You tell me …

When the pandemic started “in earnest” in 2020 I responded to a blogpost from my friend Erica Nelson and wrote a month-long series of posts about books on my shelf and ideas I gained from them. You see, I like “real” books and I often write notes in the margin. I was keeping busy (all my workshops had been cancelled) and trying to help young leaders keep engaged.

Here’s the deal

I was wondering if the wisdom I found in my old books might still apply today, in the oh-so-advanced era of 2023. So here are ten notes I made in some books and my thoughts about current applicability.

You tell me what’s most interesting to you and I’ll dig deeper in subsequent issues of MindPrep. If nobody responds I’ll assume I’m talking to myself (which I do now and then anyway).

Ten notes in the margins

1. Questions are the engine of intellect.

ChatGPT can give you quick answers. Does “it” ask questions? What drives your learning?

2. And the doctor asks, “What else could it be?”

Is the global banking system weak or strong? Is there another option?

3. Knowing things is not the same as understanding them.

You read daily about the ups and downs of cryptocurrencies. Can you explain why they even exist?

4. Beware of the Paradox of the Present.

The pandemic is over! Are we ready for the next one?

5. Beware when the “end of thinking” becomes uninformed opinion.

Are either end of the political spectrum thinking about the real needs of the United States?

6. Decisions are always “bets on the future.”

Some politicians and pundits want to let Ukraine “go it alone.” How will that play out in the coming years?

7. Watch for complex and tightly coupled systems.

Think about the U.S. electric grid and the coming summer heat.

8. There are four versions of the future: probable, plausible, possible, and preferred.

Make this personal. Which version will your retirement look like?

9. Consider four kinds of truth: partial, subjective, artificial, and unknown.

Vaccers and anti-vaccers know their truth. What truth does a virus respect?

10. Thinking blocks: emotion, perception, culture, and intellect.

What blocks your brilliance?

Next issue

You tell me. I’ll let you drive the bus.

By the way

I’m working with a late-stage start-up in London, Elevate.ac. I’ve put an offering on their site.

Take a look and let me know if you have any interest or questions for your organization. Here’s the LINK.​

I’ll tailor the session to your organization.

That’s all for now.

Bill