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Archives for August 2019
Daily Inspiration: “Challenge the unknown – with pinpoint precision!”
“Challenge the unknown – with pinpoint precision!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
There’s a lot we don’t know about the future – as a futurist, I can certainly tell you that with a lot of certainty!
Yet what you don’t know can definitely hurt you – and that’s a bit of a problem!
And so when it comes to the unknown, the challenge is how – and when – to act.
Obviously, standing still won’t work. Yet at the other extreme, actions that are too bold, too aggressive and too all encompassing can do you too much damage if things don’t run out the way you thought they would.
The key is finding some sort of middle ground.
How do you do that? It relates to a phrase I will often use on stage with my audience within a Q&A of an event – when I am asked about the accuracy of my predictions: “My job is not one of precision, but at least getting the aim right.”
You might have a lot of unknowns in your life, your business, your industry. The key is to at least be doing things – acting, innovating, changing, adapting – even if you aren’t sure of the final outcome. There are some trends with a high degree of certainty as to their eventual outcome; there are others that don’t offer such clarity.
An example? We *know* that in the long run, the majority of cars will be autonomous, electric, self-driving, different form factors. Pretty much everyone is in general agreement on that trend.
The biggest is – when, how, who? There’s a lot of uncertainty around those issues. But that doesn’t mean people & companies should stand still. Act – do – innovate!
There’s a phrase from Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ that has always inspired me : “Well you wore our your welcome with random precision.” It’s alluding to the challenges that founding member Syd Barrett faced with mental illness.
Yet I love the phrase ‘random precision.’ The very phrase is an absolute contradiction – and so too should the actions you follow each and every day as you deal with the great unknown!
That’s because while you might not know *exactly* what is going to happen, you’ll often have a pretty rough idea of the direction in which things are trending.
Your Motivational Monday Video Playlist!
Here’s a phrase I use on stage all the time – “Some people see the future and see a threat. Innovators see the same future and see an opportunity!”
Which person are you?
While you mull that answer, here’s a playlist of clips where I’m on stage around the world, speaking of the importance of your attitude towards the future!
Video: “Will you watch the future happen – or will you make the future happen?”
Daily Inspiration: “….Experiential capital is the new capital for the 21st century!”
“There’s no time to learn, to study, to plan. With that being your new reality, figure out what you don’t know, and do the things that are necessary to begin to know about it! Experiential capital is the new capital for the 21st century!” – #Futurist Jim Carroll
The quote is directly from my Web page, “The Reality of Disruption
(24 Reasons Why Your Company Might Die Before You Get Old)” https://disruption.jimcarroll.com
If you don’t know why the world around you is changing, and why your business and industry will be unrecognizable in 5 or 10 years, study the list!
Take a look at the final item – the quote above.
Where did it come from? Way back in 1999, twenty years ago, I began talking on stage about the idea of what I called “experiential capital.”
I crystallized it into a PDF I put together a few years later, “10 Unique Characteristics of 21st Century Skills” I pretty much nailed the future of talent management, as all of the trends in the PDF continue to accelerate today. Give it a read:
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One of those characteristics? This one!
Skills are Experiential.
One of the most important assets that a company can invest in is “experiential capital”—that is, the cumulative knowledge the company has generated through innovation, risk, failure and success. Boost that skills capability and you’ve done something that flows onto the bottom line
Simply put, my theory – and the reality today – is this: old knowledge is going out of date faster than ever before, and new knowledge is the key to success. Yet it is all happening so fast that it is almost impossible to learn about the things that you don’t yet know about.
You need to plan in the absence of clarity; you need skills that you don’t yet know exist.
How do you deal with this? By continually working with new projects, exploring new ideas, challenging your next frontier. You have a rough idea of what you need to learn about – chase it, don’t study!
Pursue experience, rather than knowledge & the knowledge will come!
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