"Stop seeking comfort in yesterday's wisdom. Start finding strategic courage in tomorrow's uncertainty!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Tomorrow takes courage; yesterday is for wimps.
I was reminded of that yesterday when on stage, speaking to a traditionally extremely slow industry.
And then I realized, far too many people and far too many industries are still stuck in yesterday's ideas, business models, and ways of thinking. doing things. Why? It's comfortable. There are no surprises. It's chicken soup for the innovation soul.
And it doesn't get you anywhere.
Look, I'm not disparaging operational excellence, which demands slow, deliberate thinking. I'm not discounting strategies that rely on achieving perfection today to deliver excellent customer service. I'm not discounting the efforts of folks who work hard to keep an organization surviving through the turbulent times that mark today.
I'm just trying to aggressively wake you up to the reality of what tomorrow might bring. And the fact is, the future is not comfortable at all. It's scary, overwhelming, and massively uncertain..
But you're going to end up there. So why not figure out what it is going to look like and get ready with a mindset that accepts what it is going to bring you?
Remember - the future belongs to those who view tomorrow not as a challenge, but as a competitive advantage. In that context, get going - keep in mind that in an era of relentless change, doing nothing is the greatest and most costly risk of all. And always remember that the world of tomorrow will not be built on old assumptions, but on new speed, agility, and the bold ideas we choose to implement today.
Bottom line? Shift your mindset from managing the known to mastering the next, for today's comfort is tomorrow's vulnerability.
Futurist Jim Carroll believes that far too many people find themselves in the trap of yesterday and don't yet know how to escape to tomorrow. He often shows the way.