Current location: Time-Life Navigation (TLN) :: Conceptual foundation (layer 2) and work approach starting point
Current page elements: (1) Navigating toward tomorrows (2) Mental patterns versus the changing social and economic picture (3) Site functions (4) Capacity enhancement (5) End result and action (6) Site enhancement participation (7) Links
Go next: Time-Life Navigation work foundation (top foundation layer)
Navigating toward tomorrows
This page has two interrelated purposes.
First to explore a FREE strategic web site—site summary 
(after reading summary close window and return to this point)
Second to offer the opportunity to further enhance and publicize this core personal and community development resource.
Bringing this resource to other people's attention is an important contribution
Nashville (TN) revised July 8, 2004 - This site is a synthesis of five inter-related elements: organization evolution (main change vehicle); life design (main change beneficiary); work life (career) evolution (main change initiator); financial investing (golden goose); and a life navigation system (the action sequencer). This 
synthesis 
is called Time-life Navigation ©.
This synthesis is at the core of social and economic development plus social wealth creation. Search Google: ("social and economic development" organization career life financial investing)
Using the site is free. If you would like to keep up with site changes either join the Yahoo group or bookmark the status page. This page is the beginning of a work approach that leads to a time-life navigation 
work plan . You might want to consider creating a recurring reminder to come back and re-read this page. After absorbing this page, the daily news will be seen differently. This site is not just something else to read. It is at to core of what to do.
The major focus of this site is navigating the unfamiliar road ahead—not the familiar road behind—embedded in complex external systems (private, public, and social sectors; a society of organizations; multitiered transnational economy and ecology; complex political structures). These external systems are dynamic, uncontrollable and moving in time. This is the reality that surrounds us.
These are not separate subjects. It is more useful to view them as key dimensions of a dynamic reality that is both unique to each of us and yet interconnected. A reality "moving" in time, but not linearly.
Today isn't a linear extrapolation of yesterday and tomorrow won't be a linear extrapolation of today. Tomorrow can't be reached by piling up more todays or just patching today. This non-linear argument is easy to test. More information on this below.
The work referred to as time-life navigation © is not just another add-on to an already busy life. It is the core of long-term self-interest. This is genuinely grasped primarily in distant painful (major life loss) hindsight and maybe only then when it is explained—further explanation is probably needed, but not now.
Over 40,000 (organization independent) hours of work went into the background, terrain exploration, and site production. This work came after my corporate restructuring work (organization crisis: corporate doctor > corporate undertaker) and is a constructive response.
It is to your benefit to take advantage of this work—make your brain go down this road—repeatedly.
Strategic thinking: The time-life navigation that I'm referring to is not a subject or a tactical detail. It encompasses all subjects. It concerns conscious and informed navigation of the roads ahead (see knowledge system view at right). It's not about how to do this or that tactical detail right. It's not about the Martha Stewart trivial maximization pursuit mentality. Ten or twenty years from now how would that matter?
Fundamentally time-life navigation is a matter of shifting attention at the appropriate time—it is the first step and more complex than it might seem at first glance. This involves a work plan for repeatedly laying the appropriate groundwork. The tools provided by this site are the means for creating this work plan. This work plan is essentially a means of forced and focused attention directing in contemplation of an external system (see knowledge system view and common misunderstandings). At times it may amount to just spending some time thinking or exploring. It should provide us with the appropriate vision (both horizon view and peripheral view)
This forward navigation isn't natural—just the reverse. It's not easy, but the only alternatives are undesirable. After a point in our lives, our brains naturally want to look backwards (what we've been exposed to yesterday) rather than forwards (what we haven't been exposed to—nobody has been exposed to the non-linearity of our tomorrows). Our brains want to relate everything back in time—hard to see how it could do otherwise. To not navigate leaves us at the mercy of the "flow of events." Organization crisis stories in the news provide some insight.
Current strategic system: Thoughts, observations, and questions.
The future of society: The work life (career) evolution dimension is not about the choice between doctor, lawyer, or other line of work. It is not about having or finding a job. It concerns the progress from work life entry to top of the "food chain" embedded in the real world of competition, change, real innovation and the other four dimensions. It is not about celebrity but increasing contribution to the unfolding big pictures (in time). It is about making a substantial contribution to meaningful organization evolution over time. This implies multiple organizations and strategic capacity. Part of this capacity is the escape from specific organization and industry dependence while becoming more organization attractive. This implies evolution that is more external situation relevant than insulated, inward "product" focused MBA courses, continuing education or career self-help books. A first step is exposure to a strategic terrain view.
The future of society depends on what we work on and in what sequence plus what we wisely ignore or wisely abandon. Those at the top of the "contribution food chain" set the standard which elevates all of us. Routine jobs and routine work—though necessary—can't create new dimensions of performance.
