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Two Variables that are Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) Creates Four Different Scenarios

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One of the two most Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) conditions and forces acting on the future of our world over the next ten years relates to climate. Not if climate is changing, but will it be fast or slow. Secondly, will humans (especially those with significant power) embrace the need to act for the long term survival of humanity. You may have different VUCA forces in your mind, but this is where I will start to begin to encourage scenario thinking.   One end of the first VUCA variable is:  No, we will Not Embrace  the need to act to slow climate change   and reduce atmosphere changing gases.   We will not be proactive to limit  Climate Change for the  long term good.   It is of minimal importance  to the majority of people in  power on earth.  There will opposition to  cooperation and political values  will be oriented toward the  immediate future and the Now.  This is negative end of the X axis.   (-)——————-—————————————0———————————————————(+)         
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(Fewer) Words Matter

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  I have been thinking about my first post and the poem that grabbed me by the throat. I heard recently there is a new interest in poetry. Why? Probably because we are given so many words each day to process; a flood of words.   Poetry says, ‘Hey, here is a cool story in a thimble full of words.’    Thank God! Because I have to read a thousand just to clear out my inbox! So if you feel like you need to use less words, here is a short TED talk called: How to Write Less but Say More by Jim VandeHei. He founded Axios and another company to train people that less is more.   Write Less, Say More And if you want to bathe in a few words that really mean something, here is Joshua Bennett’s poem again,  Benediction If you would like to pre-order his new book click here to find a way to the good people at bookshop.org who work to support local bookstores. I will get a small commission from the order:   My Bookstore You can order any book through my store. Finally, If you trying to use
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People Who Unite and Things I Learned by Falling Into One of My YouTube Rabbit Holes

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In a music mood, I recently was checking out what was happening at this year’s Newport Folk Festival. I was delighted to find a treasure: the Joni Mitchell performance. Besides the beauty of hearing her sing again after her stroke, the the second was the work of Brandi Carlile to make this happen. There is a lovely back story to this event centered around Brandi taking a risk to start a relationship with Joni. Here are two of the many videos on the Newport performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiluPSmAF8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr6K612Mjig The results of a person who has the gift of uniting people is a rare and beautiful thing to see. Brandi had taken the steps to encourage Joni to come back to the Newport Folk Festival. I took note that Brandi had that gift. Not only did Joni appear but Brandi’s initiative knit together on the stage all kinds of diverse musicians who knew Joni as fundamental to the roots of our music. More recently, I went back to listen to Joh
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Airlines Prepared for What Scenarios?

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  The Airlines have been in the news as flying has become a mess of delays and cancellations. Last week a headline in the Washington Post caught my attention: “What $50 billion in Taxpayer Aid for Airlines Did Not Fix”   an August 2nd opinion piece by Bill Saporito   (an editor at large at Inc. magazine). ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/02/airlines-cancellations-delays-50-billion/   The article asks a lot of questions about why airline service has declined so badly, especially since $50 billion of pandemic support was provided by the Federal Government to assist the industry. One of the key questions Saporito asks is what were airlines doing to prepare to be strategically better at providing for their customers. Its important given they had significant government financial support during the COVID pandemic.  As the article points out there have been forces working the flight industry for awhile, including pilot shortages from retirement, tougher pilot training standar
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Words Matter: “its infinite, unthinkable costs”

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I was going to start my new blog with a post talking about books that inspired me to think differently or strategically. My plans changed while reading in Apple News Wednesday morning. I clicked on this poem ‘Benediction’ written by Joshua Bennett which was shared from The Atlantic under their books section. I have been itching to start thinking about the most uncontrollable strategic variables facing people and organizations now. BUT, Apple’s algorithms know I find poetry important.   https://apple.news/A-fDI4CH3TlaBJDcC9_lEGg This poem reminded me that change begins with listening. Listening is not just about hearing a  person’s words but hearing what is the story behind the words. Poetry challenges me to listen harder. Bennett is telling his story of being a black person from Brooklyn. Read the whole poem. The words matter. They are chosen for a reason and from an experience. These are words and sentences are art and have great meaning. I am still unpacking his thoughts and lettin
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