Far from the wintry climes of Europe in Australia, our Summer is just getting warmed up. The highest temperature in Australia since 1960 was recorded in Onslow, Western Australia, on Thursday this week. The mercury climbed to hit 50.7 degrees at 2:26 pm!
The hot, stormy weather is always a strange experience for an Englishman in Melbourne during the Christmas break. I know many of you in the North will already be scraping ice off the windscreens as the school term kicks off again.
When the rains have arrived here in Victoria, the contrast to the blue skies is evident, and we often see a tremendous rolling bank of greyscale formation heading our way.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Rain Radar shows us the encroaching blobs of wet thunder and lightning. The more red and dark, the more intense. Sometimes the rain falls, and sometimes it passes.
It got me thinking about a question I have for you – what’s on your radar for 2022?
To lead is to have a vision.
To have vision is to see the unseen, hear the unheard, and know what others do not know. It’s about being proactive rather than reactive, finding opportunities where there seems to be nothing but obstacles.
It is seeing what you believe exists but cannot yet be seen by others. It is looking beyond your own eyes. And it is about seeing the unseen so that you can lead others to success.
I see you first
Radar stands for Radio Detection and Ranging, which means it works by first detecting objects via radio waves.
This technology was not the product of a single inventor but many inventors who contributed throughout its development. Christian Hülsmeyer claimed the first patent for Radar in 1904, but this kind of detection concept goes back to Heinrich Hertz’s experiments in the 1880s.
Radar was first used to detect ships, allowing faster and more accurate detection of potential threats on the battlefield. This application gave birth to radar guns, which are still used by some police forces today.
Wartime Advantage
World War One was responsible for advancing the development of Radar, including its use as a military defence in detecting enemy aircraft.
World War Two saw further development in Radar technology for use on ships and planes, and land with radar towers used to detect incoming air attacks during “The Battle of Britain”.
Today, Radar is used by governments to monitor borders and airports while also being used in weather forecasting; mapping oceans and landmasses; air traffic control; meteorology; astronomy; remote sensing of trees and land-use change; object tracking in space like satellites or asteroids movements.
What is now proved was once, only imagin’d.
William Blake, Proverbs of Hell.
What is on your radar?
The concept breaks down a little when we think about this question and how we imagine or extend our long-range senses. Radar detects what already exists and gives us an indication of movement and direction.
What it cannot do is reveal intention. Leadership is about this intention. This wisdom requires personal insight into oneself, not just observation of others. Leadership, therefore, involves foresight
Foresight is the state of knowing events before they occur; vision; imagination; anticipation. For example, a wise leader will foresee the problems that their team might face and prepare them as much as possible to overcome those obstacles.
This does not mean leaders should look into their crystal ball and predict every detail like an oracle -because things constantly change- but rather to envisage multiple possibilities and choose the most realistic one with an optimistic view.
The only way we can see what we do not yet see or hear what we cannot yet hear is by imagining it and preparing.
Your Talking Points
Here are a few key takeaways about foresight and long-range sensing.
- We see what we imagine. Imagination is the eye of the soul, and with it, we can imagine all kinds of possibilities.
- Radar cannot provide intention. What is on your radar requires interpretation.
- Leaders need the foresight to envision multiple options and prepare accordingly. They also need insight into themselves for this wisdom about their radar.
🕳🐇 Down the Rabbit Hole
Complement this issue with Timecones #145, Beyond VUCA #226, Fuzzy Goals #215, Comfortable Uncertainty #130, Negative Capability #146.