Keystones

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Trying to find our place in the next stage of life is not easy. The internal and external worlds are sending messages that our value propositions have diminished. Don’t you know that us older people just don’t get. We don’t think the same and our skill sets are more in tune with an industrial economy that has long passed. In some cases, I would have to agree with these assessments. In other cases, I vehemently disagree. I mentioned in an earlier post that some writers argue that us baby boomers have a heightened ability to connect the dots in an increasingly complex world. These same writers reference our heightened levels of empathy, a consequence of broader and deeper life experiences.

Victor Hwang argues in his book The Rainforest, effective innovation ecosystems require the presence of Keystones, individuals and/or institutions that can connect entrepreneurs with other “tribes” in the economy (e.g. lenders, investors, lawyers, accountants, government officials, etc.). In order to be an effective Keystone, you have to have the ability to connect and communicate with other tribes. This effectiveness is built on the foundation of trust, which demands the skills of communication and building a cultural environment of win-win relationships. Reputation is one’s calling card and this reputation is a consequence of behavior, not business cards.

So, here’s my thesis. Although our world is increasingly connected digitally, it’s increasingly Balkanized by like-thinking people. Maybe our value proposition in this new world is to serve as the bridge between these tribes, to connect the dots, to advance a culture of win-win solutions and trust. We have the experience and mindset to see the bigger picture and to refute our industrially heritage of winner-take-all strategies. Let’s deploy our enhanced empathy and predisposition to listening, not talking. Let’s rebrand ourselves as society’s Keystones, whether it’s working in innovation ecosystems, management consultants, life coaches, community activists, volunteers, or patriarchs of our own tribes. We are the Keystones and our world needs us.

#Keystones