Four Business Insights from the Universe

As I moved some of my favorite books into the library at Science House this weekend, I came across several volumes of The Science History of the Universe. The books were published in 1910. Since our mission at Science House is to apply scientific insights to solving business challenges, I cracked the old books open to see what they might offer and found some timeless gems.

1) Anthropology: Man as he is today will not endure. There are constant modifications proceeding in him, physical and mental, each with reflex action on the other. Insight: The transformation too often attributed to the digital culture actually started way before social media and will continue until machines are smarter than people. Navigating (and contextualing) this increasingly rapid shift is a critical characteristic of a successful leader.

2) Geology: As great oscillations of climate took place during the Ice Age and in some cases lasted a long time, the plants and animals both of land and sea could hardly fail to be seriously affected. Insight: Leaders understand that the future, composed of cycles, isn’t some distant dream, or nightmare, that can be passed along without conscience to the next generation. If your organization is not working toward the future, your customers can’t afford to keep supporting you.

3) Astronomy: There was a time when there was no life upon the earth and therefore, all matter was mineral. Insight: Let’s stop and really ponder that one. At one time, every single thing around you right now--the city you live in, the buildings and streetlights, the computer in front of you--didn't exist. Neither did humans. The blank slate of the distant past is a reminder that even the most unlikely of outcomes is possible. The modern leader’s challenge is to create environments that enable imagination and swift, flexible action.

4) Zoology: On the nature of honeybees: All the work done by workers is strictly work for the whole community. Insight: This is possible only because honeybees innately understand their mission--to make honey and keep the hive thriving. Like honey, your mission should be sticky, sweet and sustaining. Everybody involved, from collaborators to clients, suppliers, distributors and those who take the time to share your story, should have a meaningful role to play and a way to demonstrate success. Your job as a leader is to keep the honeycomb loaded, and make sure every person involved knows why they are important to that process.

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The illustration is from The Science History of the Universe: Physics.

--@RitaJKing