A single act of impossible

There are times in history when we have had a burst of ‘new.’ Someone did or made what had previously seemed impossible. The light bulb, landing on the moon, theory of relativity, ‘seeing’ subatomic particles, the Internet.

From that ‘creation’ many new amazing creations and improvements were made. Many of which would have been equally impossible-seeming, but post-creation seemed a bit more possible.

The single act of impossible came from someone who was not constrained by what seemed possible at the time. That person believed in something bigger or different, and did not subscribe to the beliefs, norms or expectations of the time (at least not all of them). They marched to a different drummer.

Their single act of ‘impossible’ creation appears to act as a coalescing agent so that all the others marching to some unusual drummer for their time, seem to rise together. It is as if they now find each other, and while each tune is unique, there is some inherent melody or beat that brings them together. Again, consider the Internet from its related inventions all the way to the semantic web conversations (great video explanation of the semantic web by Kate Ray.)

I contend that this coming together of like then leads to greater general acceptance – of their melody, of the beliefs that don’t fit the norm – and before long, the old belief and norm is replaced with the new, or mixes with the new to create something altogether unique.

Get Ready – New Societal Beliefs are Emerging

So many of us understand the birth of the Internet as the birth of a technology. But few of us explore the set of beliefs and norms that were set aside in order to create it.

The birth of the Internet actually ‘came from’ a different set of beliefs than those of the norm of the time it was birthed. In fact it was those new beliefs that allowed for – created fertile ground for – it to become possible.

What we don’t realize, as a society, is that the internet (and it’s subsequent ‘children’) have been born into a society, who as a majority hold old or other beliefs than those that created the internet.

A few of the most obvious established business beliefs are:

• Measure of purpose and success is profit and efficiency – EVERYTHING must support quantifiably greater profit and efficiency to have true value
• Competition is the driver/motivator – which means there is only win-lose
• There are scarce resources and limited possibilities

And what is now happening is that those new beliefs are clashing with the old. Quickly old institutions and ways of being/doing are finding themselves obsolete in relation to the new. To some extent it is the institution that is becoming obsolete, but more so it is the set of beliefs that hold the institution in place.

As I see it, here are the beliefs and practices that created the Internet. These beliefs and practices still seem preposterous to the majority of the business world as viable ways of being and believing and doing business.

1. Operating by a code of honor based on integrity and trust (personal responsibility)
2. Belief that you own what you put out – good or flawed – and if found to be flawed you clean it up or fix it (personal responsibility)
3. Shared ownership, so you help others if you can, to fix it for the greater good (interconnectedness)
4. You do it because you enjoy the challenge, because it is fun, because of the possibility, because it benefits or serves others – not for the profit or the pay (honoring self)
5. Self-interest only exists in so far as it advances the whole (interconnectedness)
6. Performance is measured as the best you have to offer – not 8 hour days, or bonuses or ROI (honoring self)
7. Reward is the exchange with like-minded people, the satisfaction of doing your best, the creation itself, the act itself since it was fun/challenging (honoring self and other)

Dear business colleagues and fellow workers, do you live and work these ways with these new beliefs? I see it and experience it on occasion – my local bank, First Texas Bank, embodies many of these qualities at times. I like to imagine that these are true for some progressive companies I read about in the news. Mostly, I see it in small businesses and their owners – the local market retailer, the local florist, the local accountant – and in many of the entrepreneurs I work with.

But I don’t see it in big business or government, in the organizations that have the largest visible impact on our society, lives and economy. Certainly many do good deeds and give much to their communities, but not in this way and most especially not from these beliefs as motivators. We wouldn’t have the crisis in the financial industry, or the bailouts of major corps, or the environmental pollution, or the squabbles between political parties, if they really lived (did business) by these beliefs.

How much conflict do you need?

I believe the reality is that we, our society, are growing into a new set of beliefs. Beliefs that will allow for the creation of more things that right now seem impossible. And as we move from old beliefs to new beliefs we will have conflict, and old institutions (as Clay Shirky has written) will collapse if they cannot or will not change.

What I do know is that while the birth of the internet was born from a set of beliefs different from the norm, from the mainstream, the internet and its related technologies is now sustaining and growing an environment to support the further development of the beliefs it was created from.

Take a moment to see it this way: people are experiencing interconnectedness more directly and profoundly; they experience a more direct and immediate result of their actions (both helpful and not) creating a more personal connection to responsibility; there is broader exposure to what is ‘right’, expected or normal in different cultures; there is a greater opportunity to influence and impact an outcome to benefit a larger community good.

Our emerging new beliefs are creating feelings of conflict.  Mostly because we don’t see the change we are living through. We are conditioned to hold on to the past – the way things have worked – and fail to look forward to what new things might work, and what new things might also be possible. It’s a scary place to be. When we strip our business paradigm of traditional core beliefs related to value, competition and scarce resources we are left feeling naked and vulnerable with no safe or predictable way to operate or be.

How do businesses truly measure value when profit and revenue are poor measures? I know many businesses that are extremely valuable to their communities but their profit and revenue are slim. Their value is enormous, but they wouldn’t rank on a top 10 list of fastest growing businesses.

How do we envision working together when business has become synonymous with competition – where there is one winner and that is how we measure success? Local community businesses get this and do what they can to make sure everyone next to them thrives, or they all suffer.

And trying to envision a reality beyond the limitation of the scarce resources model is just about impossible.

Conflict is a choice

Yes it is. And you can choose to find whatever way you know how to open yourself up to the changes that are happening and do just one thing to help and be supportive. This may entail doing something or it might be that you stop doing something.

When I write, I envision that I’m writing to other business owners like myself. And just like me, I envision that they are juggling so much between family and work that it seems impossible to believe that they can take on one more thing.  But I’m not asking for you to take on another thing. I’m asking you to take a look at your beliefs.

Your beliefs create change. Or your beliefs can create resistance to change and conflict. (I have written about this here.)

The fact is that 1, 5, or 10 years from now we won’t be doing business the same way we do now – our beliefs will have changed. The question is: will you choose your beliefs with awareness, for more personal responsibility, greater interconnectedness and measures of value, and increased possibilities for the whole?

I’d like to hear how you are trying new things as a result of new beliefs. Please share.