These two images were apparently both taken in St. Peter’s Square, one in 2005 when Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, and the other in 2013 when Cardinal Bergoglio became Pope Francis. Honestly, these pictures could have probably been the exact same in 2007 and 2012, meaning only a 5 year difference. Businesses frequently work on their 5 Year Plan, carefully charting out the future of their company’s efforts and finances.
So… was this in your business plan?
Look at how people receive information, share information, and process information today versus even a few years ago. The iPad will be 3 years old in April of this year. Let that sink in. Remember when everyone scoffed and said “It’s too big, too small, can’t make phone calls, and isn’t a computer.” How’s that working out for you?
Business planning is a necessary endeavor, on many levels, but it’s clear we see far too many businesses writing their plans out for the future and ensuring they do everything they can to stick to them, even following them right into bankruptcy. “But it’s the plan!” you can almost hear management cry out… Certainly companies (and people) should not chase every new opportunity just because it’s there (FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, is equally detrimental as “sticking to the plan” in my opinion), but I watch many companies today completely ignoring the freight train of reality coming straight towards them. Kodak and Blockbuster (and perhaps Blackberry though there may still be a small chance for recovery/turnaround) are two great illustrations of the picture above being played out in reality and knocking these once dominant (even industry defining) companies out of existence.
And to the person in the foreground of this now widely circulated image, please do us all a favor, and stop taking pictures with your iPad. Thanks Tumblr.
*All image rights to their respective owners (Luca Bruno, Michael Sohn, AP, NBC). No copyright intended – this is just sharing*
Kevin Lavelle 