Changing the Questions, Changing the Answers - What's the BEST way to approach the Federal Government?
Advantage Through Its Government?
Author's Note: This is a repost of an essay I published in 2018. I thought it was a timely topic to revisit.
“When you think about
it, a national government competes with every other national government on
earth to be the most cost effective, the most talented, the best equipped to
act, the quickest to respond to external threats, and the most strategic
thinking about future opportunities.”
Clemons and Kroth,
Managing the Mobile Workforce
, p. 98
Being a profound learner means constantly looking deeper, deeper
than political positions, partisanship, ideology, tradition, religion, what
would benefit us personally the most and, really, any current belief system.
As I've written
before
, we are much more than the labels we give ourselves, like liberal or
conservative or nationalist or globalist or socialist, which reduce us to less
than we are or can be. And our beliefs about such matters, which can be helpful until they’re not, are just
resting
places
for thoughtful people who want to understand more and to deal more wisely
with the challenges and opportunities of their lives and the world.
One way to provoke deeper discussion – internal or amongst
others – is to rethink the questions we have been asking. Trying out new questions or iterations of
questions can provoke different ways of thinking about issues which have
devolved into “positions” or “talking points” or “litmus tests” or any purity
evaluation. “Are you with us or against
us” can easily become a false dichotomy, with folks finding themselves defending
limited “yes or no” options instead of exploring alternatives or looking for something new or creative.
So, occasionally I or others will pose a question here designed to
change how a particular challenge is discussed.
Hopefully these queries will be provocative – and I believe provoking, evoking, invoking….stoking
good discussion is a worthy objective - with something to be learned, even if no
conclusion is, well, concluded.
So, to get us started….
“How does [our country] create sustainable competitive advantage
through the development and maintenance of the best government on earth?”
When I watch the political and ideological battles between
parties and personalities over the size of government and the role of
government, both legitimate areas of discussion,
I wonder if they are really addressing what might be a more useful, more important
question
, “How does our country create sustainable competitive advantage
through the development and maintenance of the best government on earth?” That question would force people to ask what
the most competitive government might look like. Let me try a few ideas to get us started.
The most competitive government in
the world would attract, develop, support, and motivate people who are the best
government workers, perhaps the best workers, in the world.
The most competitive government in
the world would be best at getting the most bang-for-the-invested-buck, would
have rock solid credit, a balanced budget, and long term fiscal viability.
The most competitive government in
the world would be the best at protecting its citizens now but also being
prepared for future threats – militarily, environmentally, scientifically, economically.
The most competitive government in
the world would be the best at assuring its citizens had the best educational
system, best defense system, best support for its citizens, and so on. The best.
The most competitive government in
the world would be interested in “sustainable” competitive advantage” which
means it would have to think and to prepare for the long term – long term
health, environment, resources, quality of life, protection – of its citizens.
And there would doubtless be many other ideas....
That question might induce people to ask about the
importance of investing in scientific advancement, research, and education, and
how sustainability can only occur over the long run when long-term
collaborative efforts across nations are strengthened by building mutual trust
and cooperation.
If the question were changed from “How large or small?” to
“How competitive or how excellent?” what different approaches might arise?
Now, to wrap this up, let’s
remember that this is just one question and it’s related to competition. There are of course other questions we could
ask, that would produce different discussions and likely different answers.
What if the next question was not about being the “best and most
competitive government on earth”, but about “what’s the best system of
government to produce long term health, quality of life, and survivability on our planet”? (Think biggggg......)
Changing the question can
change the dynamics of the discussion, the way the players position themselves,
the creativity of the potential solutions.
We will ask questions here from
time to time. It would be grand to hear your answers. And other questions that provoke thought.
References:
Clemons, D., & Kroth, M. S. (2011).
Managing
the mobile workforce: leading, building, and sustaining virtual teams
. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
https://amzn.to/2LtHE7F
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