Self Reflection Byte - What lies Beneath!!

Introduction

We've seen movies with multiple story lines where ultimately the characters in each story line meet or come together drawn by fate or chance. We consume information from multiple sources - podcasts, conversations, social media, books etc. It is when we listen to an idea from one source & then able to connect it to what we heard from another source that we get this a-ha moment. Let me explain!!

There are three unrelated events in the last couple of days which my brain somehow related.

Event - 1 : Podcast

I listened to a recent podcast by Roger L Martin who is the world no. 1 management thinker & author of multiple books on Strategy. Almost at the end of the podcast, he emphasized on the importance of reading foundational text & understanding the disciplines that support the applied fields like business such as psychology for marketing, economics for strategy. What did he mean by that?

As professionals who want to get better in their respective fields, we normally read management books or books on Finance, Strategy, marketing etc. While all these are required & valuable to develop ourselves, it is also crucial to explore the basic disciplines that these business concepts are built upon.

He encourages us to delve deeper into the disciplines that lie beneath these fields, including philosophy, recommending books at least a 100 years old.

It's like going down layers below the concepts & thoughts that we read & learn everyday.

Event 2 : Audio Book

I am now listening to the audio book version of "Thinking in Systems" by Donella H. Meadows. It's an amazing book which mentions a system has multiple variables impacting it - it's flows (inflows & outflows), stock & feedback loops.

The feedback loops can be balancing or reinforcing.

1. Reinforcing loops can take a system from one state to another depending on what is being reinforced - can be good or bad. For e.g., Money deposited in a savings account earns interest. The earned interest increases the account balance, which then earns more interest in the future, leading to exponential growth of savings
2. Balancing Loops stabilize the system like a thermostat which brings the temperature to the desired state.

The point that hit me was that - over & above all what happens within the system, it also has a goal which all the subsystems within the system try to achieve by interacting with each other & environment outside the system.

Over & above the goal are the top two leverage points which can impact a system which are (Source - here) :

Second - The mindset or paradigm out of which the system - it's goals, structures, rules, delays, parameters - arises

First - The power to transcend paradigms.

But first, what is a paradigm?

A paradigm is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates & standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. The word "paradigm" is Greek in origin meaning "pattern" (Source : here)

So, there is a thought pattern or belief which gives rise to the system & achieving the objectives of that belief is the goal of the system.

The author mentions that

Paradigms are the sources of systems. From them, from shared social agreements about the nature of reality, come system goals and information flows, feedbacks, stocks, flows and everything else about systems.

An example that comes to my mind is the paradigm of equitable justice to all. The whole justice system is designed around this paradigm & the sub-systems within this system (Police, courts, detention centers, lawyers, judges etc) work to deliver this paradigm.

Another system that I can think of is a "family" with everyone (subsystems) within the family working to keep the "family" together. The underlying paradigm driving a family is "love".

So, now you get the idea

Event 3 : Linkin Park

Wow, so we are way off our topic here. What does rock bank Linkin Park got to do with strategy or systems thinking? Hear me out

I heard that Linkin Park is going to perform in Saudi Arabia in December. But unfortunately I will not be able to attend it 😦. So in my disappointment, I decided to go my "This is Linkin Park" playlist in Spotify & it played the song that introduced me to Linkin Park - "The New Divide"- the soundtrack for "Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen" in 2009. I highly, highly recommend that you listen to it (BTW their comeback is amazing!!!!)

I immediately got transported to 2009 when I first listened to this song. I teared up to Chester Bennington's voice. The awe & admiration I felt when I first heard his voice all came up from somewhere deep within me. I closed my eyes & went back 15 years. At that moment, the music & his voice dug deep inside me. How is it possible?

The Connection

The first two events (Podcast & audiobook) emphasize the point of

1. going deeper - deeper than what we are reading or studying about and
2. understanding deeper paradigms out of which a system arises.

The third is how music (for me, it's music. For others, it can be art or something else) brings out memories & feelings of years past. Listening to new music also has the same magic. It takes us to a new dimension altogether. We feel like we are going in a space shuttle but deep within us.

All the three leads us to something deeper..

All that we do in this world as part of a system is driven by something deeper. Now, there are two aspects to this :

1. Do we understand the paradigm giving life to the system ?
2. Is the paradigm itself that we are trying to achieve right?

That is, we are questioning the paradigms which drive our very identity. Assuming that the paradigm driving us is right, are we taking the right actions to achieve it?

At each stage of our lives, we do different things as part of systems - family, school, college, work, clubs etc. Ultimately for what? What is the paradigm that is driving us at each stage of life?

Why does someone become a Doctor, Engineer or Lawyer ? What drives them to be part of a system which requires their skills & experience? A doctor believes in saving lives, an engineer to use his / her skills to build for a better life & a lawyer to provide justice.

We cannot quantify or measure these underlying paradigms. Can we measure how much we love our spouse or kids or what is the measure of justice provided or not provided? No, we cannot. But we can "feel" & "sense" them.

This underlying driver or paradigm is also called "North Star" - which guides the system towards achieving it's goals. It also gives meaning to our lives.

We may sometimes lose track of our "North Star" & go astray. But these principles bring us back on track. How do we know what is right or wrong? We just "know".

I got some quotes below on the deeper meaning of life

Viktor Frankl: “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

John F. Kennedy: “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”

Oprah Winfrey: “Your calling isn’t something that somebody can tell you about. It’s what you feel. It is the thing that gives you juice.”

Robert Byrne: “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”

Deepak Chopra: “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others.”

Is there anything deeper than these concepts? I don't know....yet. Just like there is a vast expanse of space out there waiting to be explored, there is a another vast expanse inside each of us waiting to be explored.