Jim Johnson talked about civic entrepreneurship this evening. A couple of points hit me as especially relevant right now. First is the notion that most organizations, and most managers and leaders, are in a fog bank right now. It is difficult for most people to clearly see beyond what is right in front them.
Organizations that can find some clarity, that can see ahead instead of focusing right in front of them, will be at a great advantage. Some organizations will be stopping on the side of the road (try not to rear-end them as you go by).
Second is that even in the fog, some things are predictable. To deal with the unexpected, you have to be flexible and lucky. But some things are completely expected. There's no excuse for ignoring the obvious.
Demographics provides a great example. Your workforce is aging. The first baby boomer, Jim said, turned 62 on January 1st this year. That leading edge of the boom generation hits retirement age in three short years, 2011. Are you prepared? Are new leaders and managers being identified and prepared in your organization? Are systems and incentives being put in place to recruit the new workers you will need? Are systems and incentives being developed to retain the baby boomers that you want to stick around a while longer, even though they might be more expensive and less able to read small print and zip around the internet? Or is the organization focused on more immediate concerns?
One team tonight said they wanted to design a business plan to sustain an effort that is currently being maintained by grant funding. They know that grant funding, like an aging cohort of workers, eventually goes away.
The entrepreneur does two things that might seem at odds: one, see clearly what is really happening now , and two, see what could happen, even if it is completely different.
--Steve Orton
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