by Annette
2. February 2011
This may seem sacrilegious to some so I apologize in advance but it’s time to find another business bible. When the pace of change itself is changing, creating something new and useful is the only habit that matters. Habits, unless they are in pursuit of creativity, are counterproductive. Habits reify mental models and concretize processes that need to be fluid, iterative and generative. We need to think in ever-changing new and surprising ways.
For example, who can begin with the end in mind anymore? The business community has long done away with five or even three year planning. When change is accelerating, we strive for a provisional vision, a temporary strategy, a ‘make it up as we go’ perspective that can be melded and shaped. We focus on a vision that is as far as the headlights shine. Grounded by our values and our dreams, we move ourselves and others forward.
Some feel like a cat caught in a dryer – trying to get equilibrium in the midst of change around us. We wait for things to go back to the way it used to be or even just calm down so we can get back to our habits of effectiveness. But the only way to get ‘righted’ in the dryer is to invent the next dryer. Nurturing your genius – focusing on the competency of innovation - is the way toward the future. Next-generation 'habits' are things like fantasy, ephiphany and the pursuit of mystery. We can only be fully open to our own powers of invention in the messy, magical world in which we work and live.
