Are you leading at the speed of change?
If not, then you’re not leading at all. You’re an incumbent–or a museum piece in the making.
21st Century Leadership at the Speed of Change
The 21st century is notable for an accelerating velocity of change.
Contrary to the views of some, the overall amount of change may not have surpassed that experienced by, for example, the generation born in the first decade of the 20th century. Think: the automobile, the airplane, antibiotics, World War I, World War II, radio, television, mass affluence, home appliances, GI Bill, the Pill, the agricultural revolution, environmental consciousness, the moon shot, ever-increasing capacity for the talents and voices of individuals to be expressed……
Yet, the disruption of industries, the extinction of longstanding institutions, the collapse of authority, the empowerment of the voiceless–these are extraordinary changes happening with breakneck speed in the 21st century.
The ways of living and leading of the 20th century are being superseded.
Changes of historic magnitude are accelerating in our midst.
Same-Sex Marriage
For as long as four thousand years, marriage has been universally understood as a covenant uniquely between a man and a woman (with some variations in numbers).
Suddenly, in the course of a single generation, same-sex marriage has moved from being an intellectual novelty, to being in mainstream debate, to being ratified in rising judicial and democratic actions.
That a change of this magnitude is occurring so rapidly is indicative of several trends, including:
–like-minded individuals can find one another and connect in ways both intimate and political via the Internet;
–the Internet can magnify intensity of opinion, as individuals consolidate otherwise fragmented messages from legacy media and new media;
–Americans are able to relocate to areas populated by many like-minded individuals;
–the authority of longstanding institutions has been diminished;
–disruption in various parts of our lives has made change less threatening to many;
–younger generations are able to make their voices heard in cultural debates to an unprecedented extent.
If public sentiment can change so rapidly on such a fundamental matter of culture and tradition, of religion and law, what does suggest about other public controversies?
Medical Cannabis
credit | huffington post
American public attitudes are also in rapid transition on another issue: medical cannabis.
States of all partisan colorations are moving toward making marijuana available for medical patients. A smaller number–sure to rise–is pursuing complete legalization.
As occurred with same-sex marriage a few years ago, the die appears to be cast for wholesale change of the nation’s marijuana regulatory approach.
If public opinion concerning the institution of marriage can be transformed this rapidly, who can doubt that numerous other public issues of long-standing will be reconsidered and resolved in new ways?
Are You Leading at the Speed of Change?
How are you updating your understanding of leadership for the 21st century?
What steps are you taking to make your maximal contribution?
Are you effectively learning and growing and adapting?
How are you avoiding the risks of incumbency, of complacency?
What additional capacities are you cultivating in yourself?
Are you updating your ecosystem of colleagues and exemplars, with an eye toward the future?
Are you leading at the speed of change?
21st Century Leadership at the Speed of Change
