What informs your life, work, creativity, company and path?

Over the last four months, I’ve gone from being focused on the “flipper, flappers” and the “dweebezaarb’s” with technology to a significantly more holistic view of it and, quite frankly, everything else. The quickening of my recent experiences and research has informed my perspective, my thoughts and my direction with technology, and there might be a nugget or two in this post for you too.

You might be like I was just a short time ago… solely focused on the technology and only somewhat on the human spirit, motivations, and the essence of what an offering would deliver. Like me, you’re probably 100% focused on “What’s the value proposition?” or “I’ve got to hone the elevator pitch” thinking that will ensure people will flock to your offering, instead of understanding where the power of what you’re delivering lies and what the ultimate essence is of it. My thinking used to be solely focused on determining if my deliverables only had “X” functionality or “Y” user interface elements or “Z” flipper, flappers…then people would come and it would be successful. If it were only so.

What has happened to me since January is being heads-down on a program entitled “A Better Way to Work and Live” with the guys at Entrevis. I’ve also become a member of Heartland Circle (founded 10 years ago by the former publisher of Utne Reader and his bride) and attended Thought Leader Gatherings and more. Both groups are providing thought leadership, holistic perspectives and worldviews, and what it takes to turn vision into action. 

My awareness has been rising exponentially. I’ve learned more about human motivation, the incredibly powerful “search for meaning” that is occurring right now (especially amongst baby boomers), and the cacophony of conversation that is publically exposed in the blogosphere, in forums, on websites, and connected in ways that we’ve never seen before in the short history of the internet.

If you read, go to conferences or engage in meaningful dialogues with people more informed in areas you’re not, you too will understand that major shifts are occurring worldwide in an dizzying array of areas. Awareness of global warming, avian flu pandemic preparedness, geopolitical struggles, internet making “the world flat” and connecting consciousness in new and profound ways, macroeconomic shifts that is driving a new perception of value (open source software is the most easily recognizable example), and much more will surely drive you to reach many of the same conclusions as I have: it’s imperative to understand the whole; how all of this is interconnected and influencing each other; and holistic thinking *must* be a part of your life, career and strategic thinking. It’s even imperative it become part of ideation or creation sessions you have with others.

When I think, for example, of delivering a social Web hub to connect people (like so many others have already done), I look to the big thinkers in many of these areas for data that can inform my thoughts and approaches. What I’m open to and thus finding is stunning. If you want to read more and start to get your head around much of this, here are a few to get you started:

• A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. If you read “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman, then read this and understand how higher level, associative and pattern matching thinking skills (connecting the dots) is the next wave of human thinking in the emerging Conceptual Age

• The Divine Right of Capital by Marjorie Kelly. An indictment of our current corporate way of consuming resources at the lowest possible cost and irregardless of the cost to society…in favor of the maximizing of profits.  Not an “oh those companies are evil” type of indictment, but rather a look at the systemic model that encourages this behavior with little or no incentives to behave otherwise

• Presence by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, Betty Sue Flowers. This book is a non-New Age view of the importance of holistic thinking. It’s really an awareness builder and a challenge to business leaders around the world to shift their thinking from a myopic view of their business, industry or community and toward a holistic view that everything is interconnected and they have to play a role in solving societal and global problems.

Seek. Ask questions. Think about what informs your life, your work, the products or services you design and deliver, the stuff you spread on your lawn or how much gas you use, and your overall impact with everything to which you’re connected. At the very least, look at the energy and consciousness raising that is going on around you and understand what those with higher consciousness are buying, doing and consuming. It will help you deliver value in new and potentially more profound ways.