Just to say it out loud: yes, I'm scared too. Work is changing. We're pretty much all scared because a tidal wave of change is bearing down on us. I promise you, even the folks who say they have it figured out - they’re scared, too. Right now. I know because I speak with many a confident leader one-on-one. Who sound a lot like you and me if you catch them on an unrecorded zoom call. If I had to sum up the fear, I’d say we’re afraid of being left behind. That there won’t be a place for us. And maybe the future is no place we’ll want to be anyway. It’s a lot. To make it worse, when fear goes up, most of us go into reactive mode. The more fear, the more reactive we get. The more reactive, the more bad decisions we make. The more bad decisions, the worse our future will be. So this is a humble LInkedIn post about what to do instead. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸. Not compulsive, over-and-over thinking. Not ruminating. No, we must think creatively - where all the levers are available to us. Where ideas can be weighed against each other and thoughtful decisions can be made. Where fresh, generative, and undervalued approaches can be exploited. And well-trodden, zero-sum, overvalued stuff can be jettisoned. What I’m referring to is the definition of good strategy. Good strategy is not product positioning or purpose statements or category POVs. It’s simply creative thinking. And in times like this, we need good strategy more than ever. No, I misspeak. It’s actually the only thing that will turn the tide. More creative thinking Begets less reactivity Begets better decisions Begets a better future It’s as simple as that. And as impossible. But if it wasn’t impossible, it wouldn’t be so much fun to overcome. The high fives will be that much better, when we’re on the other side. Anyway, I’m committed to sharing what I know about creative thinking. Feels like that's my purpose right now. Can you help me learn, too?
By giving voice to this stuff you’re a leader in the dialogue. It’s clearly resonating based on the comments here. Keep doing it! The reactive to creative shift is the only way we can navigate and lead in complex and uncertain times. If people want to read/watch more about reactive to creative, I’d recommend: The Conscious Leadership Group have a great short animation called “Below the Line” versus “Above the Line” that’s resonated with a ton of my clients when it came out and blew up. Sport coaches speak of “Playing Not to Lose” as opposed to “Playing to Win.” Brené Brown uses the terms Armored and Daring. For leadership, the best is the Leadership Circle which I use with many of my clients, by Bob Anderson.
Scott R.
2w
I would be remiss not to admit that the future is both exhilarating and terrifying, with more bias toward the terrifying. The last time I saw this much rapid change occur was with the dawn of the first GameBoy, and even that was slower-paced and more industry-isolated than what we are witnessing today with robotics and AI. Now more than ever, we have to support each other. If we don't, I only grow more concerned about what kind of world we will one day wake up to find ourselves in.
Josh Lowman admitting that fear is good. It’s acknowledging that something needs changing. And fear can be a great motivator, a push to keep moving. I would also add here that apart creative thinking, we all need to focus on critical thinking too. I would also personally focus a lot on our mental state and wellbeing. This comes first always. If we don’t have desire or we feel low, it would almost impossible to keep moving and think creatively. I support you so much. Thank you for sharing Josh
Amy Butler
3w
thank you for this, Josh! I've been learning to muster the courage to face the situation (whatever it is) with honesty and compassion for ourself and others. And humor if possible! Get grounded in reality and from there we can get creative and decide what to actions to take. It helps to know we're in it together. We've seen tough times before and we will again. Some of the greatest art and invention has come from times like these. Let's do this. 🔥
Dan Manning
3w
I spent a few years digging deep into creativity and teaching people how to do more of it in the practical world. The single, most effective tool I found to be more creative was to think with other people...the more different, the better. Creativity is making connections, but when we do it alone, we have limited raw material to connect. When we think with other people with different experiences and different raw material we exponentially increase the number of possible connections available to us. You are on the right path!
Love the call to action. Time to think critically and creatively about the future and our place in it.
Kevin Payne
3w
Your honesty is refreshing Josh Lowman. Let's leverage this fear to fuel growth.
Thanks for your posts, Josh. What a journey we're on right now. We've both been through the .com bust which felt apocalyptic at the time. And the 2008 economy implosion. But this feels different and it's a challenge to grasp the entirety of the situation, at least for me. Having been through the earlier shifts, where literally everyone I knew lost their jobs (2000-01) and other bumps in our industry I keep telling myself we'll get through this. More creativity and less reactivity is a great mantra. And we will get to the other side. We'll adapt as we do, we're designers. Keep the posts coming!