Control. Trust. These are the most daunting issues on the web, and in a reciprocal manner, business and government today. Many have argued with me that these have been the largest issues in all sectors for generations; and I don’t disagree. In fact, the tools that allow us to connect and interact with others have made the metaphorical global village, a reality. A reality that many senior leaders are continuing to deny.

We can’t evolve the conversation beyond the tools that make up any discipline, or worse, cling to a belief that the processes that worked even five years ago are still relevant to the way others are communicating both online and off.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is continuing to try and control the messaging within Canada, in spite of harsh criticism by Canadians. Now this should not come as a galloping shock that professional politicians are hiding the truth or trying to shape the message! #CallingOutTheElephantInTheRoom

However living in an era where people can share ideas with the click of a button, or upload videos in a matter of minutes to YouTube – next to Google, the second largest search engine in the world – such obsession with control is quite frankly, laughable.

The measure of a man is what he does with power. ~ Plato

A brilliant example of this new world, from a Canadian perspective, was shared by a good friend and colleague in Toronto Renée Warren: “Next is Now!”

Another great example of how connected we are, and how control is truly an illusion, is this presentation by Tom Scott (@tomscott). The story is both entertaining and disturbing – illustrating the speed at which we can share information, and the necessity to know who we can trust.

Mob (a near-future science fiction story) by Tom Scott from hurryonhome on Vimeo.

Two years ago that would have been implausible. Five years ago that would have been impossible. But if that happened in the news tomorrow would any of you be shocked? The world turns upside down in ten years and you turn upside down right along with it.

We need to strike a balance between the latest generations’ enthusiasm to share, with the wisdom of business and government officials who have worked in the same sector for 30 plus years.

It is imperative that both sides work towards a greater understanding of the others’ processes rather than argue over who has the better approach. Equilibrium can only be achieved if both sides make this effort; otherwise history WILL repeat itself.