Chief TLN Officer (CEO?): Every organization needs someone strategically responsible for strategic landscape evolution awareness and constantly demanding that every key person (multi-generationally) seriously work on this forever. The effectiveness of current typical approaches can be seen in the daily news. Conclusion: In the real world of human action the CEO function is subordinate to the TLN (time-life navigation) function. This function is at the core of personal wealth creation. Strategic terrain view
Topics ahead:
Mental patterns versus the changing social and economic picture (go)
Mental patterns versus the changing social and economic picture
The site focuses on navigating toward unimagined tomorrows while our mental patterns are unavoidably and recurrently rooted in yesterday. This is not a minor technical detail. It is of major strategic significance.
Picture the different worlds of 500, 1000, 1850, 1900, 1920, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1950, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2050—non-linear, unimagined, disjointed, receding horizons. Major opportunities reside within these unimagined futures. I mentioned the year 500 because there are places on the planet that are essentially stuck there—in developmental terms—and yet connected to us.
If we lived in a static world, there would be no change and the future would be like the past. If we lived in a linear world, then today's world would be a linear extrapolation of yesterday's world. Maybe, we would have nicer caves and better stone axes. In a growing, linear world communities would still be largely isolated from each other.
In a growing, linear economy there would be no organization crisis stories and costs would go down forever. In a growing, linear economy the composition of the Dow-Jones Industrials would not change (more correctly there would not be a Dow-Jones, only cave dwellers). If we lived in a predictable world, there would be no surprises. Neither static, linear, or predictable describes reality. Unimagined futures is the appropriate expectation.
Even in times of robust economic growth there are expectational breakdowns. This is the nature of the terrain we inhabit. There is apparently no end (static) position that we will reach in time. The periods of quiet are the calm before the storm.
In addition to different time periods, we as individuals have different life stages at different points in time.
The reality we're challenged to navigate today is a dynamic, global, multi-dimensional, knowledge reality that didn't exist 50 years ago where human interaction, work and working can transcend thousands of miles instantaneously—this has not reached full impact. We are challenged to navigate time, life, life areas, and life stages.
"What 
in human history could have prepared anyone for this reality?" And yet we are embedded in it and can't control it. This applies to all of us—but in different ways at different times.
We can choose to react or design.
This is not an easy subject—conceptually or emotionally. It is more a capacity than a subject. It is elusive because there aren't permanent answers.
One of the barriers to Time-Life Navigation is the almost unavoidable habit of trying to fit non-linear tomorrows into the familiar mental patterns of today (trying to make automobiles fit a horse and buggy world). Actually today's mental patterns inescapably belong to yesterday—this is explored in greater depth on the site. These mental patterns make it very difficult to grasp time-life navigation and its strategic benefits because our brains want to relate it to the worlds of 1930, 1950, 1980, or 1995 rather than the road ahead.
A dimension of this barrier is the ego defense mechanism that finds reasons why something outside our mental patterns can't be valid because it is outside our mental patterns.
Another barrier is the belief that success is permanent—difficult to find any examples—and then waiting for trouble as a signal for acting differently. At the point of trouble, informed, aggressive, conceptually valid action becomes extremely more difficult—almost impossible. At the point of strategic difficulty recognition (almost always follows a substantial delay), the conceptualizations associated with popular buzz words (management, strategy, marketing, innovation, productivity, profitability, quality, organization, etc.) are not useful because they are almost always conveniently interpreted or perceived internally through yesterday's eyes (rather than in the context of big movies). These issues are frequently revisited on the site and are inherent in Time-Life Navigation. These issues are also part of being informed.
We need a systematic, valid, life-long work approach (in each of the five dimensions) that is in harmony with the disjoints and realities in the changing social and economic picture. Among other things, the work approach requires repeated, systematic looking around and thinking. If conscientiously pursued, it should make a dramatic life difference.
Site functions
The purpose of this site is to enhance time-life navigation capacity. The site provides a system for getting TO relevant concepts and then getting FROM concepts to daily action embedded in an external world moving in time.
The first part of this system began the moment you started reading and will continue as long you continue to work with the site. The second part of the system is outlined in the fundamental action idea below.
The site provides a convenient, comprehensive, life-long framework that can be adapted to different situations and objectives at different points in time. The site is a strategic development resource. It is a:
Strategic terrain map
The site can also be "grazed" for idea stimulation; for adding ideas to one's radar; or education preparation.
The site contains (text site map):
which provide a foundation for informed future directed decisions
Peter Drucker's work provides the primary conceptual foundation with a few contributions from Edward de Bono (the nature of the mind and thinking) and Warren Buffett's (financial investing) work. News stories are also woven in to provide mental connecting points to tactical examples and details.
