Tuesday, November 7, 2023

See, Solve, Scale

 

human hamster wheel ("Human Hamster Wheel - West Midlands Fire Service" by ell brown is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.)
"Human Hamster Wheel - West Midlands Fire Service" by ell brown is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

We find ourselves in the midst of great change and instability. The speed of change is not likely to slow in our lifetime…if ever. Check out the last four revolutions:

  • 1st Industrial Revolution (production/textiles): mid- to late 1700s to mid-1800s
  • 2nd Industrial Revolution (electrification and mass-production): mid-1800s to late 1900s
  • 3rd Industrial Revolution (digitalization): late 1990s to 2009
  • 4th Industrial Revolution (digitalization transformation; think bionics): 2010 to present

A quote from Jake and JZ book Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day comes to mind, “The faster you run on the hamster wheel, the faster you go.” The speed of change has us spinning. Not only are we spinning but also reeling. Some of us are sick and want off the ride.

This speed of change requires us to do something we don’t really want to do—to unlearn what we have learned. Students of leadership know they must embrace change, provide a healthy environment for themselves and their team. They know they must learn and unlearn…not just relearn as is embedded in the refresher-minded culture we seem stuck in.

To do this, every leader must be an entrepreneur. Leaders must be able to innovate to solve problems. The need to “see” the problem, “solve” the problem, and “scale” the solution for the greater good.

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

  • Listen to Joe Byrley’s "From the Green Notebook" podcast, “See, Solve, Scale” with author of the same title, Danny Warshay.

About the Author: Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development and member of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee. The expressions are those of the author.

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