Daily Inspiration: “Your ability to change direction is what will really define your direction!”

“Your ability to change direction is what will really define your direction!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

We become creatures of habit, prisoners of routine, captives to change aversion. And yet, accelerating change surrounds us. In that context, we’ve got to work harder than ever before to master our ability to change – not just one change, but relentless, continuous, non-stop change.

We might find ourselves going in one direction when suddenly the future demands we go in another direction. We might become comfortable with one particular path, when suddenly that path heads straight to a cliff, demanding that we instantly change course. We might follow one route with certainty, only to discover all of a sudden that all certainty has disappeared.

This is our reality, and need to make sure we can read the guideposts, recognize the signs, and understand the signals.

Many years ago, one client asked that I provide them a map for innovation, a structure that they could use to enhance their efforts at dealing with disruptive change. Thinking it through, I came up with my Trends & Innovation Feedback Loop. It’s worth a read!

Instilling innovation with the “trends and innovation feedback loop”

Taking a look at the map, it’s the final step – the “Rear View Mirror” – that you really need to master.

Here’s what that step suggests:

To complete the process, place yourself in a position of continuous re-examination of your innovation success. You must constantly re-evaluate what you’ve learned, what you’ve implemented, and how well it has worked. Use this process to enhance your understanding of how to be innovative, by changing your approach for the next round of the innovation loop.

In other words, your ability to change is a non-stop, continuous process, and requires constantly assessing where you’ve been in order to better determine where you should be going.

Navigate well!

Navigate fast!