Antifragility Goes Beyond Resilience, But Then What?
By possessing these traits, an antifragile system is able not just to survive but actually benefit from changes and stress in its environment, continuously improving and evolving. From a team leader’s perspective, these traits are difficult to establish but can be done primarily through building a thoughtful culture and identity. But what state can an entity that is resilient and also antifragile evolve to next? What is beyond antifragility?
The Future of Culture is Spiritual
In nature, the organisms which are the most resilient last the longest. When external factors change, these most vital organisms can maintain homeostasis; weaker organisms cannot and eventually become extinct. This is resilience.
Looking a little bit deeper at this biological concept and analogy reveals an exciting insight into ways we can shape our organizations to respond to changing external conditions.
The Discipline Trap
The idea that discipline will bring you freedom is absurd. I saw it on a bumper sticker a few weeks ago ad now I see it everywhere. Before I explain and set you on a better path to freedom, let’s define freedom first. From Webster: freedom is the “absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action”. To put it differently and take it a little deeper, true freedom lies in being fully present and letting go of the past and future. In other words, true freedom is not found in external circumstances, but rather in one’s internal circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, discipline got me through SEAL training and paid for my house, but it’s far too limiting to put all of your chips on it - it can never bring you freedom. Freedom isn’t having a private jet - freedom is having your private jet stolen and still feeling good about life. Let’s discuss.