Barri Carian, past president, NAWBO-OC  

Barri, A wonderful reflection and interesting question. What we are all feeling is that the future is not likely to look like the past. What we really don't know is what the future WILL look like. As humans all we have to draw on is what we know (It is sort of impossible to draw on what we don't know simply because we don't know about it to draw on it). So we will always tend to project the past onto the future, even when we know it will not look like that. Because for most of us since all we have is our existing paradigms to draw from we will feel anxious, even fearful about a future that does not look like the past. But for some we see it as an opportunity to explore the domain of possibilities and ask the question what it can look like. To do that we have to shift our thinking away from the Activity field and move it down into the Context field (visit www.quantumleaders.com for more on these field). What we know at the Context of what is going on is that there is a shift happening on a global basis. I shift that is stemming from a re-evaluation of how we got here. Think of what happens to a person who has a heart attack. After the surgery they are motivated to examine their lifestyle and ask the question what got me here and what do I need to change so that it doesn't repeat. Our society, our world for that matter, has just experienced a collective heart attack. And as a collective (not necessarily every individual) we are asking the question what got us here and how what new values and choices do I want to live by. I think it will take a few years yet to know what the outcome of this realignment and we will not know what the "new normal" is until we finish the process. Thanks for opening the conversation Norman Wolfe CEO, Quatum Leaders, Inc

I work with over three-dozen businesses each month, and at mid-2009 there are two "certainties:" first, the "new normal" is that everyone is trying to figure out the "new normal;" and second, that whatever it looks like in 2010 and beyond, that will be different than in 2007/early-2008. Change has been happening forever, but the scope and pace is now at a new level. So -- is the future being reinvented, or just "arriving" more quickly than we imagined? Probably a moot point -- best to be on the move, as "staying put" feels very dicey.

I ask myself those questions in one way or another every day! In our world the "new" normal is so very different from the normal we knew a year or 2 ago. We are seeing differences in everything from sales cycles to the demeanor of the people we speak with on the phone every day.

Barri... OMG I cannot believe how well your blog is written! It is the uncertainty that is having us reconsider and redefine the New Normal. In such an economy out there, nothing is certain and for some reason we tend to look at the empty half of the cup vs. the full half. Things will and should start shifting soon. We have been through worse and made it! We will make it again. Thanks for your insight. Very inspiring.

Barri, Good posting and yes, the "New Normal" is the topic du jour. The answers do indeed seem to depend on who is answering the question. I've heard the full spectrum from things will get back to "normal" (meaning, I assume, pretty much the way they were) to "it isn't coming back and nobody knows the new rules yet." Intuition tells me that just as in every major economic adjustment before this one, things will be noticeably changed when we come out the other side. The "new normal" will be different for each company and individual. To make sure we do come out the other side of this valley, we may well need to continue to cut fixed expenses and creatively find ways to generate more revenue in what is very likely going to be a smaller consumer market. As you said, we can count on change and uncertainty. That will also provide great opportunities for those who take a positive outlook on things while recognizing the realities. Dave K.

This is the central question that will be answered over the next few years. Regardless of where we end up, I believe that the "new normal" is shorthand for an acknowledgement that the financial world we live in is much riskier than we previously believed. Just as 9/11 changed the way we look at our physical security, the implosion of the financial markets in 2008 changed the way we look the economy and the markets. Just as the children of the 30's were forever marked by the Great Depression, I think that the generation coming of age today have the current crisis 'imprinted' on their psyche. So the "new normal" will certainly mean different things to different generations. Ultimately, it will make us all a bit more fiscally conservative and less likely to blindly trust our financial institutions. Not necessarily a bad outcome....

I agree that this new normal is defined personally by each of us and takes on new meaning for our circumstances vary so much. Self-defining, self-managing is the new normal. I am taking the time to be more intentional about balance - working hard and playing too. Evaluating everything through a lens of "will this support our goals and dreams" or is this a short term monetary gain. I like this new normal - it is all good and I hope I get better in managing the unknown. David Whyte has wonderful examples of embracing the unknown and creating your own path...taking us back to Joseph Campbell. Time for us all to find our bliss. Ok, sounds idealistic...why not the new normal?

As with all things "new" you are correct the interpretation depends wholly on our own perceptions. I am hopeful that the new normal is centered more around living within ones means and paying attention to the people in our life and not to the things that we obtain.

Barri, Great topic, and wonderfully presented. I have the same questions, and, although the answers are different for each of us, I believe there will be some fundamental threads common to them all. I think the new "normal" will: 1. be based on a reevaluation of our needs, wants, values and peer expectations. 2. result in a more careful, thoughtful consumer 3. promote a stronger sense of personal responsibility. 4. be a refreshing change from the old. 5. make us humbler, kinder and more insightful. 6. create exciting opportunities for new growth, both personally and in business. 7. be good for us. We're better when we are given a challenge, and this was a challenge our society badly needed.

Barri, I'm not sure there ever was a "normal," and I'm more sure than ever that there is no new "normal." I suspect there never will be. I think it depends entirely on your own individual position. For those out of a job, nothing is normal. For those whose net worth lost something more than 50 percent, the world looks and feels different. For most of us, uncertainty about everything from socialism, to health care, to foreign policy makes any notion of normalcy irrelevant. I think we're in a long period of "let's see what today brings," which means we've all got to be more alert than we have been. There is little comfort in the distribution curves of behavior, because it doesn't last long enough to be meaningful. Everything is event driven. Take today for example: The Taliban are succeeding. Will they win? Probably not, but how long will it take to determine and what level of assets do we want to commit toward a given outcome. The most real answer is "we'll see." Is the economy recovering? A little yes and a little no. But, with something like 10 percent unemployment as far as the eye can see, what does recovery mean? If GDP rises by .0025 percent rather than falling by the same amount, what does that mean. We'll see. Should we have a public option for health insurance? Almost certainly – it would bring down the cost of insurance, but does it inevitably lead to a single-payer system. Hard to say. We'll see. Nothing about any of this looks or feels like "normal." I say, we'd better all stay awake and sharpen up our skills on adapting to change. Make decision and don't be afraid to move when the land shifts. Don't worry about normal.