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The Newsletter | Edition 031
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In our Off-White Papers, we provide practical guidance on how to respond to our rapidly-changing world. This weekly newsletter explores those topics in real-time, with information and action steps on how to make progress now.
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...OPERATION COURAGE
Embedding meaningful change, change that lives in the bones, is hard for any organization. It means bringing the 'outside' in and re-learning established systems. It takes real courage to bring an evolution to life. So how can leaders effectively operationalize change in organizations? How do they find the courage to do so, and what does that courage look like?
- The answers we “know,” from Alex Anderson
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Determining your courage calculation, from Joey Camire
- Giving second chances, from Cristina Pansolini
And this time, our illustrations from Ash Casper.
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THE ANSWERS YOU SEEK AREN'T ON GOOGLE From Alex Anderson
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TL;DRSearch engines (including Google, Bing, and others) have been world-changing innovations. But the more we leverage search engines, the less we actually know—the art of self-questioning has morphed from ‘What do I know?’ to ‘Where can I find the answer?’
WHY IT MATTERSSearch engines reduce the world only to the answers it can provide, thus belying the universe’s infinite elusiveness and allure. Poets and philosophers have warned almost forever against this kind of comfort. Socrates famously claimed that his wisdom came from knowing he knew nothing. John Keats defined “negative capability”—a quality he attributed to men “of achievement”—as the ability to stay “in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.”
But not-knowing, however uncomfortable or painful, is intrinsic to life. Science, art, religious practice, relationships with other people, attempts to understand politics or history: all arise from the kind of curiosity we ask Google to release us from.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Have the courage to question the easy answers—and embrace the uncertainties, the mysteries, and the doubts.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERTo find your courage, sometimes all you need to do is ask the right question. Here's a few to get you and your team started on the path to “not-knowing:”
- How much do I mistakenly think I know, because it’s been presented in a form that feels polished? (e.g. Google’s Knowledge Graph makes searching too easy)
- How many times have I taken for granted a “fact” that may not be one at all, or mistaken my knowledge of a fact for understanding? (e.g. activist accounts on Instagram aren’t all they seem)
- How might I learn more about a subject without approaching Google as my first stop? (e.g. spending an hour on YouTube or browsing a visual search engine)
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CALCULATING COURAGE From Joey Camire
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TL;DRIn an article from 2007—AOL email addresses!—Kathleen Reardon wrote about courage in the context of business, and that it is a form of “calculated risk taking” versus some act of impulsive heroism.
WHY IT MATTERSWe’re in a time of incredible flux. It hurts to type those words for how trite they seem, and yet the reality is unavoidable. And it’s in these times of flux that courage is most needed—to proactively make the right changes, for the right reasons, and not simply let change happen to us.
This article, while a bit dated, is laden with optimism for action. There are moments in all of our jobs, regardless of level or sector, that demand courage. And that courage can be seized, even by the most trepidatious among us. Systematic thought invites us all to act in courageous ways, big and small.
Reardon outlines six facets of what she calls the “courage calculation” that she identified in her research speaking with business leaders: “Setting primary and secondary goals; determining the importance of achieving them; tipping the power balance in your favor; weighing risks against benefits; selecting the proper time for action; and developing contingency plans.”
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Take a moment to evaluate a tough decision you’re contending with through the “courage calculation.”
THOUGHTSOne of the most difficult aspects of being courageous is determining whether the moment demands it, and while some may be blessed with a preternatural intuition for these situations, assessing the situation can only help. What is your objective in the situation, and how much would you value the positive outcome? Are you able to build a coalition around the decision? Are you ok living with the possible fallout? Is now the time to act? What Reardon maybe misses, and we might add, how would not acting fit with your values and your sense of self?
The world needs us to be courageous now, maybe more than it has in a long time. Let’s all find it in ourselves to bring a bit more out. Even if we’re calculated about it.
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PREPARE FOR ACT TWO From Cristina Pansolini
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TL;DR
Jenna Lyons, a staple in the fashion industry and former creative lead for J.Crew, has come out at 40+ years old. Her interview was featured in The Cut’s ‘Second Acts’ series, which highlights forays into new "second selves." Others featured include a 68-year old math teacher who ran for mayor, and a 64-year old who got married for the first time.
WHY IT MATTERSBy championing personal "second acts," leaders openly challenge the inevitable pushback and risk warnings associated with change. This personal courage translates to the workplace, encouraging decision-makers and employees alike to imagine what their organization’s second act might be, and then act on it.
As organizations big and small work to break systemic processes in favor of change, nimbleness, and modernity, their leaders embracing their own second act says: "I’m not done yet. I’m still growing, discovering, evolving. And so should you. And so should this place."
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Embody the spirit of evolution and growth personally, to set an example professionally.
THOUGHTS ON FINDING YOUR SECOND ACTThere is no right or wrong way to start your organization's (or your own) second act. But most important is making your peace with the past and any missed opportunities or disappointments. Doing this, really doing this (and it takes practice and constant self-reminding) is key to moving on to what's next, for you and your team. It disconnects any preconceived ideas from the change you're trying to create. This is what makes any second act stick. Rinse and repeat as needed.
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