“You can’t imagine not knowing what you know.”
– A popular statement in B-School articles and change-management books
And you know what else? You really can’t imagine it.
The house I grew up in is gone, but I’ll never forget that the living room was 247 square feet — 13 one-foot ceiling tiles by 19 one-foot ceiling tiles. It’s how Dad taught me multiplication. I can’t imagine not knowing it.
Remember when we used to just know that music had to come on vinyl records, um, er, I mean 8-track tapes (or was that cassettes?)…WAIT! I remember! It was CD’s!! Remember when we knew that?
Remember when the doctor’s office actually “pulled a file” when they pulled your file? We just knew it had to be on paper. Remember when you had to hand crank a car to start it? Me neither! But, do you think those people who do would have ever imagined being able to walk to their office window, point a remote fob at the car 150 yards away and start the engine with the push of a button?
What is it that we just know is true today that might not be? Is it possible that un-knowing might be a key step in going forward?
If so, how do we un-know what we’ve always known?
We challenge it.
What if it’s NOT true? What if it DIDN’T HAVE TO BE true?
By then, we’re imagining what could be, instead of focusing on what is, or what must be. That’ll make a difference.
Alan Hickenbottom says
Steve,
Got 2 stories for you on this topic.
1. My son @ 5 saw a commercial during a cartoon. They said if you enter this contest you could win a free color TV. My son said “I want a red one”.
2. The other son @ 10 got a record player from his grandmother and I had shown him how to put the speed on 45 and started the player with the 1 small record we found, he listened for 30 seconds and said “how do you make it go to the next song?”
Steve Heston says
Amazing how perspectives change, and how quickly they change. Great input / feedback, Alan. A couple years ago, the Middle of The Three was watching an old Nebraska – Oklahoma game on ESPN Classic. He couldn’t understand why the score and game clock weren’t visible throughout the game. When I finally (I think) got him to understand it to be a relatively recent development, he went on to say, “Ohhhhh, ok, dad, but where are the scores of all the other games that should be at the bottom of the screen.” i went outside and walked the dog. i was out of my league!