The Storms We Imagine

Hello, and happy Monday.

Words to Navigate by: “People rarely resist change because of what they know. They resist change because of what they don’t know and begin to imagine.” — The Captain’s Log

The Captain’s Chart

Last week, I invited you to stand with me on the shoreline. It’s an interesting place.

Behind us lies familiar ground… comfortable, predictable, and well known to us.

Ahead however, stretches an expansive, and sometimes stormy ocean, disappearing beyond the horizon… well beyond what we currently know.

Before we’ve even found a ship to take us on the next leg of our journey, and stepped onto the boat, something remarkable begins to happen.

Our imagination quietly takes the helm and begins filling in missing spaces on the map. - Bryan Yager

We envision rough seas. We imagine hidden rocks beneath the surface. Maybe even pirates along the route.

We wonder whether storms are waiting just beyond the horizon and how bad they will be.

Rarely do we spend equal time imagining favorable winds, unexpected discoveries and hidden treasures, or the beautiful shoreline waiting beyond the horizon.

Perhaps that’s one of the greatest challenges of change… isn’t it?

We naturally magnify what could go wrong while minimizing what could go right.

Today, I see this same pattern almost every day as people talk about Artificial Intelligence.

Some conversations begin with excitement.

Many begin with fear.

• Will jobs disappear?

• Will people become less valuable?

• Will technology replace human creativity?

Those are legitimate questions. But they’re only one side of the horizon.

What if A.I. also frees us from routine work allowing us to spend more time solving problems, building relationships, and creating value?

What if it becomes less of a replacement… and more of a remarkable partner?

Technology is changing rapidly; but so is the lens through which we choose to view it.

The same is true of nearly every significant change we face.

• A promotion

• A new career

• A move to a different city or country

• The loss of someone we love

• A changing organization

Long before we experience the future… we imagine it!

And too often our imagination magnifies the height of the waves and the darkness of the sky.

As leaders, we certainly shouldn’t ignore real risks.

Good captains study the weather… but they don’t let every cloud convince them to stay in port.

They prepare for storms and they respect the sea.

But they also refuse to let imagined storms keep them tied safely to the dock.

“Ships are safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” - John Shedd

I’ve come to believe that one of the most important leadership skills is learning to distinguish between possible and probable.

• Possible problems deserve our attention.

• Probable opportunities deserve it too!

The next time you find yourself standing on the shoreline of change, pause and ask yourself:

Am I reacting to what I know…or to what I’m imagining?

Until next Monday… Keep your eyes on the horizon.

Sincerely,

Bryan Yager

PS:

A Personal Note

Over the next several months, I’d like to invite you on a different kind of journey.

Many of my upcoming Monday Morning Minute articles will become the foundation for my next book, No Land in Sight, Navigating Change for Work & Life .

As such, I will welcome your feedback. You can help me make each concept and chapter the very best.

What ideas and concepts did you like, Which did you not like? How would you make them better? I will be grateful for your ideas.

Together, we’ll explore how we navigate change, uncertainty, and opportunity, both at work and in life.

I hope you’ll come along for the journey.

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From the Captain’s Log: The Storms We Imagine

• “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” – Peter Drucker

• “Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” — Dan Zadra

• ” In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” — Eric Hoffer

• “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters—one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” — Commonly attributed to John F. Kennedy, but this interpretation is linguistically disputed.

• “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor E. Frankl

• “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill