Being in the events industry for a few years now, I have had many discussions with clients about speakers that they invite - particularly economists & futurists. They always say the same thing to me: they specifically look for speakers that are optimistic about the future and speak positively about tomorrow.
Yet the reality of it all is that many signs are showing that Europe is facing its worst year in recent years, India and China are slowing down and predicting their worst year in a decade and America faces another year of uncertainty. So the only ‘known’ is not looking good.
Recently I was trying to find out what the differences are between pessimists and optimists. I came up with this formula:
“Pessimists get it right more often because they can see the world in its current form. Optimists can see the world the way it can become. So, pessimists will never change the world, only optimists can”
The world is changing so fast and you need a map that can guide you and give you the flexibility of change. We need to speak into the uncertainty of today and change our pessimistic view to an optimistic one of positive future growth.
Below are 5 pillars to start 2012 optimistically.
- Anticipation - knowing what’s coming so you can take advantage of it…
- Reacting – Building systems for stronger resilience and better crisis management
- Product - Continuous improvement strategies in service and product
- Marketing – World class marketing and leveraging off industry best practice
- Innovation – Being ahead of the rest and creating encouraging environments insures a sustainable future.
I’m excited and optimistic about the next financial year and know that teams of optimistic people will ensure long term growth, greater productivity and will prove that together, optimistically, we can change the world.
