A future built on dynamic values and evolving realities

Something refreshing comes when we are reminded that for countless years, humans have been grappling with the big, timeless question, “What is a good society? And can it be created in a world of conflicting values?”

In 2018, my husband Theo and I participated in the?Aspen Institute Executive Leadership Seminars?program, bringing together 20 leaders from multiple countries for a week to engage and learn.

I often think back to that experience and how it further helped me understand the role?covering?had played (and does play) in my life and the lives of those around me, how it influenced and impacted my leadership abilities, and how my presence and stories can impact people and help them see the world differently.

Covering - downplaying, hiding, or filtering parts of yourself at work, with different social groups, at school, or with family.

During the seminar, I was reminded how much our upbringing and the cultural norms we’re raised with and live and work within shape our values and decisions.? These also shape how we navigate challenging conversations and weigh trade-offs. In seeking to understand why and how someone is deciding, we can learn a lot about how they view the world and the underlying values that inform how they operate.

The seminar conversations brought this to light - showing the stark contrast of how people sitting across from each other would respond in different situations. In one instance, we talked about how people might use their time if we moved to a 20-hour workweek. Some of us thought about the positive ways we would collectively use that time - more outdoor exploration, time with family, art creation, learning new languages, and starting new business ventures. Others thought about the negative - there would be an increase in crime, murder, and drug use, and people would be less active and complacent.

What would your answer to the question have been?

Our worldviews and cultural experiences shaped our responses to that question. It was a much-needed reminder that these types of beliefs then inform the policies that govern our cities, access to resources, and management of time, and how the culture and climate of a workplace are created and maintained.

After the Seminar, I wrote a reflection while running one morning. As we continue to delve into the topics of covering, coping, burnout, and reimagining the future of work - taking into account how people make decisions and the role that our values play in how we engage with people and approach these topics - I thought it would be worth re-sharing. You can read my full recap of the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar?here.

My reflections written while running…

I arrived clad in chainmail

And left in a cluster of pearls [of nature and wisdom]

Challenged to step beyond preconceived notions

That a “good society” was easy to define, and create

Your wisdom that travels across time zones and continents required I ask new questions

With generational and cultural experiences all informing the way we saw our connected future

I sought out this seminar fervently

I longed to be pulled out of my head

To be required to respond quickly

And at the same time, was told my silent presence offered a safe haven

I realize now how much the busy had gotten in the way of the work, of reflection

The blur of time limiting my ability to show up as the best person I could

For you, for us, for a future built on dynamic values and evolving realities

Of leadership and management my thinking expanded

Reflecting on what I had let slip because my expectations were built on an unstable foundation

I saw more clearly where generalizations were getting in our way

Causing us to assume of others what we repeatedly called out as wrong

I recounted the leadership trials that took place

Watching as you and I each navigated scenarios while trying to find balance in a week full of ideas and debates

I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything

Even if Billy Budd continued to be a required reading

For even in that text I’d been reminded how much we insert context as a frame for laws and what is and is not acceptable

Running in the morning, I explored longer shutter speeds and experimenting with light

The creation and taste of s’mores reminded me of simpler joys, ones not predicated on the limiting factors of calories and a lack of time to build a fire outdoors

The feeling of being a child once again… do you remember?

I thought of your words, from Mexico, Spain, Fiji, the U.K…

And pondered how I could translate the breadth of these thoughts into practice

Before they dissipate as I re-enter a chaotic season of change

Our analects were a challenge, a fervent reminder

For it takes small strides to make systemic change

And passing the torch as if it’s not my problem just won’t due

In departing you called me “son” during a warm embrace

I cried, not knowing how that single word would pierce the barriers contrived for self-protection

You said, “you’re amazing “

And I wondered what things were invisible to me that you saw

We left, some by train, by car, by plane

Traveling hours and days to enact our new-found reality

As a politician or a leader-manager, as a bridge builder between networks

Driving down the winding roads away from Wye River,

I thought of liberty, equality, efficiency and community… of the good society

And my role in striving toward balance

Toward hope, as Maya Angelou said

Rebuilding through resilience time and time again

A future worthy of our efforts, and our lives.