Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  May 14, 2013

Time to Pivot

The marketplace separates thought leaders from smart people by how we interpret our surroundings.  The former makes bold predictions that tie a variety of dynamics together.  The latter just says “hey, things are different now…have you noticed these things?”.

Great example of going beyond the diagnosis is this Fast Company article plugging Present Shock by Douglas Rushkoff.  Look past his message and notice the structure of the set up before the interview.  Do you see this formula:

• Here’s what is happening (our relationship with time)
• Here’s our pivotal reaction (we care more about now than about our future)
• Here are the changes coming up because of our reaction (Narrative Collapse)
• Here are the labels that describe the impact (digiphrenia and fractalnoia)

Most experts stop at the first bullet point.  They drill down so deep on interpreting the current condition that the bigger shift — the pivotal reaction — is missed.  And without that pivot, no one sees the changes coming up.  And it is those changes that are the most intriguing.

Your homework assignment:  go for the pivot.  There are enough diagnoses out there.