if only people understood current reality, they would...change
Oops. I'm very guilty of this.
The full quote is "Many who are otherwise qualified to lead fail to do so because they try to substitute analysis for vision. They believe that, if only people understood current reality, they would surely feel the motivation to change. ... What they never grasp is that the natural energy for changing reality comes from holding a picture of what might be that is more important to people than what is."
This blog has pretty much been a reflection of my attempt to understand why "they" don't get it = analysis. The answer, according to this article is: I don't get it because my vision is limited, I require a paradigm shift, do I have a substitute vision that will gain buy-in and will carry us forward? Do I?
This is great because it provides a way forward. I've been stuck in the land of how do I convince them of the error of their ways, how do I make them see (retroactive) re: their pre-existing behaviours/process through analysis. This needs to change to how do I make them see what the future might be and gain buy-in. Instead of retroactive analysis I now need to develop a vision that will carry me (at minimum) forward, and in a positive way. What do I want to reach for and what can I do to get there? What do we want to reach for and how do we get there?
I'll keep you posted (punny me).
Senge, Peter M. "The Leader's new work: building learning organizations" SLOAN Management Review. Vol. 32(1), Fall 1990, p. 9.
posted by Jennifer @ 11:48 am
2 comments
2 Comments:
"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
This reminds me of Blyberg's recent post: "'How many will take that cool, innovative idea back to their libraries, and hit a brick wall with administrators when they try to implement that idea.' I think that Dave should have followed up his question with, 'How many of you are going ahead with implementing your ideas anyway?'" Nervy, but I think this is how all change happens. Similarly, we shouldn't wait too long for users to ask for changes; we need to inspire them with neat ideas. Have a good day.
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