 |
Home > Vol.
1, No. 6 > Open Articles |
Sep 2001 | |
Guest EditorialDebra M. Amidon, founder and chief strategist, ENTOVATION International Ltd., and Global View Director, KnowMap Out of the depths of destruction ...
(Note from the Editor-in-Chief: Debra M. Amidon, a supporter of KnowMap since our first issue has recently agreed to join our Board as Global View Director. Before we had the chance to announce this great news, we were all horrified and saddened by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. In the days following 9/11 Amidon sent this note out to the ENTOVATION 100 and the Global Knowledge Leadership Map network to try to make some sense out of an otherwise senseless destruction. She agreed to reproduce her words here as a guest editorial. We hope these words will encourage us all to carry-on and become stronger in our collective work to do what we can to prevent similar events from happening again anywhere in the world.) Dear ENTOVATION 100:Although I have heard individually from many of you, I wanted to send a note to all who are represented on our Global Knowledge Leadership Map in hopes that we might be able to put this recent terrorist disaster into perspective and use it as an impetus to further our collective work. I received the call at 9:05 a.m. from Gerardo Calderon Malagamba (Mexico City) inquiring whether I was safe. Gerardo, who is responsible for the Spanish translation of my book and much of the ENTOVATION visibility throughout Mexico, has been to my home and knows the degree of international travel out of Boston that fills my schedule. I was deeply touched by his call. Moreover, while we were speaking, the second Tower of the NY World Trade Center was hit and also the Pentagon. He urged that I watch the television; and I did...the rest of the day and in shock. The next day, I tried to put these events into perspective. I decided to make a posting on the Global Knowledge Development (GKD) electronic dialogue of which many of you are familiar.
The response to the posting has been extraordinary. It seems that knowledge professionals all over the world have been seeking a deeper purpose to their work. The tragedy in the United States - which is actually an assault on the entire free world - has brought us to the end of an era. As one person put it, the New York skyline has changed forever. The skyline of the United States has changed forever. I would add that the skyline of the world may have changed forever...and here is why. Those of you most familiar with my most recent work on The Innovation SuperHighway, know that I have been using the quote from the song written after the Apollo mission. In the words of Commander Eugene Cernan:
Today, as Secretary Colin Powell harnesses the Worldwide Coalition Against Terrorism, he knows that his enemy has no visible boundaries. There is no country, no specific religious sect, no culture that clearly represents terrorists. But there is an unprecedented dedication to the task - and they WILL be successful. Once completed, the Coalition could shift its collective strength to repair the damage done. I know of no better way to do so that to paint a global vision that is so compelling, so crystal clear, so relevant in a post-terrorist war than what we have been articulating with a Knowledge Economy - one in which the intellectual capability of every human being in the world is important to the future wealth of our countries. Once the knowledge agenda is understood, it will be clear that innovation strategy is our path to sustainable prosperity. There are many more things happening as a direct result of this horrific act.
Let us know your thoughts so that we might post them in a Let us know your insights, your efforts, and your progress. Now is the time for you and your constituencies to be heard. Grateful to still be among your Network, Debra Read more about Debra M. Amidon.
|
