I don’t dive down rabbit holes. I don’t doom-scroll. I promised myself I wouldn’t a while ago—and I’m strict about keeping that promise. Even so, as I scan my morning summary of headlines from around the world, I am sobered. It seems the world has changed overnight.

It’s clear we are not going back to how things were even a few years ago, and our old maps are not going to help.

We are in new territory. I know you know this. Nearly all my clients—many from different lines of work, in different corners of the world, and at different levels of leadership—have the same thing in common: the navigation skills they have relied on and trusted for years, if not decades, no longer point them to where they want to go. What used to work no longer helps. And the fog of complexity and uncertainty prevents even seeing the lay of the land. 

They—and we—are in new territory. Their sensemaking maps are “unreadable,” and they need new skills to create new ways to success and fulfillment. A complex issue, yes?

How about you? Do you have a sense of direction for your life, how to get there, and how to handle unforeseen obstacles?

In just a few years, I saw my own ways of understanding and moving through the world becoming increasingly difficult. I don’t understand the world now. I can’t make sense of anything like I used to. American politics, global supply/infrastructure breakdowns, the loss of discourse, extreme polarizations, cancel culture, and the normalized acceptance of attacking one another all seem like I am in an alternate reality sci-fi movie. I do not recognize our way of life. 

So what do we do? We need:

• To update our understanding:  We are in new territory, a new world. How do we navigate?

•  We need new maps.

We need to make our own. But how?

Which key components do we need? To help us explore, discern, and build, let’s start with a few key questions:

1. Where Am I?

You need to do some “sensemaking” to know where you are.

How do you not surround yourself with an echo chamber of sources saying all the same thing, and you never know if you are getting the accurate picture? This is confirmation bias on steroids. How can you test your sources? I sprinkle in enough of the sources that my friends with different POVs use. It’s sometimes challenging, but seeing the world through their eyes is always good.

2. How Do I Know What I’m Seeing? And How Is What I’m Seeing Wrong?

Meaning makings -How are your critical thinking skills? I have to watch out when I am tired, stressed, or scared. I often need to check in with my logical thinking, emotions, and even physical sensations.

3. Where Am I Headed?

The map leads you somewhere. It orients you. It gives you direction. 

As part of this:

-do you know where your true north is?

-what gives you a sense of direction?

-which of your values are becoming the most important, reliable, or helpful right now?

These are difficult questions to answer quickly. They take some digging.

4. Where Can I Pause and Check My Location?

Waypoints are pauses in the journey where we check our bearings and course-correct if necessary. I see leaders forget these in the rush of their fragmentation. They are needed more than ever, as the terrain is constantly shifting. Waypoints also measure and check our progress. Have you ever gone on a long hike, and it’s only when you stop and look back that you see how far you have come? Using these as breaks is essential to replenish, nourish, and re-ground. (More on this in future articles.)

Starting with what seems new, easy, or most needed. I remember taking a golf lesson, and I walked away with 26 tips to pay attention to. As I approached the ball, I became paralyzed, unable to swing at all. Add on when you have some in place. So start and let me know how it is going or if you need help.

Takeaways

1.  The maps we know are no longer helpful.  

2. The old go-to way of navigating will not be helpful in today’s context.

In my individual and group work, I help people find their bearings and build their new navigation skills. Contact me if you want to explore.

Tell me something you can do now to help with a new map or your true north.

Share your progress, ask questions, and what you are learning that can help all of us.