either too intellectual and subtle, or too inspirational for that kind of effect. Plus, I tend to want to collaborate with everyone and not piss people off.

I'm one of your 33 subscribers. Keep up the good work by leaning into it. I can go to school on clear take aways.