The possibilities beyond Wilful Blindness
Garry Turner MCIPD
radicality.co.uk | Executive Thinking Partner | Personal & Organisational Transformation | #ChangeIsAnInsideJob
Hey there, I'm back! I hope that you are well?
I made a point of leaving LinkedIn newsletters some time ago, only to realise that this is a key platform for me and my work/relationship-building so hi, I'm back!
For those of you that know me, I am a big advocate for relational vulnerability, one aspect of which being it is okay to change your mind. Oh how the world may look different if we all allowed that?
Below is a bit of a meandering download, but I hope you find it interesting and I welcome any feedback, comments, or challenges, as always.
Over the past several weeks, I've spoken to 3 global CEOs ad a range of senior executives responsible for over USD 10 billion in sales and over 7,000 employees. A key pattern that I have observed across all of these conversations is:
Wilful Blindness.
This TED talk from Margaret Heffernan really landed with me when it first came out over 11 years ago in 2013, however today in 2024, as we witness multiple Western-fuelled wars, increasing extraction of wealth from the masses to the few, and a rise of the far right and populism on steroids, I am #curious how leaders and organisations can sit on the fence and be 'wilfully blind' to the interconnected harm that is being caused all around us.
You see having dialogue with these CEOs and senior executives was both exciting, and frustrating.
Exciting, as many of them were much more people and culture focused than I have observed within the extractive industries to date, and really showed a level of interest as a means to driving high performance. Really good news.
Frustrating, as there is zero centring of perspectives of those most harmed by our Western business models. Even the raising of two-tier responses to Gaza-Israel vs Ukraine-Russia has been met repeatedly with erasure and a desire to stay comfortable.
Maybe it is too much to expect that, but I do believe a) they have a responsibility to speak and show up and b) they would feel more free and impactful if they owned this responsibility.
Maybe they are just not aware??
The Global Majority, 85% of the worlds population are kept in bondage to support the above, despite there being enough to go around.
We can't change where we are, but we can influence what happens next.
Heffernan shares research that has evidenced often “85% of people know there is a problem, but won’t say anything.” Funny correlation around this 85% number.
We can understand, to an extent, the fear of speaking up (could it harm career, result in being kicked out etc), the fear of not wanting to join the dots publicly (will mean some uncomfortable conversations), and of wishing to stay 'on the fence' with geopolitics. Yet that won't help even their kids, grandkids, or families in generations ahead.
When I have spoken to senior leaders in recent months who are proud of the number of listening channels that are available to their staff, when pressed on are they effectively used, they are not.
领英推荐
"Well the channels are on offer, it is up to them to use them."
Wilfully blind.
I find it interesting that talks, media, writing, art, can morph in it's meaning and impact, both based on our own growth and learning/unlearning, and with how our networks, and the world changes. I've been done with being wilfully blind and scared for some time now, how about you?
If you are a senior executive in #chemicals #pharma #food #agrochemicals #energy #petrochemicals and the global #supplychain that wraps that, who do you trust, and where can you go to start the journey of not being wilfully blind?
I wonder if this persona is an example of what stops powerful executives from leading on topics ‘beyond the numbers'?
What difference could that make to your own life, those around you, and in the world? So what you may ask.
Why should you care?
Let me leave you with some data from the recent PwC CEO Survey 2024. “It reflects a growing unease, as 45% of respondents doubted their company’s current trajectory would keep them viable beyond the next decade—up from 39% just 12 months earlier.”
If nearly half of 4072 CEOs surveyed think their business may be obsolete in the next decade, now is a great time to practice letting go of that wilful blindness. Heck imagine the freedom and possibility of letting that weight go.
The #Radicality.co.uk ecosystem exists to offer spaces and services, to reclaim your inner power, and to transform your organisation.
Check out Heffernan's talk, and why not drop me a line at [email protected] if you want to explore this further.
Shall we connect?
My name is Garry Turner and I guide the expansion of possibilities at the intersections of International Sales, People & Culture, Equity & Inclusion and Sustainability: