Hatta, UAE near Oman Border, 2013
I muse on experiences in another culture.
How I extend the hand of friendship in a traditional western style. He takes it. Another hand gentle on my shoulder, and his nose meets mine. Eyes stare into the black orbits of my soul. Mine, now stirred, meet his stare.
Time pauses. A moment hangs in sensemaking. Silent study. Careful choice. Do I trust?
My western paradigm broken by a Bedouin.
He smiles and offers tea. I’m welcome.
This memory recurs on Sunday. I see our Premier staring into the eyes of the media, hung in sensemaking.
A non-linear response. A careful choice waiting for planning to run its course. Not a popular choice for people wanting plans.
Our dominant paradigm pushes plans. Linear and clear.
“Plans are nothing; planning is everything” is a lesson from Eisenhower. A president and general who knew all plans fail on first contact with “the enemy”.
Our emerging paradigm requires we engage leaders to sense and make sense of the planning behind the eyes, not the plans.
Transparency is uncomfortable.
Transparency is crucial when non-linearity is present.
Transparency begets trust.
Transparency also begins with “Tea” (sic) – a slow Bedouin ritual of coming together, in conversation. A custom to regenerate trust in a non-linear world.
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