Are You Fundamentally Sound?

I am in flight to Miami this morning for a dinner keynote with area business leaders and the outstanding membership of GMSHRM.  During our Passion on Purpose program, we will be talking about trends in leadership, culture, engagement, performance and the future of work.

As part of my job I will attend 40+ conference and corporate events this calendar year.  In working with a variety of clients, meeting planners and bureau partners I have developed some insight into what makes a successful event.

Today people want an experience that is interactive. They expect the content to be actionable. Inspiration is ideal, but if it doesn’t include ideas that can be leveraged for impact it simply isn’t enough. Further, the content needs to be cutting edge and often customized to a specific set of business challenges.  Real time, relevant, now, new or next generation thinking is preferred. With the pace of change accelerating it is only natural for people to desire or demand some perspective on what lies ahead.

Makes sense.  I think intellectual curiosity is a tremendous advantage in this time of transition. However, the constant quest for what is cutting edge can also balance with reinforcement of the fundamentals. The things we know that work.  Things that seem like common sense.

Often it isn’t new information we need.  But rather adjustments in our approach, process and personal discipline that will produce the desired outcome.  Sometimes it simply comes down to effort and execution around the fundamentals. It pays to be strong at the core.

The fitness industry is a perfect example.  Burn off more calories than you take in. Exercise.  Eat right.  Drink water.  Get enough rest.  There it is.  Simple.  Common sense.  Information we already have.  It works.

Where I fall short with my fitness regimen (like many people I suppose) is my ability to execute on what I already know. It isn’t so much about the information, but rather a function of inadequate process and personal discipline.  I am traveling today with pretty significant back spasms as a result of throwing my back out over the weekend.  I know why it happened.  I wasn’t focused on the fundamentals.  My process was loose.  I wasn’t paying attention to my core strength.  Today, I am paying the price.

We all have to be ready to innovate and embrace change.  This is an incredible time of reinvention and recognition that tomorrow is going to look fundamentally different than today.  As we shift it is important to move forward with sound fundamentals in place.

You can evolve much more effectively when you are strong at the core.