Conventional wisdom is often unwise

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Buckminster Fuller was a renowned 20th century visionary living from 1895 through 1983. He offered many great insights in his lifetime. One was about work and jobs. It has always intrigued me. He said:

“We should do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because, according to Malthusian Darwinian theory he must justify his right to exist. So we have inspectors of inspectors and people making instruments for inspectors to inspect inspectors. The true business of people should be to go back to school and think about whatever it was they were thinking about before somebody came along and told them they had to earn a living.”

― Buckminster Fuller

Fascinating right?

On the Parliament of Australia website there’s a lot of interesting information that we rarely or never hear about in the media. One such piece of information is about Universal Basic Income. Here's the information.

Currently in Australia the Labor Party, the so-called opposition (now there’s a bit of conventional wisdom I think unwise), are talking about job creation as a key part of their climate change policy. A very good idea I reckon. Of course the Government is rubbishing the idea. Yet another example of unwise conventional wisdom right there, partisan politics in an age of collaboration.

Not a word by anybody about Universal Basic Income. Yet from my reading on the subject it could be a wonderfully successful concept socially and economically.

How about in your organisation? What conventional wisdom is being followed, yet it is actually unwise?

One example I see is performance appraisals. Despite overwhelming evidence that appraisals are bad for people’s well-being many organisations still have them.

What about in your neighbourhood/community, your personal life? What conventional wisdom is being followed, yet it is actually unwise?

There is much about the status quo that no longer serves. Wise leaders are about replacing the status quo when sameness is no longer serving us.

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Become the wise leader you want to be.

Ian

PS In my Heart-Leadership book there's lots of wisdom about moving away from the status quo when sameness is no longer serving you or it's become clear that conventional wisdom is actually unwise. At the link you'll see that you have complimentary access to videos, podcasts and self-directed online courses, as well as the getting the book.

PSS Every first Wednesday I host a complimentary sparkenation conversation with a special guest on a variety of topics yet always about becoming the wise leader you want to be. Learn more and watch the video recordings of the last four conversations.