The Social Disease of Our Time

In the awesome book, "On Becoming a Leader," by Warren Bennis, the author addressed short-term thinking as the predominant social disease of this generation. To quote him, he says, "We are at least half-way through the looking glass, on our way to utter chaos. And though the context is highly volatile it's not apt to change in any fundamental way as long as the principle players are driven by it, are swimming through it like fish blind to the water. To put it another way, the current climate is self-perpetuating because it has created an entire generation of managers in its own image."

As we look at the news, television & media we can see ourselves surrounded, and if we're really honest, stained by the current context of short-term thinking. We see this in business with long standing, once reputable companies turning to the short-term in focusing on the "bottom line" instead of having a focus of adding real value and serving it's customers. We see this type of destructive thinking everywhere nowadays; in fact, the most vile and destructive type is found within the family. This short term mindset within the family is systematically undermining and eroding the foundation of liberty and truth.

We will not change this cultural disease of short-term thinking until we first recognize it. We can all see it in the world around us, but to truly recognize it within our own thought processes & change within ourselves is the real challenge. Our tendency is to go throughout life mired in busyness. So deep, in fact, that it keeps us blind to the Godlessness of it all which in turn dams the flow of clarity from our true source of power.

As Warren Bennis says, "To know thyself, then, means separating who you are and who you want to be from what the world thinks you are and wants you to be. You make your life your own by understanding it."

The process is self-awareness = self-knowledge = self-possession = self-control = self-expression.

I just got the very disturbing news that someone that worked for my father for the last 23 years just took his own life, leaving behind a beautiful family. In-side he was a hard working family man who just allowed himself to be deceived into thinking that it was enough to be busy. This lead to forgetting who he was, which allowed him to become numb to his family and eventually turned to abusing those he should've been fighting for instead of fighting against. This is a perfect example of getting so lost in the context, the busyness of life, that you self deceive and neglect the long term relationships thinking you're moving forward when all you're doing is spinning your wheels and sinking deeper in the mire. What inevitably happens is you eventually see the progress of others which brings you to a crossroads. As my good friend and coach Orrin Woodward says, "Bitter or better." By definition, the context of short-term thinking must self-destruct, being incapable of sustaining it self long-term, destroying the lives of all those who either directly, or in-directly surrendered to it.

I pray that this family can break this vicious cycle and use this tragedy to focus on that which will truly engender long-term happiness. Short-term thinking is caused by selfishness and self deception and can only lead to self destruction. On the other hand, long term thinking, which can be developed by adhering to a cognitive development process, can only lead to long-term, sustainable results which can, in turn, lead to long term happiness.

There are 4 steps, according to Norman Lear, involved in the process of mastering the context: 1. becoming self-expressive; 2. listening to the inner voice; 3. learning from the right mentors; 4. giving oneself over to a guiding vision.

[Listening to the inner voice - trusting the inner voice - is one of the most important lessons of leadership which I will go through in more detail in a future post].

We are living in the context of short-term thinking, a self-destructive climate that is being perpetuated by managers created in its own image. To bring it back to what Warren Bennis said, "The first step, then, in becoming a leader, is to recognize the context for what it is - a breaker, not a maker; a trap, not a launching pad; an end, not a beginning - and declare your independence."

Keep moving forward,

Rusty Robson