Canadian Government Executive - Volume 26 - Issue 05

ICE FIRE “Burned to ashes by the political heat” “Frozen out of the conversation” Raven of Abducted Ideas Codified Rules. Procedural rules grant gatekeeping powers and an idea may be shut out of decision-making forums. Even if allowed on the agenda, most ideas are only considered briefly before being judged. The state’s rhythms (election-, reporting-, budget-, meeting cycles, and so forth) limit the times an idea will get a fair hearing. Institu- tional boundaries restrict idea flow. The opinions of higher ranking authorities are given more weight in approvals. The closer to the furnace of politics a decision is made, the more likely short-term political considerations will singe an idea’s long-term viability. Unwritten Rules. Ideas tend to get a fuller airing within informal conversations, such as impromptu hall-way bilaterals and coffee-break chats. These forums are bound by informal rules, norms, and rituals. A failure to abide by these cultural constraints will result in social sanctions, up to and including being “frozen out” of the on- going conversation amongst powerful decision-makers. Having the social graces to navigate this networking nether- world is required to build a motivated coalition around an idea. O���� ( RULES ) A worthwhile idea is a delicate thing. Yet it has to run a gauntlet of checks, changes, and approvals to reach fruition in some form. Such is the cosmic order of idea implementation in the public sphere. Consider the full sweep of limiting factors as a cosmogram in the tradition of Renaissance esotericists Robert Fludd, Jocob Böhme, and Athanasius Kircher. There are limits imposed on the mind (or microcosm) and the external world (macrocosm). WORM OF DOUBT THE SELF- CENSOR Credit claiming tactics by those with formal authority Astrolabe of Alignment Rejection of ideas not aligned to official priorities Miscommunication up the chain of command SENSE OF RISK AMBIGUITY AVERSION SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS IDEA NOT FULLY FORMED IMPLEMENTATION BLIND-SPOT INNER CRITIC NEED FOR APPROVAL FEEDBACK DEFENSIVENESS Need to socialize ideas framed in unfamiliar ways IMPOSTOR SYNDROME Celestial Stairway of Memos 18 / Canadian Government Executive // January/February 2021