This site does not address a static subject or even a subject that is dynamic. It addresses real life in a dynamic reality—at various points in future time—from different angles. It addresses this reality in five key dimensions.
Strategic exposure, attention directing, exploration, informed developmental desires/destinations, action harvesting, and scheduling are key elements of this strategic development resource.
A few examples of strategic areas:
The exploration of the site alone enhances an individual's capacity and potential.
The site provides tools for creating work plans—individually, organizationally and multi-generationally. It provides a blueprint or prototype of a dynamic, healthy action system. It can be redesigned to fit different situations.
These works plans address the questions: " What do I have to do (informed in each of the five dimensions) to have the kind of life (informed) I want (informed) to have?" and"What (more or less) do I want to be working on that I don't and can't know I want to working on?" The site provides a blueprint and resource links for working on these questions.
A key benefit of the site that may not be immediately obvious is the hyperlinks (relationship connections). The awareness of these relationships and their sequencing can be a major door opener.
Another benefit: I have seen several articles in the news suggesting that one of the key ways to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's is through intellectually stimulating activities. The work approach blueprinted on this site provides a life-time of rewarding rigorous brain exercise.
Blueprints for blueprints: Although this appears to be a textual page, it is really an element of a prototype blueprint for a time-life navigation © work approach where the detailed tactical stuff we do is derived from a conceptually valid blueprint. The conceptual validity relates to health and the reality in which we are embedded—including disjointedness and receding horizons. More specifically it is a blueprint for creating the blueprints that will guide our journey to receding destinations (where we want to go—moving targets—in the most general terms). The ability to create conceptually valid blueprints is the result of increased individual capacity and creates new capacities—literally "higher education."
The site provides tools for promoting oneself through increased capacity and building on strengths rather than waiting for someone else to provide a title.
For the site to be useful, action rather than just reading or awareness is needed.
Capacity enhancement
Exploring, engaging, knowing the conceptual time-life terrain enhances navigation capacity. Having command of a conceptually valid tool kit enhances capacity. Tools extend our capabilities.
The capacity to successfully and repeatedly navigate a radically changing world is a core personal and community development resource. Unfortunately this capacity is not permanent. The habit of looking toward the road ahead rather than the road behind is an important capacity, but portions of this capacity are situation specific (this can be seen in organization crisis stories in the news). Mental pattern expansion and re-mapping—toward the road ahead—is necessary.
If this navigation capacity already existed there would be fewer organization crisis, walking dead or life crisis stories in the news. Consider the individual and community "costs" in these situations. These stories are just the tip of the iceberg. Where in the world can evidence of this navigation capacity be seen? When in human history could this have developed and from what origins (cave people, knights of the round table, gangs of New York)? The challenge is not to fix yesterday or expect it to remain fixed—faulty or misguided navigation. One of the challenges is to avoid being blind-sided.
Repeatedly striving to create a conceptually valid work plan enhances capacity.
End result and action
The desired end result of working with this site is the creation of an "informed," conceptually valid, life-long, dynamic work plan (composed of calendarized general work modules) that takes a person where they want to go (informed developmental desires). A work plan that creates the capacity to successfully and repeatedly navigate a radically changing world is a substantial personal asset. The work plan is best derived from a conscious, informed, tested, strategic interest profile. Creating this interest profile has to be part of the work plan.
The law of the farm: we can only harvest what we plant and only part of what we plant will be harvested. The part we harvest is very likely to be different from what we originally expected (see Chapter 7, "Entrepreneurs and Innovation" in Peter Drucker's "Managing in the Next Society"). Additionally we can only plant what's on our radar.
Conceptually valid work plans pass the "news test"—the repeated themes running through the news.
Another test of these work plans is where they can be reasonably expected to lead and leave the individual in the future(s). If an informed outsider were looking at someone's else work plan where would they expect it to take the plan author in the future(s)? Would it be a healthy position in the future(s)?
In the career (work life) evolution dimension, maybe one important test would be the position (the global standing) of an individual following an organization crisis that resulted in the individual leaving the organization. You could test this on various organizations that have undergone major downsizings or reorganizations: K-Mart, IBM, Xerox, FAO Schwarz, Chrysler, Kodak, Poloroid, or a local organization to observe the differences in position. What is the position of those who delay leaving?
Where does routine operational or functional work (of 1950, 1965, 1980, 1995) lead? Is creating and pursuing "bright ideas" adequate for "healthy" time-life navigation? What's your work plan? What are the work plans of the people on whom your life hinges? Are they adequate? How could they be?
