Non-linear thinking

Economics, Politics and Law... then Merit.

Last night, I attended the annual medical staff meeting for one of the medical staffs I belong to. I did it to remain in the game of conversation with no agenda. I had no idea how well it would be attended nor did I have any idea about who would be there or what was on the agenda (I did know it was at a nice restaurant!)

What is less and less surprising to me is how rewarding my interactions are when I enter them with a commitment to integrity, generosity and responsibility.

The keynote speaker was Mr. Joe Dunn. As an attorney and former State Senator, he has a special insight into government as a community. Every regular reader of my Blog understands my commitment to understanding community as the means to effect large things (a la Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Nancy Brinker, etc).

What he said was initially surprising but then it became crystal clear... New possibilities and then choices don't occur as favorable opportunities until AFTER economic and political considerations are met (assuming it's legal). ONLY THEN is merit considered.

He used an amazing example of how it came to be that large farms in the central (California) valley now provide shade and water for the field workers... if you think it was based on the merits of preventing the 20 deaths per year, you'd be considering merit only...and you'd be wrong. How did elephants come to play a role in securing shade and water for field workers in the central valley in California? Chalk it up to non-linear thinking and greasing the skids with economics and politics before merit came to play.

This is an important lesson (metaphor?) for the importance of considering different points-of-view when creating possibilities and calls-to-action.

My business and personal relationships will benefit from this awareness. How about yours?

MSS