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Home > For Free > Articles > issue11vol6
Is this Force Holding you Back?
By David Brewster May 2007
When my nine-year-old daughter grows up, she wants to be a teacher, scientist, inventor, musician and waitress. All at once. Her ambitions fit neatly with her place in what Edward de Bono calls the age of "Why not?". It's a wonderful 'no-holds-barred', anything-goes outlook on life. It's a pity that it probably won't last.
By the time she is twelve, my daughter may already have entered de Bono's third age: the age of "Because." (Note the full stop.) She'll already be starting to self-limit her choices and her perceptions of the possibilities of the world around her. Like most of us, she'll stay in the age of "Because." for the rest of her life.
(The first age, by the way, is the age of "Why?". Dr de Bono says this lasts until the age of five. I think it lasts longer - at least at home. It segues into a parallel age of "Why do I have to?".)
It would be nice to think that de Bono's semi-serious categorization of life is more gag than gospel. Unfortunately I think it is pretty close to the truth. I see evidence of people, including managers and whole businesses, living in the age of "Because." all the time.
Many management teams stick to out-dated strategies because… They maintain complex and inefficient systems and technologies because… They ignore the ideas of their frontline and junior staff because… They resort to cost reduction as the first option for bottom-line improvement because…
Many individuals stay in unsatisfactory jobs because… They avoid opportunities to develop themselves because… They avoid contributing to their communities because…
Governments consistently fail to act on major issues because… Buttressed by ideology, they have a ready source of 'becauses' on tap. These 'becauses' allow them to quickly and easily justify both their non-actions and their actions without the inconvenience of engaging in meaningful debate.
There are always reasons for not trying something new, for not making change, for sticking with TheWayWeDoItAroundHere. Many of those reasons will be valid, and they are all too easy to find - especially when we are busy.
Unfortunately, the more valid reasons we find, the less time we spend looking for alternatives. Effectively we're saying "Because." before even asking ourselves "Why?" or "Why not?".
So how can you - or your organization as a whole - shake itself out of the age of "Because."? I think the answer lies largely in what French philosopher Michel Onfray calls "well conducted introspection". Think time - with depth. Think time - from different perspectives and angles. Think time in which nothing is sacrosanct.
Ultimately, achieving any meaningful simplification relies on asking "Why?" and "Why not?" repeatedly. I hope I can encourage my daughter never to stop asking those questions. (Though we could do with a bit less of the "Why do I have to?".)
Add your comments or views on the issue covered in this article at my blog: www.davidbrewster.com
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