Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future--Today

In anticipating the future, three things generally fascinate & intrigue me, & they are: Change, Complexity & Competition. Hence, I am always seeking better understanding - & appreciation - of these critical areas of concern. In the search of books & resources, I have come across many excellent authors or masters. I have already featured a few in my earlier posts. In this post, I would like to review one original, thought provoking book, written with warm, passion & clarity as well as mastery of content. Actually, I had read `Breakpoint & Beyond' during the mid-nineties, when it was first published. At that time, I had just embarked on a journey to play a better game in the second half of my life. Oftentimes, I have returned to the book to read certain earmarked pages. In a nut shell, it weaved a compelling story about change by focusing a new & penetrating lens on the master teacher of change, Mother Nature herself. The authors asserted that understanding the invisible forces of natural change would uncover the hidden patterns that could unlock our potential as individuals & organisations. The authors also showed that natural growth was characterised by long periods of stability, punctuated by "breakpoints" - bursts of explosive change & showed how we could take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that would arise during these exciting periods. Amidst the somewhat lofty rhetoric - the book was rather heavy to read - I would like to single out one principle from the book - the Principle of Future Pull. According to the authors, every single cell in a tree, in a caterpillar, or in a human being would grow & develop not based on its history but by being pulled toward in its internal picture of the possible future. That future was inscribed in the DNA, the genes that reside in the nucleus of every cell. That way, every part of the system could pull together toward the common future. In human terms, this would translate into living with a powerful vision of the future. A compelling vision could pull individuals & organisations to their desired future. Let me share some of the authors' ideas of doing it. Know your purpose & vision: Purpose can be defined as how an individual & organisation makes the world a better place. A vision is a compelling image or picture o the purpose having been achieved. The book gave this example: Landing a man on the moon in a decade was the vision that President John Kennedy held out as an inspiring magnet pulling an entire nation to develop the technological capability for manned space flights. Purpose & vision are as important for individuals as they are for organisations. A compelling purpose energises life. Without a compelling purpose, we live life as a fairly haphazard experience, being easily swayed by the latest fad, temporary pressures, or the most recent advice on what others think we ought to be doing with our lives. Commit to achieve your vision & purpose:

Many books tell us things are changing, but this is best one I've read that explores change itself. Change happens constantly, yet the "rules" underlying change are poorly understood. Land and Jarman meet this challenge with examples from the sciences, business, and individual lives.A central point of this book is that all systems go through distinct phases of change. These phases are visible in rocks and relationships; they govern the behavior of crystals and families and galaxies. Each phase has its own rules for success. This book maps out the phases of change, teaches you how to tell "where the system is", and most importantly, how to adopt strategies that work in the current set of rules.A must-read for executive leadership, this book has been indispensible in helping organizations understand and implement the process of transformative change.

An extremely important book. Packed with the best insights from our greatest minds. Revamps many firmly held beliefs regarding the principals of 'Change'. Especially powerful information for leaders, teachers, and business people.