Today I got an email suggesting twenty-five things about to become extinct in America. Some were surprising only because they seemed to be already extinct: the milkman; drive-in theaters; mumps and measles. But also on the list were some long-standing staples of everyday life: the U.S. Postal Service, the Yellow Pages, and personal checks. It’s shocking to imagine them going away completely, yet the Internet age has rendered them obsolete and redundant.
As a team we have been discussing the same question leaders everywhere ask themselves: how will we adapt our structures, services and delivery to such a rapidly changing world? How will we develop leaders from the inside out—working at the personal level—when more and more of the world is impersonal, remote, and virtual? Despite any arguments that it can’t be done, the fact is that we must create new ways to provide powerful, relevant, results-producing coaching without being face-to-face with our clients. We must imagine new development modalities that will serve future leaders.
We’re exploring webinars, virtual meetings, weblogs and more. We are twittering, blogging and Facebooking. These modalities are likely a pre-cursor to the way we will stay connected, learn and develop in the future. We are listening to people who are imagining the future. Bob Johansen, from The Institute of the Future, has published a great book called, “Leaders Make the Future.” This is the challenge for us all. Will you wait to become extinct, or will you make for yourself a future where you can serve and offer your highest and best?
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