In or around 1994, I had an incredible experience working as a management consultant. I got to work with 21 international up-and-coming executives who had been sent to the U.S. by their CEO for three months to learn how to do business “like Americans.”
There were two people leading the project. A vice president in charge of it, and me, the junior grunt making it all happen. I got to lead the show most of the time. It was a confidence building and remarkable period of time in my professional life. I walked away truly believing I could tackle just about anything; primarily because the VP in charge was such a strong leader that he allowed me the safety net to operate that way.
The project provided a combination of classroom lessons, individual project work, and most importantly, traveling around the country learning experientially from some of the U.S.’s more notable innovative businesses at the time. The one that made the biggest impact on me should come as no surprise. Even twenty years ago, Apple took a bite out of my universe.
Alan Kay is famous for being one of the fathers of object-oriented programming, coining the phrase, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it” and a host of other impressive accomplishments. He was an Apple Fellow at the time of our visit and our host for the day. He sat casually and talked to us about Apple’s approach to innovation. I was blown away.
The most memorable piece, I remember, was him telling us that at some point in the future, we would all be reading digitally. Books in print would be largely diminished, and the need for students to be hauling large textbooks around, etc. would disappear. I listened in wonder. And then it came true. Every time I open my iPad to read, I think of Alan Kay, the wizard who predicted the future, and then helped to invent it.
We all might not be as prophetic as Alan Kay to invent the future that will change the world. However, I believe we all have within us the ability to predict the future we want to create for ourselves. We will live what we aspire to drive towards. And contrary to what my entitled to my younger generation friends are going to learn in the not-to-distant future, nothing is handed to us. We need to envision what we want for ourselves. Clearly. And then determine how to get there. And ask for help if needed. But we can’t achieve it unless we have a very clear view of what we are headed towards.
It is up to us to invent the future we predict for ourselves. I've already predicted mine. Time to get to work inventing it.
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