Standing Still

gabrielshirley — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:35:47 +0000

Most people I touch in my life these days feel like they are moving too fast. What would happen if we just stood still, even for 5 minutes? Would the world notice? Would it make a difference?

Check out this video of 200 people who stood still at the same moment in Grand Central Station.

I wonder what it would be like to do this experiment on an even larger scale. Hmmm. Let’s see:

I hereby invite the entire City of Seattle (and anyone else who wants to play) to stand still, frozen, for 5 minutes at 12 noon (Pacific) on Thursday, March 20. You get extra points for doing it in a public place, but you lose points (LOTS of them) if you do it while driving heavy machinery. Be safe, have fun, do it with friends, tell me what happens.

Designing the Future: How We Think

gabrielshirley — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:42:14 +0000

How we think matters. The way we think determines our understanding of the world, and that understanding determines the questions we ask and the actions we choose to take. We each have a limited set of filters through which all perceptual experience flows. Change those filters and you change your world.

For the past few months, I’ve been doing a bit of action research for my own organization. The goal is to better understand peoples’ perceptions of the future and how that perception can or should impact their actions in the present. The research protocol is very simple. When you are engaged in conversation and have achieved a reasonable level of trust, ask the question, “What do you and your organization need to be and do to be relevant in the next 20 to 50 years?”

I find that this question elicits a variety of interesting responses. Invariably, it gets people thinking about the futures they think are likely and how they might respond to them. My goal in the conversation, which may happen over time, is to move from this “respond to” position toward a more proactive stance that identifies concrete action that will help create a desired future. There is something incredibly powerful in the act of choosing your preferred future. Along the way there is a shift where people begin to see themselves as creators of culture rather than simply consumers of culture. This is the magic moment where empowering possibilities arise.

You are hereby invited to try this experiment yourself. Start with people you know well and see where the conversation leads. Invite them to join the experiment too, and to report back their results. Try it on yourself and see what happens.

As always, if you have an ah-ha experience and are willing to share, or if this raises questions or concerns for you, please let me know.

I look forward to the conversation.

Gabriel Shirley » actionresearch

Standing Still

Designing the Future: How We Think