Thinking in public

Time between posts seemed pretty long when it hit a couple of weeks. Right now, a month and a half after that, it is an emerging body of evidence that there are more things to do (and need be done) under the sun than think in public.

More than losing out to other priorities (I thought the Summer months were supposed to be slower than the others), being blog-blocked comes down more to not seeing clearly enough about work or life to be comfortable in describing it. Thinking in public carries with it the burden that it be (mostly) true, (possibly) meaningful to others and (near real) timely. Thinking in private is even more difficult and time-intensive. Two months worth.

At a macro level, a common question I hear is: "Is the economy improving?" The question is rooted in a sense that it is not. It is a feeling that persists despite the surface activity surrounding investment capital floating a host of new companies, the increased pace of hopping jobs to new and bigger opportunities, an uptick in big deals and M&A and the renewed confidence of anchors and hosts on CNBC.

Evidence of unease, though, can be found on the micro level, too...

>The way a person to whom you are talking, scans the rest of the room, either out of personal discomfort or professional anxiety.

>The decision by the corner store or parking garage to bar credit card transactions; moving to "cash only."

>The uptick in not-for-profit solicitations; in ways, at times and at a frequency that seem odd.

>Even the ways people are taking advantage of affinity programs (like American Express Rewards or any airline frequent flyer awards program) to focus on more basic needs and common goods or business travel -- and the way the programs are being retooled and restocked to respond.

It is this "hum," not of the universe but perhaps the sound of a distant train or truck that could be bearing down on us. Man, that's bleak; too bleak to reflect reality. That is the disconnect that allows us to look ahead and not over our shoulder. That is the disconnect that allows us to be productive, using the hum of that distant train as a source of energy and focus.

The most immediate danger is that concern will undermine collaboration. Even a distant hum can trigger a self-protective response that will eat away at relationships; in work and life.

The hedge against over-reacting is time. Maybe not two months, but time enough to think through problems from enough angles to know whether they are fatal or ephemeral; whether they are deserving of attention or can be ignored without consequence. It comes down to being able to prioritize not just opportunities, but problems, too.

You know, I never thought of it that way.