Daily Inspiration: “Navigating today’s uncertain future is like doing backflips on a tightrope”

“Navigating today’s uncertain future is like doing backflips on a tightrope” – Futurist Jim Carroll

I was filming in the studio yesterday, and happened to glance at the news at one point – and saw that the market was down almost 1,000 points, before recovering somewhat.

The interesting thing was that I was filming a clip for my series, Notable Keynotes : Lessons in Leadership. This was one specifically about February and March 2009, when the CEO’s of both Burger King and Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) invited me in for a talk on how to stay focused on innovation and growth in volatile times.

Talk about karma!

You are deluding yourself if you think 2021 is going to be an easy year. There is still so much uncertainty about the pandemic; global economies have been propped up by the sugar-high of stimulus; the logistics any eventual vaccine are massively complex; certain nations are showing an immature ability to deal with reality, and so much more.

The impact of this is that volatility and uncertainty will rule your future, no matter what industry or profession you work within. To me, that is a fact, and an assumption that drives my actions.

If you accept that as a reality, then you have a choice – do you sink into doom and gloom, unable to move? Or do innovate, change and adapt in the context of that uncertainty, able to use your agility and flexible mindset to turn every twist and turn into an opportunity.

It should be pretty obvious where my mindset is. Where’s yours?

(Oh, and check the snazzy outfit! I decided to amp up the game in my home studio a bit!)