DANCING ON THE DECK
One matter upon which we can all agree is that this world is not becoming any simpler. Its complexity and challenge grow daily. Strategies and approaches that worked in the past sometimes lose their effectiveness in our developing futures. Recognizing these dynamics, Jeff Immelt (CEO of General Electric) offered some relevant advice when he addressed the Siena College graduating class last May (Mark Glassman, ed., “Commencement Wisdom 2015,” Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/1/15–6/7/15, p. 25):
“ If you don’t know where you are going, you will go nowhere. The fact is, you can’t predict the future. Rather, your goal should be to capitalize on each cycle. ”
Immelt’s words remind us that we must have passion and purpose in our lives. Without passion and purpose, we will stagnate. We will go nowhere. Simultaneously, this world is fascinatingly complex and unpredictable. Therefore, we must have more than merely goals. Having goals is very good, but with those goals our passion and purpose must liberate us to make strategic, smart adjustments along the way to–as Immelt describes it–capitalize on each cycle. This means that we might change our approach or our goals along the way, and that’s okay.
We must be nimble fishers dancing on the deck as we bounce along stormy seas. Our ocean is less certain today than it has ever been. However, for those who learn how to dance on the deck, it paradoxically can become more certain than it has ever been. Will you dance?
