Sustaining success is THE greatest challenge
for our generation. Every generation has taken on some great cause and left its
mark on history. In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s our ancestors took on the challenge of
the Great Depression and World War II and guided us through an extraordinary advance
in education. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s wise and courageous people took on the
issues of civil rights and have generated
extraordinary progress in creating greater
opportunities for more people just in my lifetime
alone. Over the past thirty years a technological revolution has allowed people around
the globe to communicate with each other in real time and advanced our lives in
countless ways. During that same time advances in medicine have significantly increased
the average life span and the quality of life for millions of people.
However, throughout the centuries we still have not figured out how to sustain
our successes and build on them. We operate as though age-old myths dictate our
decisions. We've been told forever that for every
up there must be a down and that success is cyclical and beyond our control. We
seem to think that improving our performance and results in a sustainable way is a
foolish, idealistic notion.
But why have we given in so easily? Why can't we make the central focus of
this generation as the search for ways to build on past successes and increase
momentum toward our desired outcomes? This is just as important for individual and small
group success as it is for organizations and for
the society as a whole. |
