All On New Ground

Perhaps this is always true, though it feels particularly so as we begin 2023: we’re all on new ground.?Economic headwinds are howling, geopolitical tensions are growing, and health concerns seem omnipresent. As businesses try to move beyond the impact of the pandemic, they’re faced with more uncertainty due to inflation and its impact on consumer spending. In the last year, I’ve seen timelines blow up due to supply chain disruptions and witnessed major and rapid shifts in available capital for startups. Even the mighty tech giants laid off thousands of employees. The optimism that often characterizes the new year seems a bit tentative to say the least.?

On a more positive note, many welcomed a return to in-person gatherings and parties that offered opportunities to reconnect over the holidays. Over the last few years, we’ve redefined what getting together means and most companies are now navigating what hybrid looks like for culture and collaboration. Most of us now have direct experience of the pros and cons of remote work and a return to what we once considered normal seems unlikely. Although societal shifts tend to be more evolutionary than revolutionary, we seem to be in the midst of several that are relatively seismic.?

Closer to home, the last year brought a number of personal and professional changes as well. I’ve heard many describe the rollercoaster-like ups and downs of 2022 and experienced much of the same. Illnesses lingered, friendships waned, and business contracts faltered. At the same time, health became an even bigger priority, important lessons were learned, and exciting new opportunities were created. On the whole, I became more aware of the risks and rewards of many decisions and more grateful than ever of resilient relationships and healing practices. It is true that the company is more important than the journey or the destination.?

One of my greatest mentors taught me that “everyone is a leader and every leader is in training.” Leadership demands that we expand our capacity, again and again, to confront the challenges in front of us. This is the call of the human spirit and, in spite of the many wicked problems we face, I am confident we will rise to meet them. In the classic Good to Great, Jim Collins recounts the paradox articulated by Admiral James Stockdale: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Thankfully, the facts are not all brutal and, though not without downside, businesses are also among our most significant catalysts for social, economic, and environmental change. We are indeed all on new ground. And there is lots of work to be done!?

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