I recently traveled to Israel and had
endless people recount their stories and end by saying with a sigh “it’s complicated.” I listened to various points of view
regarding religion, politics, education, punishment, etc. Each time an alternative point of view or a
possible solution was presented, out came the phrase “it’s complicated.” I could not understand what was so complicated. However, in retrospect, how things were
occurring to me were from a completely neutral frame of mind. I had no prior knowledge and I didn’t have
any predisposed position. Possible solutions seemed simple.
I come to realize that many of the
“complications” that we each face are derived from beliefs or stories we tell
ourselves based on some piece of knowledge we acquired from the past. At Landmark Forum we learn to acknowledge
that the past is nothing more than a set of facts. How we choose to interpret those facts in the
present and which of those facts we carry forward is our choice. Those choices are what impact how life occurs
for us in the present.
Leaders today deal with a complicated world. We live in an
era of instant information. This allows
information from the “past” to move more quickly into one’s present. People now
form views on much more past information and, ironically, more incomplete
information. This leaves the present biased with knowledge first translated
through the world of social media which often becomes the basis of our present
information… an interpretation of an interpretation of an interpretation. We have added an additional layer of
interpretation and with this knowledge we form beliefs in the present that
affect how we live into the future. We
all heard the saying “the best way to predict the future is to look at the past.” We live in a world of fear based on past
experiences. However, if we predict the
future based on past information and continue to follow that path, the folks at
Alcohol Anonymous who said the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same
thing over and over and expecting different results each time were spot on. With
instant information, is it possible today to act from nothing?
If we are looking at the past as the guide for the future, we
as leaders need to change how the past occurs in the present. As leaders we are expected to be emotionally
intelligent, nonbiased and fair in guiding others down a positive experiential path
they willingly choose to follow. Great
leaders are visionaries that look to the future and see new possibilities. They don’t live in a present that resembles
the past; rather they live in a present that is living into a future that is
new and different than what has passed.
What I have learned in all my studies and seen in all my travels
to more than 50 countries is that successful leaders are those who are more
emotionally intelligent, and their success is derived from being involved with
a world that is evolving. They are flexible to new ideas, accept change and
fearlessly create new pathways to a changed future.
I listened to various accounts of the Boston bombing. All had some level of truth based on various
interpretations from multiple sources. Information is coming at us fast…all
interpretations based on someone’s past. The incident in Boston was horrific. Bombings continue to kill innocent people in Iraq.
North Korea threatens daily to bomb South Korea and the fighting in Israel continues
onward. These are just small samples of people living from past knowledge…the
young people participating in these monstrosities have incomplete information and live a present based on
someone else’s interpretation ….and continues to keep the hatred of centuries ago
alive. This hatred becomes part of the present
and ultimately continues into the future.
While we leaders cannot control the world or how others
think, we can impact future change through emotionally intelligent leadership
within our own organizations and impact the world by creating positive change one
team at a time. Yes, it is complicated if you mechanically act from an
incomplete set of facts. If you answer any mathematical equation with incorrect
information, you simply cannot come up with the correct answer. If our actions as leaders come from nothing
and live into a positive, purposeful future, there is nothing to equate because
you are not mechanically living your life….you are living into a purposeful
life that can positively change the future.