In creating this work plan there is foundation preparation (for informed future-directed decisions) followed by work "assignments" that move us forward or raise us up.
At different times in our lives we need to integrate ourselves in different ways. This means the work plan needs a provision for recreating the work plan.
As you're exploring this site you may run across the following symbol: 
. The SWP stands for strategic work plan. The symbol is a reminder to consider adding the associated topic to your interest profile and strategic work plan. Actually I quit adding these symbols a long time ago. I'm leaving this info as an explanation. This interest profile is a basic tool in defining life directions and informed developmental desires. Recognizing important clues is a core time-life navigation capacity.
The items you note for further time allocation may be an external link, a page, an image or concept map, a paragraph, a sentence, or a thought the exploration produces.
Repeating the process can be used for layering on new elements, terrain vision enhancement in a specific area or just attention refocusing (out of sight, out of mind). This is a life-long, multi-generational approach.
This action approach re-focuses attention away from yesterday and toward the opportunities embedded in today's situation and tomorrow. This action approach can be a "life" saver (see "what do you want to be remembered for" in Peter Drucker's Managing The Nonprofit Organization).
The sooner the work is started the better.
Having just a elementary synthesis foundation provides a different and enhanced capacity for "viewing" the daily news—reports from life's battlefields.
Be sure to visit the site usage page.
The entire site process (multi-generalizationally) can be calendarized and part of your radar.
This site repeatedly raises the question: "what do I have to do (informed in each of the five dimensions) to have the kind of life (informed) I want (informed)?" and then provides a blueprint and resource links for working on this question.
THINK: Edward de Bono
Site enhancement participation
Although there are no strings attached to using my web site, I need your help if I'm to publicize and further develop the site. If little interest exists, I'm going to move on. If you want this effort to remain available, then do something to help.
Donations are needed and welcome. Helping build a network (especially high impact individuals—celebrities, community leaders, organization leaders and social leaders) of involved individuals is crucial to the success. Helping improve the site is welcome. Among other things, there needs to be a more suitable work life ("career") entry page for those in their late teens, early twenties, or other groups who want to get back on track—conceptually valid suggestions welcome.
If you have a web site, a link to my invitation page would also be appreciated (copy this link -> Navigating toward tomorrows or http://homepage.mac.com/bobembry/free/invitation.html).
You may also want to participate in my Yahoo Group just to keep this on your radar or to observe other people's perceptions.
Bringing this resource to other people's attention is a valuable way to contribute to the fundamental concepts underlying the site's existence. Most everyone can benefit from exploring the site and having access to navigation aids and tools. Send them a link to:
http://homepage.mac.com/bobembry/free/invitation.html
Celebrities plus organization, community, and social leaders interested in high leverage ways to "give back" should consider this site a prime candidate.
To participate: e-mail suggestions and comments
Final thoughts
Due to the complexity of the subject, phone based guided site tours and topic discussions are available. Assistance in interest profile creation is also available.
I hope you find the site useful and interesting. It will probably be more interesting if you make mental connections between topics on the site and movies, books, music, news events, museum exhibits, and other internet sites.
The site status page and Yahoo group provide methods for keeping track of site changes.
e-mail suggestions and comments
Site overview: Life-TIME investment system
http://homepage.mac.com/bobembry/free/index.html
Conceptual foundation layers: Time-Life Navigation work foundation
http://homepage.mac.com/bobembry/studio/biz/time_life_navigation.html
Contact information:
Bob Embry
Google me
Related links:
Life-TIME investment system (main site entry page)
Site exploration and navigation links
Current strategic system status (Is this OK?)
Links on and to site entry page and beyond. Key idea list
Page can be printed and used as a
preliminary worksheet or
for making notes.Site guided tour links Resource examples (blips for your conceptual radar)
Top Time-life Navigation resources (topics to calendarize):
If you try to relate these "articles" and books to your day-to-day job, you'll miss the point—completely. These conceptual resources concern the road ahead not the road behind. It is not possible to work on things that aren't on your radar. The following links are attention-directing tools
Who is Peter Drucker?
Changing Social and Economic Picture
Foundations for Future Directed Decisions
Managing Knowledge Means Managing Oneself: After reading article use web browser's FIND command to locate "people decisions" then see People Decisions
Managing Oneself for Effectiveness (The Effective Executive)
Management, Revised Edition contains parts of the following:
Management Challenges for the 21st Century
Managing in the Next Society contains the following:
The Essential Drucker (an introduction)
The Essential Drucker (book contents—includes people decisions mentioned above)
Innovation and Entrepreneurship (An interview from Managing in the Next Society also see the book)
The Daily Drucker (a very wide view and work approach)
Edward de Bono introduction