Frightened by the New Economy?
When Oliver asked for more, the warden gave him more anger. He should have been more specific.
We hear it all the time, from all sorts of places.
You can’t do that in the new economy.
You can’t expect that in the new economy.
That just can’t happen in the new economy.
So many people are waiting until the new economy turns around, rebounds, transforms into the new new economy. They are afraid to take a risk, afraid to try something new, afraid to ask for anything. It’s like that famous scene in Oliver! where all the children are hungry because no one wants to ask for more.
People and organizations are paralyzed with fear. Fear of risk, fear of losing, fear of being slapped by the head of the orphanage. Call me crazy, but I think there’s opportunity to move when everyone else is standing still. It’s all about clarity and focus.
Lately, I’ve found it easier for people to respond with a “yes” when my asks are much more specific than usual. Here’s an example:
Non-specific Ask and Response:
Would you be interested in working with me?
Well, not right now. I’m still investigating other options. I don’t know if I’ll have the time.Specific Ask and Response:
Do you think you could invest 10 hours over the next 90 days to get your message refocused and get over your fears of asking for what you want?
Yes, I think I can take that on. What’s the next step?
You can help people break their paralysis. Try asking them for something specific, maybe something small initially. That small, initial “yes” can lead to a bigger, deeper relationship and a much larger “yes” down the road.
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Seems like fear IS the new economy. I haven’t felt confident in the market since 1999. We bounce from artificial market bubble to bubble, but are afraid to take the necessary steps to create new markets and opportunities. It doesn’t help to have politicians who concentrate on fighting partisian battles instead of putting in programs to allay our fears.
If energy is the new future then what are we doing to put our skin into the game? What are the specific questions we should be asking and the steps taking to get ourselves moving in this direction?
I think we are all looking for leadership, that doesn’t seem to be there. So what can we do to get started on our own?
Hi, Gregg!
Thanks so much for your insightful comment. Your questions are important ones, and many of us have been wrestling with them for years.
The kind of world-changing you ask about will only come about via a “movement”. Thousands or millions of people all coming together to demand specific change. The challenge is in motivating enough people around a specific issue (for example, new energy technologies). Traditional methodologies like community organizing no longer work. Fear is so ingrained that individuals are no longer receptive to listening to, and “being convinced” by, someone else. And thousands of one-on-one or one-on-ten conversions just take too long. People want change, and they want it now.
My theory is that even though people want change, they do not feel powerful enough to demand or create it themselves. They do not feel part of a movement, nor do they see any benefits to joining an existing movement. And they do not feel powerful enough as a group, because they do not feel powerful as individuals. You can’t lend your personal power to a movement, if you don’t believe you have any power at all.
So, to answer your questions:
“What are the specific questions we should be asking and the steps taking to get ourselves moving in this direction?” (re: new energy solutions)
First we must ask ourselves, “What is it that I want?” Do I want to see politicians talking to each other? Do I want to see an electric car charging facility in my community? Do I want to see a definitive plan from my government to get us off of foreign oil within the next ten years? Once we specifically define what it is that we want, we can then ask for the first step toward getting it: “Dear Congressmember, Could you please meet with me and your counterpart in the other party to discuss specific steps you are willing to take to increase communication between your parties?” “Dear Mayor, I would like to see an electric car charging facility in our town. I believe it will attract new businesses and residents to our community, and decrease our town’s carbon footprint. What is the first step in the process to get something like this approved?”
“So, what can we do to get started on our own?” Get help to start building your own confidence in your personal power. Ask 5 people what they think you do really well. Work with a coach or mentor to build your confidence in asking (hey, it’s my blog, I can advertise if I want ☺). Form a small group of like-minded individuals and practice asking together. Use this support system to craft your specific asks, and then go do it.
Finally, I ask you: Once we’ve been able to build up personal power in individuals, how can we best utilize technology to bring together large numbers of individuals to create a movement?
Thanks again for asking, and for kicking off an amazing discussion,
Barbara