"While others wait for normal, the bold invent what's next!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Have you heard everyone saying things like: "When will it get back to normal?" or "When things get to back normal" lately?
What if it doesn't?
What if you end up waiting a long time?
While everyone else has been waiting around wondering what the heck has been going on, I've been going on. Yesterday, my wife and business partner of 35+ years uploaded my newest book, Dancing in the Rain, to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. We'll be a few days before we can get out "check copies" - making sure everything is correct and looks good - and then we are in print!
Today marks 73 days since I wrote the first blog post in the series that became the book. So while you've been waiting for normal, I've been making bold! Want to get out of the waiting? Hit sample.dancing.jimcarroll.com and you'll get the first two chapters of the book delivered to your inbox. In seconds. What are you waiting for? Isn't stopping the waiting for the whole point?
Get your sample chapters right now - simply submit, and send!
What do you need to be thinking about? I'll just share the Foreword to the book. It will give you a sense of where I go with it.
Read it
Then grab the sample chapters.
Get out of waiting.
Get out of normal.
Get into bold!
Foreword
Dancing in The Rain, June 2025
The idea for this book came to me during one of the most volatile periods in recent memory. Markets were gyrating wildly, headlines screamed uncertainty, and everywhere I looked, leaders were frozen in place, waiting for clarity that simply was not coming.
So I did what I often do when encountering a complex new circumstance, I started blogging about it in my Daily Inspiration post (which I have been doing since August 2016). Part way in, I realized what I was really doing was writing a book, the one you are now reading.
When I started writing, I remembered something I overheard while speaking at an event in the dark, complex days that marked the start of the 2008 recession. Two executives were discussing their company's response to the economic turbulence. “We are just going to hunker down and wait this out,” one said. “Keep our heads down until things get back to normal.”
That phrase, “get back to normal,” stopped me cold.
Normal? What normal were they referring to? The world had fundamentally shifted. Technology was accelerating at breakneck speed. Customer expectations were evolving overnight. Entire industries were being reimagined in real time.
There was no “normal” to return to, only a future to be built.
My entire career as a futurist has been spent advising people as to what they need to do to align with new realities—not to return to normal. I learned long ago that recessions, downturns, or periods of economic uncertainty should not change that.
In that moment, I realized something profound—while these leaders were waiting for yesterday to return, tomorrow was racing ahead without them. And in the gap between their hesitation and the future's relentless advance lay the greatest opportunity of our time. In my head, I was saying they should not be waiting but should be moving! Not freezing, but acting! Not standing in fear, but racing to the opportunities!
The metaphor “they should be dancing in the rain” struck me.
Picture a child in a summer downpour—arms outstretched, spinning with pure joy while everyone else runs for shelter. That child is not ignoring the storm, they are finding the magic within it. They are not waiting for perfect conditions, they are creating their own perfect moment.
This is what bold leadership looks like in uncertain times.
For over two decades as a futurist, I have had the privilege of working with organizations across every industry imaginable.
I have witnessed the rise and fall of countless companies, the emergence of breakthrough innovations, and the inexorable march of progress through boom and bust cycles alike. What I have learned is this: the future does not pause for our comfort. It does not slow down when we feel overwhelmed. And it certainly does not wait for permission to unfold.
The most successful leaders I have encountered, the ones who consistently thrive rather than merely survive, share a common trait—they refuse to let external volatility dictate internal momentum. When uncertainty rises, they lean in.
When others retreat, they advance. When the path forward becomes unclear, they do not stand still, they start moving and create clarity through action.
This book is the culmination of everything I have learned about leading through volatility. It is not about ignoring risk or embracing reckless optimism. It is about recognizing that in every period of disruption, while some forces destroy value, others create exponentially more. The question is not whether opportunity exists during downturns—it is whether you are positioned to see it and bold enough to seize it.
Throughout these pages, you will discover why the conventional wisdom of “hunker down and wait” is not just wrong—it is dangerous. You will learn how to identify the growth opportunities hidden within chaos, how to build momentum when clarity is scarce, and how to transform pressure into competitive advantage. Most importantly, you will understand why speed, not caution, is your greatest asset when the ground is shifting beneath
everyone's feet.
The research is clear: organizations that invest strategically during downturns do not just survive, they emerge stronger, faster, and more relevant than ever. While 85% of pre-recession leaders lose their position during turbulent times, a select few use volatility as a launching pad for unprecedented growth. They do not wait for the storm to pass. They step into it with purpose, armed with vision and fuelled by courage.
The framework in this book is not theoretical. It is battle-tested across multiple economic cycles, validated by decades of research, and proven by leaders who chose action over anxiety. Whether you are running a Fortune 500 company or a startup, leading a team of thousands, or working to transform your career, these principles will serve as your compass when traditional navigation fails.
We live in an era of perpetual disruption, where the half-life of competitive advantage grows shorter each year. The leaders who will shape tomorrow's economy are not those waiting for stability—they are the ones building bridges to the future while others debate whether to cross them.
The choice before you is simple: Will you wait for the storm to pass, or will you learn to dance in it?
I invite you to choose to dance, because on the other side of every storm lies a transformed landscape.
The bold leaders who dared to move while others stood still are the ones who get to shape what it becomes.
Your future is waiting.
Futurist Jim Carroll has been pretty busy dancing in the rain. Also, golfing in the rain!