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Turbulence Ahead

By Joey Havens

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It’s my son Brandon’s 40th birthday, and CeCe and I are heading to Las Vegas with him and his wife Margie to celebrate. We have tickets to see Garth Brooks and James Taylor and some excellent dining experiences lined up.  

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot announces that we should remain in our seats, seat belts fastened, as we will be experiencing some moderate turbulence as we continue the climb to our cruising altitude of 39,000 feet. I am never sure why they tell us how high we are off the earth; that never comforts me. Ha! 

As he finishes his announcement, I gaze back down at my notes for my upcoming keynote presentation on changing our mindsets for future success. The parallels between our flight to Las Vegas and our journey in an exponentially changing world are eerily similar. 

The pilot on the flight into the future would be making a similar announcement. “Please stand steadfast in your roles, buckle up tight with resiliency as we will be experiencing constant turbulence as we continue our acceleration into warp speed of change and transformation.”

That announcement might make us feel a little uncomfortable about our future journey – just like the turbulence at 39,000 feet does for me. But unfortunately, we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We are in an exponential world, and the changes in our work and personal lives will be unlike anything we have experienced. 

Every organization, team, and team member will experience moderate and heavy turbulence over the next 10 to 15 years. Resiliency — the ability to recover quickly from adversity — will be the distinctive attribute of teams that excel. Resiliency starts with a strong sense of belonging and a common purpose, all supported by a workplace culture that is people first.   

CeCe, put your seat belt back on…

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