New World, Like it or Not

Let's face it, the world we knew is gone. At least for this moment in time.

I like to think of myself as a change agent - that means I am not risk adverse by nature, but rather embrace change as a way to move forward. And hopefully the place where we end up is better than that we left. Change can be exciting.

Recent events are changing our world. I'm talking about the current pandemic and shifts in international thinking toward nationalism instead of globalism. Layer in the swift advances in technology that seems to be constantly upgrading how we do things. It's really small wonder people are feeling disconnected, confused and threatened, instead of excited.

These feelings I believe are the biggest reasons for countries to withdraw into themselves. People yearn to regain the feeling of belonging to something that matters, to be part of something everyone agrees is sacred and worthwhile support and defending... hence the resurgence of nationalism. The problem though is that world no longer exists. You can't go back to the way it once was. We can only go forward.

Sadly, some of the leaders in influential countries who are of late emerging seem to lack in fundamental leadership skills and qualities citizens once took for granted. This has resulted in creating factions within the populations; those who support the new leadership and those who do not; creating tension in political systems. For a change agent, tension is normally a good thing because it identifies those who will be supportive and can be drafted to support change efforts. And, that's now happening on a national level.

The question is, is change on the national level too big to manage?

Can you get a sufficient level of support to make the change happen and make it stick?

Do you have the right leadership to drive successful change, and do you know the success factors so you can measure them?

Has the change agenda been properly vetted and planned to ensure all risks are identified and have mitigation tactics prepared in advance?

Is there a fall-back position for each strategic milestone to safeguard from complete failure if things don't go well?  In other words, is there a safety net in place?

I don't know how things will end up and how many people will die in this pandemic. My hope is the messages of hope and calls for fortitude to get us all through this get through all the noise... this is what people need to hear.

As for the grand vision of change, I think we should leave politics lie while we treat our sick and dying.