I am starting a new full-time engagement tomorrow. And it has been quite a journey getting to this point. Especially with my specific needs on how my work is going to be. Every day. But finally, I am here. And I am hoping to make the best of it.
I used to think that I was a change agent. I am no more one. I now consider myself to be an improvement agent. In helping people learn new things. Quickly. Things like how to learn new things, quickly and continuously.
I am asked to do transformation work. But now, I am unable to. What is “transformation,” I ask? To what end? And how would one know when you have? And will it stick? Will it stay? Will it sustain? Or will it wither? In see-saw, up-down, or ying-yang cycles. Everything has a half-life. What is the half-life of any strategy?
In reality, this is not hard work. It’s a people game. It is scaling people and their learning. Teaching them how to learn. Teaching to learn how to constantly adjust to the reality around us, being the humans that we are. Prioritize. And maximizing what one could do within this reality. Quickly. Being cognizant of our biases while at it.
So, I hope to engage humans every day. Feel their pain. Help the system enable itself to reduce unwanted suffering. Help identify and move the large systemic levers that help mitigate a multitude of pain all at the same time. And I have been writing about these things several times before.
But yet, in spite of the challenges, I look forward to tomorrow. It’s not easy. It’s never going to be. It is not going to be a cakewalk. Not by a long shot. People are going to push back. They are going to be afraid. They are going to be driven by ego. There are going to be plenty of hurdles. Bridges to cross. Fast-flowing rivers to navigate. Whirlpools. Large waterfalls. Be pushed off high cliffs. And unclimbable walls. And deadends. So, I say, bring it on.