Читать книгу How To Lead A Quest - Fox Jason - Страница 6

Default [noun]: an option that is selected automatically in the absence of viable alternatives

Ahoy the default! It's always there, and it's such a time-saver. So handy. Thanks to the default, we get stuff done and we make things happen.

But sometimes – because it's always there – we stop seeing the default. We stop questioning the very thing that influences every decision we make. And, thus, we assume our assumptions are valid, sound, correct and appropriate for the current and emerging context we operate in.

Our default thinking (and the biases it harbours) becomes like air to a bird, or water to a fish. We are so unceasingly immersed in it that we don't even comprehend it to be there. And so the things that we do become the perpetual echoes of things we did before, and the reflection of the norms we're immersed in.

Change, progress and growth only truly happen when we challenge our thinking, and explore alternative options.

But, of course, the default is not all bad! It's actually really rather handy, most of the time. So before we proceed with our fancy future-focused, proactive, default-eschewing, strategic-progress-making magic, in chapter 1 we're going to pay a brief homage to default thinking and the wonderful things it brings. Things like systems, templates and other Established Ways of Doing Things. Such constructs save us from having to reinvent things or think too hard over every little task we do, which in turn liberates us from duplicated effort and wasted time – efficient, eh?

Naturally these constructs work fine for formulaic work with predictable outcomes (improving efficiencies within existing systems), but this unquestioning approach does not beget brilliant strategy or pioneering growth. In fact, this kind of thinking only leads to one thing: the Inevitable Kraken of Doom – a not-so-mythical beast that feeds upon irrelevance (introduced in chapter 3).

Despite outward appearances, this book is not about how to quest towards irrelevance. How ridiculous! It's quite the opposite. This is about ensuring that you, your enterprise business model and your modus operandi stay relevant and useful, and that your work continues to grow and prosper – now and into the future.

And so, before we embark upon any sort of quest, let's explore the current premise that we're operating from. What is informing and influencing your thinking right now? Where do your defaults come from?