Eyes Wide Shut. The title of this twisted, dark film by Stanley Kurbrick is symbolic of the rapid transition that has been unfolding over the past few years. Our eyes are “wide shut” (we see it but are largely in denial) about the massive change that’s taking place every second of every day within business and government.

In short, both leaders and so-called “thought leaders” of the past and present are failing to realize the true power isn’t in your HR defined title, but in the capacity to create an environment where ideas can be born and grow over time.

Before the dot-com explosion we were better than we are today at communicating ideas with others in real-time. We had the patience, or perhaps without the tools we have at our disposal today, the expectation that creating great products and services involved trial and error and took time to evolve.

Even the ability to sit up and debate, sometimes passionately disagree, with colleagues and peers has been dwindled down to 140 characters on Twitter. A skill set that with every passing day is becoming absolutely critical to the success of both business and government.

Think I’m wrong? Fair enough. Check out this ad by HTC. My guess is after watching it you’re going to be able to relate to both the situations shown and the feelings of the actors within the commercial.

I know I’ve found myself in nearly every single one of these situations; demonstrating to me how tightly I’m bound not only to the technology but also the people with whom I’m connected.

It’s no longer about controlling the ideas or the conversation. Success will be achieved by those who see the value of differing opinions and work to communicate those experiences into everything they design.