There’s a trick buried in today’s title. So many of us spend
our lives finding answers to problems, questions and enigmas. So few of us give
much thought to defining the right questions to ask. The latter leads to
research and discovery. Those results not only answer the carefully crafted
questions, but they lead to formation of additional questions, more research
and an unlimited array of progress going into the future.
Unbridled seeking of answers begins with the right
questions.
My consulting career came to this conclusion early on. Most
of my clients asked how they could succeed in specific ways in the near term. I
counseled focusing on the long term to more properly guide their progress
forward.
Who did they wish to be in 10 years or 20? What would their
industry look like then? What currents
of change would alter their industry? How reliable were those currents of
change? Would they be replaced by other agents of change, too? Would a
revolutionary shift in methods, outcomes, even services and products replace
everything they know today?
Heady questions? You bet! But they need to be asked if
we are certain that we are on the journey of being the best business model in
the market. That’s what builds success. Long term success. This commitment to
the long term prepares us for being alert to what changes we need to adapt to
and adopt as well. Being knowledgeable in these matters will make adjusting to
the short term a snap.
Short term investments in long term visions build success.
It doesn't work in reverse, however. Short term investments for short term
results spends a lot of money for little payback in the long run. Only if we
can use long term what we are investing in today do the results warrant the
expense. A new computer system today will produce the capability tomorrow to
adapt to new products and services. It will even create the new products and
services. Just remember the transistor. It caused a revolution to occur in
nearly every industry. So too their products and services.
I remember desiring a quality turntable for my stereo
system. I recall spending premium dollars on stylus and premium head cartridge.
Then it was a heavily weighted turntable that had superb motors that were
governed precisely for replay speeds.
Remember those days? We spent fortunes to get sparkling
sound reproduction. Then came tape decks and cassette players, and finally today’s compact disks. I have yet to find a better reproduction method than CD's
and their players. Of course there are
the speakers, and the resulting quest for the best of those!
Technology has changed much of the hardware and software of
our lives. We no longer speak over wired phones, or wired networks. The devices
are wireless over Wi-Fi networks. Speed of light transmissions make our
communications girdle the globe in a nanosecond. So too our TV transmissions
and viewing. The transistor opened Pandora’s Box of technology -- the good and the bad! And it was an
outcome of research to support military and space activities by the federal
government.
Technology has revolutionized automobiles, too. Sound
systems. Safety features (brakes, transmissions, back-up cameras, lane
encroachment signals, front and rear encroachment signals with responding
braking power, electronically controlled ignitions, heating and air
conditioning systems, door locks, power windows – the list goes on and on.
Hands free phones as well as emergency communications in case of accident
(impact originates call, or you do depending upon circumstance), directions by
phone, automotive diagnoses by computer and phone, as well as GPS and its the
related services.
The cars we drive today are technological wonders. And that
doesn't even address materials engineering that strengthen the car while reducing
its weight for fuel efficiency and auto pollution controls. Hybrid propulsion
models are yet another technological advance we take for granted.
All of this is a result of research and follow-up research
begun for different purposes.
What about medical advancements? That’s a whole different
area of inquiry and discovery American technology has tackled and continues to
do so. Much better diagnostic tools, patient care, and health tracking systems
to monitor ups and downs. So much is now deliverable in our homes than in
hospitals. So much more is available long distance to areas with sparse
clinics, specialties and hospital care. So much technology with so much far
reaching results.
Imagine the world with or without technology. Imagine your
family or personal life with or without it. And now imagine your career
organization or firm with or without that technology.
What other aspects of operations will change overnight or
over the long term? How might it impact your life and career?
Finding the right questions is at the heart of all research
and learning. It is also the first step in discovering the right answers. Any
answers!
February 3, 2015
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