The World Is Lumpy

we have all heard that the world is flat.  many have accepted the premise, but in my opinion it is just plane incorrect.

yes we now have communications that allows us to connect with and reach people around the world.  so there is some flat terrain.

but the truth is that no matter where you are in the world you are encapsulated within your own unique culture, belief systems and lenses through which you see the world -- on a global basis these make the world lumpy, rough and challenging.

therefore even if i can technically reach you, i likely cannot reach you intellectually and emotionally without understanding your encapsulated environment.

so the world is far from flat -- it is downright everest-like in russia, north korea and china and merely mountainous in other parts of the world.

corporations and companies are no different.  in 20+ years of business strategy i have never been able to use exactly the same business strategy development process in any two companies.  each company has its own personality and opinions on how to do things and what is appropriate to accept.  each is unique with the lenses it has developed to see the world in its own way.

people are no different.  we all have developed lenses through we see the world.  lenses which shade and color our view and beliefs.

more difficult yet, the blind are not limited to those who cannot see.  there are those who see the world only in a polar perspective; good/bad, beautiful/ugly, democrat/republican, safe/deadly, hopeful/hopeless

our challenge is not to accept the flat paradigm, but to see the lumps and bumps and begin to understand each in a different way.