In odd moments of silence, thoughts have a way of creeping in that appear foolish, but on additional reflection reveal something of value. The obvious solution to these random thoughts is to pursue hyper-distractedness. I don’t always succeed on that front.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how change happens. The US election was all about change. Why? Did Obama drive it? Or what about Apple’s success with the iPhone/iPod/iMac? Did Apple create a market that didn’t exist? That’s the obvious view. We like to hail heroes and visionary leaders. What if that’s the wrong view? What if the real change is not driven by an organization or a person? What if resonance is the real factor?
It’s entirely possible to say that Obama’s success was not in what he created in terms of momentum, but that he was in synch with the minds of the populace. He didn’t create change so much as resonate with the change occurring in society. Would any leader do? Or, getting back to Apple – if Apple didn’t exist, wouldn’t someone else have acquired the hip/cool product reputation? Maybe it’s not at all about single individuals and organizations. Maybe change is more concerned with the rhythms of a society or generation. Whoever is best resonates the change is declared the leader, when in actuality, they are only a mirror. I’ll stop there before I get into determinism.
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