I believe a fundamental human characteristic is to try and make things better – for ourselves, the people we care for, in our work and in the societies in which live. And every day, I see great examples of people doing just that.
But it is not always easy and things can sometime seem tough, or feel as if something is missing.
We live in a complex and unpredictable world. The systems that make up our workplaces and social spaces, can interact in volatile and uncertain ways. There can be multiple, perhaps overwhelming pressures. For many of us, the future lacks the certainty we once may have thought it had.
In the last six years or so, our society has been battered by a pandemic that questioned our capabilities, exposed our vulnerabilities and, in the lockdown, encouraged some of us to think again about the way we have led our lives.
We now face technological change on a scale we have never before experienced. It’s exciting and it’s frightening. And we currently use our planet’s resources in a way that is simply not sustainable.
Understanding these systems and how we function within them is key to understanding our agency and ability to change things for the better.
And the good news ?
The first great thing is that most of us are NOT sunk in irretrievable despair! And that is an important starting point.
We believe in our innate abilities. We recognise our capacity to do good, to work for a better world and to make things different for ourselves. In short, we know we have agency. Changing things for ourselves and others is very definitely possible – in small steps, in bigger increments or in transformational leaps.
Secondly, although we may face daunting challenges in our work and in our other lives and feel progress eludes us, or we struggle in taking forward all our exciting ideas, we don’t need to be alone. We know that sharing our situation and working with other people can make a difference.
It is very easy in today’s world to retreat into our own bubbles and isolate ourselves from the challenge to our thinking that can help us grow. The power of conversation works against that isolation.
By looking at our issues in a structured way with someone completely unconnected with our work or social circle, those steps that bring change for ourselves and others, become much more achievable.