GET BETTER, DO IT FASTER

The papers are currently full of New Year Resolutions and sagacious reflections by commentators on the apocalypse that they claim to have foreseen (despite their wonky predictions earlier in the year). 20:20 hindsight is widespread as is the existence of people regarding two data points as an unstoppable trend. Time to let it all go as the lyrics of the animated film “Frozen” suggested:
“And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back; the past is in the past!
Let it go, let it go.”

Resolutions first:-

Resolution 1: As the endless scoops of Stilton, mince pies, Stollen, paté and glasses of claret had their impact on my waistline I remarked I was beginning to look like Jabba the Hut. Rather than disagreeing with me my wife looked at me smiling and said:

“Well yes, you do have a bit of a paunch.”
Hideous word “paunch”…. so month one of 2017 is an austerity diet for me. In 30 days I shall be paunchless.

Resolution 2: In a paperless society I seem to be creating more paper than ever and generally have more “stuff” than I need, use or want. So I’m going to employ a Brighton variant of the “KonMari Method” from the best-selling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever” by Marie Kondo. This would, if rigorously applied, drain the blood from my life but I intend just to leach myself of the garbage I’ve assembled and let it go.

I think two resolutions are quite enough. These are achievable and demand focus.

So here’s my vision of a lithe, tidy me embarked on a positive journey and concentrating on intensive non-stop debate. I’ve been reading a book - “The Innovator’s DNA” by Messrs Dyer, Gregersen and Christensen. I’m determined to spend the first 31 days of 2017 getting fit and then making my life and that of those around me better, more inspiring and more creative. I want to refresh my thinking and theirs.

In that regard 2016 was awful. We took positions rather than debating issues. We got obsessed with behaving like lemmings (“the people have spoken. Let’s stop talking; let’s do something”.)

Too often in the past the word “strategy” has seemed to be used to slow things down and exclude all but the brightest from the debate. Let’s define strategy as a “simple plan for success”. At least let’s try to agree what we want our world to look like and work out how to achieve that goal. As the greatest business leader in living memory, one-time CEO and Chairman of GE, Jack Welch said  (GE turn over $140 billion so they’re significantly huge):-

“Control your own destiny or someone else will.”

That’s it. Thinner, fitter, tidier, more argumentative and determined to hold on to values that matter and make a difference. As a start to 2017 that seems about right.

Bring it on - this could be fun.