175 years.
Wow.
That’s how long one of the organizations we serve as a Client has been around. They have weathered countless challenges and beauty and lean heavily on the mission, vision, values, and legacy of their ancestors.
This legacy has set the table for their mission to “Love All, Welcome All, and Seek Justice for All” as they look toward an increasingly vibrant future. Our current work with them and the work they will do in the next few years will be critical for them to be around for the next 175 years.
Will your organization be around for 175 years? What steps might you and your executive team take to make this a reality for the future you serve?
In a world of instant gratification, the call to slow down and reflect on how to become the great ancestors that our future needs is more pressing than ever. This journey requires us to engage in architectural listening, legacy conversations around how to propel the past toward a vibrant future, and through valuing adaptive learning and innovation. Drawing wisdom from the past to inform a sustainable and inclusive future is the vital work that we do as process consultants with our Clients.
Futurist Ari Wallach offers a radical new way forward with his concept of “longpath,” a mindset that encourages us to focus on the long view as we learn to become great ancestors. I encourage you to check out his work!
Wallach’s notion of longpath challenges the short-termism prevalent in contemporary society by urging us to think beyond immediate gains and consider the impact of our actions on future generations.
What is important for us to accomplish? Who is going to lead it? How are we going to fund it? Why would we care about it? What difference will it make?
Wallach's framework is a transformative approach to thinking and planning that fits nicely with our process approach at Design Group International. It invites us to integrate the lessons of history with deep listening, innovative foresight, and helps ensure that the decisions we make today help build a foundation for a vibrant and transformative tomorrow.
Process consultants, as human and organizational development specialists, play a crucial role in helping our Clients embrace the longpath mindset that Wallach talks about.
How do we steward the legacy of those gone before us?
How do we propel the healthy notions of the past into the future for the next generation?
Who have we been?
How do we battle short termism and take along view of what is emerging in our organizations?
What are we becoming?
How do we want to steward our current resources and fund a beautiful future for the next generation?
Here are three ways we facilitate these types of transformative journeys with Clients who desire to become the great ancestors our futures needs:
1. Architectural Listening:
As process consultants, we engage in what can be termed "architectural listening," a deep, intentional form of listening that helps Clients understand the intricate structure of their organization's culture, goals, challenges, and future desires. By attentively mapping out these foundational elements, we help Clients co-create solutions that are not only customized but also structurally sound, ensuring that the strategies developed are tailored to the organization's unique needs and long-term success. By actively engaging with diverse perspectives and listening to the narratives of those who came before us and those who continue with us in real time now, we create a richer, more nuanced understanding of our collective journey.
2. Legacy Conversations: We also love to facilitate meaningful legacy conversations within organizations, encouraging stakeholders to reflect on their historical journey and envision a future that honors past achievements while striving for greater inclusivity, sustainability., and transformation in the future. The process we employ helps organizations build a strong future rooted in shared values and collective wisdom. These conversations around legacy foster a sense of continuity and responsibility, reminding us that we are part of an ongoing story that transcends our individual lives. When we are able to elevate a multiplicity of voices with our Clients, we empower then to take ownership of the future in tangible and transformational ways.
3. Adaptive Learning and Innovation: As process consultants, we guide organizations in adopting a long-term mindset of adaptive learning and continuous innovation. Changing course is not only ok, but also healthy and right as our process unfolds with Clients! By integrating an adaptive mindset with innovative thinking, we love to help Clients develop strategies that demonstrate fluidity, are forward-looking and resilient, and ensure that they can navigate the complexities of the future effectively and become the great ancestors our future needs.
As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, heeding the wisdom of our ancestors, the innovative foresight of futurists like Ari Wallach, and our Process Approach at Design Group, we all grow to start becoming the great ancestors our future needs.
May we work together toward creating vibrant futures and legacies of hope and resilience for generations to come!
Bring on the next 175 years!
Kevin Eastway
Senior Consultant
Design Group International
Dig Deeper
Listening: Architecturally by Kate Frillman
Ari Wallach’s Long Path
World Class Withness – by Kevin Eastway
ut yourself in an immersive environment. Visit an aquarium where you can be surrounded by fish.