Last week’s release of the Grey Swan Guild’s report and website heralds a new way of thinking about how we respond to crises (see post here). A global collaborative effort, the guild produces idea-focused print and digital assets to aid leaders, decision makers and policy makers at all levels in business, government, industry, not-for-profits and education to address concerns, understand implications, and identify opportunities to drive optimal outcomes for people and organizations. Contributing to the collective good of humanity is at the top of our priority list.

Andrea Kates of Futureproofing: Next, co-founder of the guild said, “We formed the Grey Swan Guild to be a global early warning system of emerging societal shifts combined with multi-faceted response teams to make sense of the change and provide practical guidance on what to do next.”

This approach embraces the notion of personal leadership, where each person’s experience is validated and contributes to making sense of the whole.  Along with more than 60 global points-of-view (POV) contributions, our first publication offers a comprehensive look at four modalities of human experience: Live, Love, Learn, and Lead.

We chose these four emergent themes as a way to begin to make sense of the wide range of perspectives offered by the POV contributors and to  offer a new way to view the current global circumstances. We consider this approach a feeling lens with four facets:

• LIVE – our lives are forever affected but how and in what ways? And if it is permanent or not remains to be explored.
• LOVE – the pandemic has shifted the limelight to what may be truly most important—family, local society, global society, the earth, humanity—in other words, love.
• LEARN – the only way to fully use the power of creativity is to enter with a beginner’s mind to unlearn, and then learn into the emergent and unknown future.
• LEAD – each of us holds the key to how we integrate (or not) the learnings from this pandemic, that present us with an unlimited number of outcomes. We are each leaders: at home, at work, and in the new future.

In our inaugural publication, we featured eight POVs selected by a member of the guild’s editorial board based on providing actionable insight and a mix of approaches: personal, business, innovation, and culture. As well, these contributors hail from Africa, North America and Europe and represent different roles and stages of life. I’m honoured to have one of my pieces featured in this stellar company.

These eight perspectives are just a glimpse at the kind of content we are producing. The report itself is thick with rich insight, and each and every contributor’s POV offers a unique and thought-provoking viewpoint.

Live:

Every corporate innovator needs a new playbook, both for the longer-term and the short-term – Mark Zawacki

A “Brand” New World: Yesterday is not today. And today is not tomorrow – Kristian Barnes

Love:

The Beginning of a New Cultural Renaissance – Who Will Lead The Way?  – Jill Rosenburg

Going INSIDE: A View From the Bubble – Vicki McLeod

Learn:

Opportunity in disruption – Jim Euchner

COVID-19 Marks a New Chapter for the Book Publishing Industry – Monique Sherrett

Lead:

With shared empathy, indigenous problem-solving and an openness to sharing, I believe we will come out of this pandemic stronger on the other side – Alexander Tsado

What is the New Normal? | Reflections in a time of reflection – Lars Ib

I encourage you to download and read the full report here and visit the greyswanguild.org to read all 60 perspectives. In these times, we need to bring out the best of what we have to offer one another and the planet. This is work we must do together. Join us.