No Looking Back
It’s the disrupters who made a real impact on our business, our lives and the lives of others.
If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s to not spend too much time thinking about the past or patting ourselves on the back—there’s a huge laundry list of things left to accomplish and seemingly so little time.
So as the year comes to an end, I’d like to take a few seconds to reflect on what we accomplished this year…
3…2…1…
There, I feel better already. Now, back to business.
Let this sink in: “Build your capacity to embrace chaos.” It may sound negative at first, but it’s really about leadership and preparedness. Which segues into this month’s issue.
Let this sink in: “Build your capacity to embrace chaos.” It may sound negative at first, but it’s really about leadership and preparedness.
In the pages that follow, you’ll read about medical misdiagnoses and midterm election implications (I probably should have said chaos with a capital C), but you’ll also learn about the five individuals we’re adding to our list of Game Changers from the last century. They are all distinguished leaders and industry disrupters who made a real impact on our business and the lives of others. They built their respective capacities around the chaos of war, the sick and poor, and the academically underserved. They worked hard, set positive examples, displayed integrity and treated people with respect. They were true leaders.
I don’t believe people set out to be leaders. Leadership is an art, a science and luck all rolled into one. What drives leadership is the belief something should—and could—be better. Sometimes it’s making sense out of the chaos. Sometimes it’s seeing an opportunity that no one else can envision. And sometimes it’s just being at the right place at the right time.
There are common characteristics of leaders, which include vision, appetite for risk and a strong dose of self-awareness. But what sets apart each one of these Game Changers is the organizations they built or led or the causes they embraced. Both were shaped by their passion for the greater good. At the end of the day, their efforts resulted in real change and movement.
If you’re a subscriber to this magazine, you know the content within these pages is written for leaders, about leaders and about the impact they have on our industry. As Game Changer Bob Russell was known to say, “Be a dreamer, but keep your feet on the ground.”
Here’s to setting your sights high and making a difference.
From all of us here at The Council, best wishes for a happy and successful 2015.
