Worst of Fools
With the perspective of the glass is half full, we have an opportunity to learn, solution, and act on the trauma and drama of the coronavirus. We would be the worst of fools if we squander this experience and not use it to help shape our sociocultural evolution. Consider this experience as training; training for the next thing. What is the next thing? We just don’t know what the next thing is yet. More likely than not, it is coming. The unknown unknowns ahead of us may well erupt from climate disruption, continued advances in technology and biology, or [your favorite]. Below are a few of the time proven lessons that we need to revisit, embed culturally, and display in our actions.
Sociocultural
Values
- Open, honest communication: Ultimately, it is survival
- Equality and justice: In the end, it benefits everyone
- Language: Change our words, such as from consumer to citizen
Emotions
- Empathy: You have it or you don’t; reflect on the need to model it for future generations
- Fear: It is a base trait, it just keeps coming; balance it with hope and credible solutions
Organizational
- Leadership: Innovate and build versus disrupt, it is easy to be a disruptor; it is tougher to own the accountability, figure it out, and constructively make a difference
- Planning: Not new, but for many of us long range planning is lunchtime. Invest in the time and skills necessary to plan for the next few days, weeks, months, or years.
While these may seem foundational, our recent experience makes a pretty strong case for the need to rekindle some of our core cultural tenets. We are very interested in hearing your thoughts.
