First, let’s call it out: not all science fiction aims to make us a better leader.
I’m pretty sure Ice Planet Barbarians was not written to extend one’s leadership thinking.
But it does speak to female empowerment.
There is value in all books, and we need to follow what lights us up.
Reading is a deeply personal, intimate experience. One dedicates an enormous amount of time to the act of consuming words and letting their imagination build a world.
As a leadership futurist, I am obsessed with exploring the future and asking ‘how might we lead better’?
Some science fiction helps do just that.
Take for example, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Ministry for the Future. As a novel, the characters were frankly awful. See my book review here. But the ideas brought to life were amazing. Things like:
Global Cooperation and Governance: The creation of the Ministry for the Future itself is a central utopian theme. This international organisation, established under the Paris Agreement, aims to represent the interests of future generations and the planet as a whole.
Innovative Economic Solutions: The novel explores various economic reforms and innovations designed to combat climate change. These include carbon sequestration, geoengineering, and new financial instruments like the carbon coin, which incentivizes carbon reduction. The narrative suggests that systemic changes in the global economy can lead to a more sustainable future.
Technological Advancements: Robinson delves into the potential of technology to solve environmental issues. This includes advancements in renewable energy, carbon capture, and even more speculative ideas like spraying aerosols into the atmosphere to cool the planet. These technological solutions are portrayed as part of a broader strategy to create a livable world.
A good book makes us THINK and then hopefully drives us to ACT.
Fiction is a powerful way to bring this to life for people because we can go on an emotional journey with people who are experiencing these possible futures, making decisions, exercising leadership within them, and wearing the consequences of that.
In Terra Blanca: Insurrection, I asked, "What would the world look like if climate change ravaged the planet as predicted, we had rising sea levels, and needed other places to live and work, like on man-made floating communities? How might we create new ways of living and working together that were more collaborative and cooperative?
In The Olympus Project, I asked, "What if our future involved working in confined environments like on the Moon? How might we create environments that accelerate human development? Are we ready for that? How might we live and work together in extreme environments like those on the Moon?
In Olympus Bound, I asked, "If we become inter-planetary species, what might we have to give up? What if the Moon became a resource to compete for? What would be the challenges? How might we serve both mission and family?
Aside from the big questions, I also weave in the development of current and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous robots I call Dopplebots, brain computer interfaces, and holographic communications. I wanted to explore what this might mean for human relationships and leadership.
Science Fiction helps us imagine the future. And when we see more, we lead better.
What books have you read that have changed how you see the world? I would love to know! Hit reply and share your thoughts.
Happy reading!
Book Recommendations
A very unusual sci-fi book, set in a climate ravaged world after the ‘scorching’. Our hero has an augmented octopus as a companion. Together they get caught up in the hunt for terrorists who wish to destroy the human/alien alliance that had promised to save the Earth. It’s an interesting leadership story exploring how one needs to choose their path forward based on values, even at risk to one’s own safety. Plus, sentient, talking octopus! Very cool.
A lovely idea: spend more time working on something deeply. Let ideas gestate. Do less. Sounds delicious! Possible? We need to redesign work to make a better process, and therefore better outcomes. This book is at odds with the other great book I read by Gary Vaynerchuk, Day Trading Attention, which is all about hustling to create content to reach your key audience. More is better in this philosophy. My friend Elke said, “I think there’s room for both’. I suspect it’s a polarity to manage!
The Fun Habit - How The Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life by Mike Rucker
I really enjoyed this book! I interviewed Mike on the podcastand he helped me redefine how I think of ‘fun’ at work. A meaningful life includes meaningful fun: be it immersive play, hedonistic, hard fun of creative or other challenging pursuits, and mystery fun with its flavor of awe and connection.
A profound book worthy of a good study.
Do you love books?
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P.S. My latest leadership-book-in-disguise-as-a-novel, Olympus Bound, the second book in the Gaia Enterprise series, is out now! Get your copy here from the author or the ebook from Amazon.
About Zoë Routh, Canberra leadership futurist
Zoë Routh is a leadership futurist, podcaster, and multiple award-winning author. She works with leaders and teams to explore what's coming and what it means for leadership of the future.
Zoë is an outdoor adventurist and enjoys telemark skiing, has run 6 marathons, is a one-time belly-dancer, has survived cancer, and loves hiking in the high country. She is married to a gorgeous Aussie and is a self-confessed dark chocolate addict.