Yesterday's Thinking Won't Solve Today's Problems

I was in a training session this week and it fired me up. I'm not sure that I heard anything new. So...I found myself asking...if none of this material is new to me...what is causing me to be so excited about what I am re-learning?

Two things came to mind. First, I'm not the same person I was when I first learned this material. In fact, the material I learned is more pertinent in my life today than ever before. Therefore, the excitement I was feeling was due to the merging of quality material, timeliness of the class/content and my immediate need/appetite to apply what I was re-learning.

Second, it occurred to me that I had become 20 pounds heavier than I wished I was. How could that be? I ate good meals last year. I worked out last year. Why aren't I still in good shape? Well, like all things in life, repetition is the mother of learning. Last year's workouts and habits will not keep me fit today.

Yesterday's thinking won't solve today's problems. 2016 political strategies aren't likely to win a 2020 election. 2016 harassment of women is not likely to be met with silent acceptance in 2020. The world has changed.

How can we expect our leadership, communication and influencing skills to stay "fit" and strong if we aren't intentionally and constantly attending to them?

That begs the question...if the internet has changed everything...if Google, Amazon, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok have changed our culture forever...what is your plan to evolve, sharpen and strengthen your skills.

As I realized this week....the answer isn't to rely on training, coaching, mentoring from 20 years ago. The answer was to stay intentional about my personal and professional evolution. Change with the times. Revisit my development plan. Revisit my list of books, mentors, coaches and advisors. What do I need to re-learn, re-habituate and re-institute and/or just flat-out learn in order to be the most effective leader I can be?

I know my answer. What is yours?