As I had spent the week, and to my own surprise, highly impacted by the Brexit results, I wrote a Daily Thought in the early hours under the title Bravo Britain, you have elevated masochism to a higher level. In there, I lamented the level of rhetoric and lies that had been exhibited and, and, amongst other things pointed to the curious decision of leaving the kitchen where most of your meals are cooked.
As I often do, I replicated the post in LinkedIn Pulse where my audience and community is even larger. Most days, but not all, LinkedIn decides to ‘promote’ my articles to some channels, which boosts their visibility in the hundreds if not thousands. This time they did so, indeed, again.
The comments then started to flow, mostly in agreement, some, of course, well articulated disagreements and encouragements to look forward. Some were adamant to see the good things that will come out, which, at the moment was like having a body in the rail track and thinking, that will deter others form committing suicide that way.
But as soon as the ‘promotion to channel’ was made by mighty LinkedIn curators, a new stream of comments came in. Mostly inflammatory, xenophobic, making a mock of my concept of ‘my beloved adoptive country’, the UK, as it is, and starting to make connections with the business I lead in ways that can only be conceived as post 3 pints of lager, if one wants to be charitable. The ugliness went beyond the exchange of opinions. And then, I had enough. I decided to shut down the post. My guilt went up, but I had a warm feeling of self-protection, probably as irrational as the irrationality of some of the comments. I spent hours analyzing myself afterwards and trying to find out what protection is the one I was seeking. Ugliness. Forgive me the aesthetic summary.
Blogging, and blogging every single day as I do, is a commitment. Mine is to a better world with better organizations, better deals for employees, better forms of work, more critical thinking, and , in general, making a difference in the way we work together shaping and creating remarkable organizations. Our motto is ‘Shaping tomorrow’s organization today; making today’s organizations remarkable’. Nowhere in the list of goals is political party engagement (note I said party, everything is political), nor heroic making points for the sake of it. I don’t write about current affairs, I write about current leadership. I am not a political commentator, I am a socio-culture commentator.
My lament was meant to be one of rebellion against populism, un-critical thinking, mass manipulation and, above all, the shaping of the future of our kids in a way that we will not see, but will hurt them. If the fact that the highest UK based Google search POST-referendum is ‘what is the EU?’ has something to say to us, I think it is still legitimate to wonder.
But, my friends, the room became full of smoke, I started to cough, and I had to leave. Doctors orders. My orders.
If I offended any of my British friends, my apologies. I love this country of 30 years and that was not my intention. I’ve learnt a thing or two about how deep visceral divisions can work, and it is scary.
Thanks to all in this growing email list for listening to me every day. Some rambling, some speaking aloud, some perhaps reflection that other people can use.
Have a good week, we’ll keep moving forward. So much to do to help people and organizations to shape the best organization architecture in which all of us, together, make the best of us, individually.
(Note for my subscribers: the original post is still in my personal website. Pss, don’t tell Linkedin. Only this time)