Social media came through for me yesterday.
I came across this interesting thought piece which rapidly kicked my Friday morning brain up several gears. Thank you LinkedIn.
A few key takeaways and initial thoughts I'll be pondering over the weekend, and I'd suggest you might like to do so too:
Questions:
- What are the unintended consequences of our well-intentioned actions?
- What is our 'origin story'? How have we written the back story to our current state of being, and what does that story encourage in others?
- How can we avoid viewpoints that can be described as totally valid, totally short-term, and totally defeatist, a harsh, but fair critique in the article linked above.
Thoughts:
Doing things differently, in a way that is better, for more people, more of the time, is hard. Strive to approach problems in a way that is valid (rigorous), long-term, and optimistic.
Trying to define 'good' is futile, yet necessary and immensely valuable. We won't all agree, and when we do that's because we're missing something. Any definition will always be incomplete, and have exceptions. But the process of discussing, reflection, documenting a definition of good, and then reviewing that definition in the light of the outcomes and decisions that it drives, is healthy. Working definitions work well for getting work done, and then getting more work done better.
Well constructed, articulated and respectful critique is a gift to us all.
*As a working definition of what good is when it comes to property, I've got a collection of thoughts on what makes a good home.