I received an email from the new President of Ohio Wesleyan University, Rock Jones. In it, he praised the institution, its current students, alumni and professors. He also spoke about the future challenges of the school in the following excerpt:
"I recently received a nugget of wisdom from Paul Schimmel
'62. Paul suggested that evolution is not about survival of the fittest;
it is about survival of the most adaptable".
Rock Jones, President Ohio Wesleyan University
Adaptable, flexible, malleable, pliant...look at the people you know and the companies that are successful. They exude this quality, right?
Seth Godin wrote in his blog about the failure of the NYTimes. He states that the paper has some of the best writers and the greatest reputation but failed to adapt to the changing needs of today's readership.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, so is being on the outside looking in. Take some time and assess yourself. Look at your past successes and past failures. What do they have in common? Lose the qualities you don't need or want any longer. Strenghten the ones that will take you into the future. But first you must have some insight on what the future will bring, so read about the best and the brightest in your field, talk to them if possible. Ask how technology is impacting what you do? What does the typical customer demographic look like and what are their needs/wants. Take an educated guess and prepare yourself for the next generation of work. It won't be the same as we've known it. Adapt to survive.
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