Part of our everyday vocabulary, these innocent sounding words seem to be rolling off our tongue with ever increasing frequency. I was tempted to add ‘like’ in as well, but the level of abstraction would have probably done our head in. Imagine sentences full of, like, they, like, like? or they, just like, like, like? todays youth might get it, but no, we are not going there today, the point of this article is that we think about how often we gloss over or trivialise serious issues and consequences with the sometimes flippant use of these words.

Sorry, there is no 'They'

• 'They' will replace oil with endless amounts of cheap and non-polluting energy... sorry, if that could have been done it would have already have been done.
• 'They' will make the elites stop extracting so much from the system... sorry, the system is so complex now that no-one currently knows how to transition to a different system where the inequities don’t exist.
• 'They' will look after us... we just voted overwhelmingly for our perceived most compassionate option in an increasingly risky world (a Labor party majority), but this is still a mix of political agendas, individual egos, poor behaviour, (the speaker of the house is in trouble as I write) and governmental red tape... define 'they' in that world and Id love to have a fireside chat with you.

There is no 'they', no one is coming to save us. We as individuals, neighbors, teams, tribes and networks are where it is at, and this is wonderful news. Let’s get together and get on with it. In a place, at a time, for good reasons. Isn't ‘they’ us?.

'Just' is going to get you and us in trouble

• Let’s 'just' buy some carbon offsets. Sounds great, wait and see what happens when everyone else has rebuilt their systems to not need offsets, where will we be then?

• 'Just' manage the issues through the PR and marketing team, sounds expensive and ineffective in the long run (actually the short run too). Internationally NZ is getting heavily critcised about its climate change rhetoric, we 'just' keep talking, with what future consequence?
• Let’s ''just' do something when we need too… well, we are completely under estimating the systemic change required ahead, the lead times, and the care required in working through sustainable transition in real communities. Real progress is a purposeful process, not 'band-aid' and reactive.

Doing anything with a 'just' mindset is probably going to hurt you, others and our precious planet over time. The good news is that when you look at things from a whole-systems and a long-term perspective, it is unlikely the word ever enters your vocabulary.

'Control' in a VUCA (Volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world?

• Control and influence are inversely related, trying to control something is likely to take you further from where you can add most value.
• Have you got sufficient self-control?, on that basis what would make you think you should try and control what happens to others or the environment?
• Emergence (Love, friendship, success) are products or outcomes of human interaction, where-as control is an input. Let’s think about that in terms of our organisations, institutions and relationships.

What does all that mean? believe me, try to control anything else other than yourself is probably not a good use of time or energy. Control is pretty much an illusion and trying to impose it stifles creativity and development in those around us. The good news is now you know that.

So there we have it, my take on they, just, control. 

Moving on from using these words, (fallacies, beliefs and mindsets, or whatever we want to call them) might help us become freer, to get clearer and more focused on the most important things while living in the transition. As we pointed out a few weeks back, knowing your 'ONE THING' should help you and those around you keep moving in the right direction, with clarity and vigor!

Working on the edge of transition requires us to constantly ‘get real’ and ‘stay real’. Success in transitions is much more about honesty, trust, diversity, clarity, creativity and good judgement. And don’t forget that this game is easier played as a team. This is what we help you do in Learning Journeys.