So far in discussing the tide we've focused on developing projects. This leaves an obvious and essential omission - how do we develop people? Given people are the center of any enterprise, helping them grow is of the utmost importance.
Now obviously, I'm not about to solve "how to develop people" in one short blogpost, but I'd like to share something of a starting off point. We begin with the notion that central to personal development is understanding one's role both now and in the future. Without this kind of direction, we won't have a good sense of what we're trying to develop too. So what is the role held by those uplifting the tide? To get a sense of this we can start with those the tide seeks to help - stewards.
What is a steward? If we think in terms of means and ends, a steward is someone who focuses on a few ends and develops them through a plurality of means. For example an ecologist might use a variety of different tools - grant proposals, classes, research, software, etc. - to understand and protect a particular ecosystem. Many means, one end. From this point of view we can see just how essential stewards are, as if we're going to run something with any kind of expertise we will need stewards.
But there's a problem, as stewards tend to silo. Restrained by the time and energy required to delve deeply into a particular end they have only so much time, energy, and resources to delve into the various means that are available to them. What's needed are people with deep external expertise who can weave a connection between them and these means. These weavers, as I'll call them, are the mirror of stewards. Whereas stewards apply a plurality of means to a few ends, weavers apply a few means to a plurality of ends. Together they form a complete web amongst the various disciplines.
With that analogy of mirroring in mind it should be clear that weavers empower the tide. They are responsible for creating the connections that catalyze the work of stewards. This then is the role that we are trying to develop into as practitioners of the tide. Given weavers are practitioners of a few means to many ends we can also derive the main points of focus in development. Weavers must think carefully on the disciplines they wish to practice and then work towards mastery of those disciplines. This satisfies the depth of expertise in a few means. To satisfy the many ends component of being a weaver, weavers must also practice both being cognizant of many other fields and being good at identifying and pivoting to areas of impact within those fields.
This then is our starting off point for personal development as a weaver. Identify what you wish to apply, work on mastering it, and learn how to spread your net wide and often. By developing these skills we can be assured of developing a stronger tide.
Comentarios