Richard C. Holloway <olypolys@nwrain.com> writes:
>John Zavacki wrote:
(snipped some background)
>John -- took a lot out of context here; thought your dialog with Carol
>quite insightful (both of you). However . . . I visualized all of the
>ancient explorers when I first read this paragraph (above). Norsemen;
>Polynesian; Phoenician; Portuguese; Cristobal Colon (Columbus). They
>were
>on the edge--indeed, many thought they were over it, I'll warrant. No
>knowledge of what lay beyond. Those who fare into outer space,
>especially
>the first ones, were armed with only slightly more facts than these
>ancient explorers. It's not only those who explore the depths and
>heights
>of our environment, though, who live on the edge. Artists, scientists,
>inventors, well--the list goes on of the risk takers who compel the rest
>of us to follow.
I don't disagree with this view, I support it. Thinking out of the box is
the only way to truly move forward in art or science. However, we do so
based on out knowledge of what has gone before and hoping that where we're
going will have the same level of risk associations. For example, when
exploring space, we take our own breathing environment with us. Plans,
risks, innovations are based in facts, not always explicit, but there
nonetheless.
>Organizations have been known to be risk takers also--jumping off the
>edge; running contrary to facts. Indeed, their CEO's write books
>exhorting others to do the same--but how many will take the plunge?
Most of the stuff I've read on this type of risk taker leads me to believe
that the language and the action are not fully aligned. None of the risk
takers do it in a "white flash" of enlightenment inspiration. They draw
on years of experience and the opinions of their team before they take the
leap.
>Innovation--exploration; they both require foresight, willingness to risk
>and the perseverance to ignore those who insist on more facts.
Just a little more linguistic obfuscation, Doc. Foresight? What does
Webster say?
Main Entry: fore-sight
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : an act or the power of foreseeing : PRESCIENCE
2 : provident care : PRUDENCE <had the foresight to invest his money
wisely>
3 : an act of looking forward; also : a view forward
- fore7sight7ed /-"sI-t&d/ adjective
- fore7sight7ed7ly adverb
- fore7sight7ed7ness noun
- fore7sight7ful /-"sIt-f&l/ adjective
And then the Thesaurus:
Entry Word: foresight
Function: noun
Text: Synonyms PRUDENCE, canniness, caution, discreetness, discretion,
forethought, precaution, providence
Related Word clairvoyance, discernment, perception
Antonyms hindsight
This is kind of a fun thread!!
-- John Zavacki jzavacki@wolff.com Wolff Group, Inc. 800-282-1218 http://www.wolff.comLearning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>