It Is Coming! The most exciting era we have ever seen!, by Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE

Where were you 25 years ago (1970)? What were you doing? What was your life like? How much did you know about life and business and relationships? Who did you know? How well connected were you? What credentials did you have? How high was your self confidence level?

Reread those questions for a moment. Pause to think about your answers.

Now think about where you have been since then. What have you experienced? Where have you traveled? Who have you met? What skills and knowledge have you ac quired? How much more do you know than you knew back then? Do you realize what this means?

This means that your future is virtually unlimited! If you had today's knowledge and skills back then, by now you would be phenomenally successful by comparison. Mil lions of us grew into adults in an era where the world was dominated by the cold war. The technology of automobiles, airplanes, word processors and televisions led society's growth, and the dominant thinking about business was still mostly mechanis tic. We saw business as a machine designed to produce money.

Today we live in a world that is dominated by the Internet and satellites. There is no looming atomic disaster nor "evil empire" to fear. And society is becoming so con nected electronically and otherwise that we can't afford to war with each other lest we bomb our own branch offices. The technology is exploding and everyone has a personal computer and a fax machine. Genetic research and biotechnology is revolutionizing medicine. The dominant thinking today is that people are the essence of a business. Organizations are seen as organisms. It gets even better.

Throughout history the turn of a century has produced abundant breakthroughs in technology, psychology, philosophy and social interaction. One hundred years ago we had only begun to hear of automobiles; didn't even expect the invention of an airplane. Trains and telegraphs were how we got together and there was no interstate highway system or sophisticated public education system. Most of us didn't have electric lights, indoor plumbing or radios. And we grew our own food.

Now we are entering a new century with all the conveniences our ancestors dreamed about and then some. The information highway (satellites, personal computers, cellu lar telephones, televisions and more) is only now being constructed. We are at a point like we were just before the 48 states and Canada were linked with a supernetwork of good four lane roads. Our kids are computer literate to the point that it intimidates us. Europe is opening her borders, the Pacific Rim is growing new abilities daily, the Berlin Wall is down, South Africa is healing its wounds, and information is available to virtually everyone. We know more about healthcare than ever. Fitness is a popular pastime. We are living longer and being more productive than ever. Diversity is now valued and encouraged. We are beginning to accept each others differences as assets rather than liabilities. Sure, there are problems too, but let's keep them in perspective with all the good that's going on.

I was born on the opening day of the Baby Boom (1946-1964). I, and a few hundred thousand others, was born in the fall of 1946 as "Johnny came marching home." The day I was baptised at our local church in Little Rock, Arkansas I was one of almost fifty babies being christened. The churches, nurseries and playpens of the free world were full of kids like me. Even President Clinton was one of them. (He and I are the same age and grew up in Arkansas at the same time.)

The leadership being felt from our generation has only just begun to unfold. The fruits of the Baby Boom are now having a major impact in the world this time it is for the positive. By the year 2000 it will dominate the business world. By then the leading edge of us will be 54 years old and in the prime of our earning years.

Regardless of your current age, barring any surprises, you will become older. Considering what you know and where you are today, can you see some of the great possi bilities unfolding for you? I sure can. Even with limited health, people can do more today than 25 years ago. Buildings, curbs, signs, and services are being converted to access for all people. Businesses can be run from our homes. A wheelchair is seen as transportation rather than weakness. Books and news are being recorded for the visually impaired and the public's acceptance of personal limitations is greater than at anytime in history.

So what qualities do you need to cultivate in order to maximize this era of opportunity and gain your share of the abundance now being created? Amazingly relatively few. You won't have to become a "techno-whiz" nor a voracious reader in order to keep up. In fact "keeping up" is a thing of the past. Information grows too fast for anyone to be on top of everything. Staying connected will be the key. We must be in contact with people and in the flow of information. That is the only way we can hope to be exposed to enough information to determine which among it we should pay attention to. Alvin Toffler told us decades ago in his book Future Shock that in this coming era, we will need to re-learn: how to learn, how to relate and how to choose. He was absolutely right.

Learning is done through multiple intelligences and on many levels by all people today, no longer just the young. Adult education is a multibillion dollar industry and growing. We relate to each other with more respect for age, culture and gender differences. We build our relationships via electronic means more often than face to face. And we are presented with so many options in all areas of life that choosing well has become a key life skill.

I predict that the following list of skills will be the core of what it takes to have a great new era:

A tolerance for ambiguity. Not everything makes sense. Sometimes the answer to "which?" is "both."

The habit of staying in touch. If you are not in the game, you can't be one of the winners. Woody Allen said, "90% of success is just showing up."

A generic curiosity. It is more important to know what to wonder about than it is to just know.

A clear sense of what you care about. Choosing well depends on knowing a good choice when you see one.

An unending exploration of your own nature. Your greatest growth will come from your natural abilities. Peter Drucker said, "Know your strengths. The Important thing is to know what you are good at."

A desire to make life better for others. Generosity works, not greed. Only the givers die with a peaceful smile on their faces, because they lived that way too.

The willingness to do more than you are paid to do. Nothing advances until somebody does more than they have to.

And, maybe most important of all,

An optimistic outlook; faith that more good will come than bad and that, what ever happens, you can handle it.