Future Known

A client and I talked over coffee the other day. Actually, I had similar conversations with two separate clients, individually. They are alumni of Walkshop I, where we re-experience the day when Benjamin Harrison finished processing Major Change. On that day of finished processing, he signed up to serve in the Civil War. The topic we discussed was about the future. Specifically, when you have the … [Read more...]

Our Future And Their Future

We can learn a little more about our future by comparing it to how people in 1893 viewed their future. That was the year of the Columbian Exposition, the 400th anniversary celebration of Columbus's landing in the New World. Then, Americans looked at the future and marveled at the big. Today, in 2013, we look at the future and marvel at the small. Columbian Exposition attendees remarked often … [Read more...]

Smallness And Bigness For Us

Another thought stems from the previous post. At the same time that we revel in the wonder of the small, we live in an organizational evolution that resulted from 1893. Our organizations and scales in our present day are massive. Vast. Global, interconnected. You dial a call about a particular service and the call is answered in southeast Asia by a person who can then gain control of your … [Read more...]

Sand Lines, Numerical Thresholds, And Other Stuff From The Future

We spend a lot of time in the future. Maybe more than we realize. The future is a major part of leadership. Because of that, we would do well to be more aware of how frequently we refer to the time that is ahead of us. I’ll give you two examples from current events. First, the Obama Administration has announced lately that the government of Syria won’t be allowed to use chemical weapons against … [Read more...]