Wayne Gretzky ?

If you're like me you might get tired of hearing business executives talk about Wayne Gretzky. 

"We can't be chasing the puck; we've got a skate to where the puck will be." I’m sure  you have heard it too. Skating to where the puck will be is the best known quote attributed to Wayne Gretzky.

If you are a younger person (a Millenial as you might be called), you might not know that Wayne Gretzky was a hockey player.  He made it to the hockey hall of fame.  Wayne Gretzky retired from playing ice hockey in 1999.  

HOW MUCH OF WHAT WE LEARNED IN 1999 APPLIES TO BUSINESS TODAY?

"Skating to where the puck will be" became a popular business phrase in the late 90s but I'm shocked that some executives are still using it today.

Unfortunately,  although that phrase may be good for ice hockey, BUSINESS IS NOT ICE HOCKEY. 

You see because ice hockey operates in a closed system, the puck has a well defined area in which it can travel.  The puck can only go so many places.  NO UNEXPECTED EXTERNAL FORCES CAN INFLUENCE THE TRAVEL OF THE PUCK.  Nothing can enter that ice area from the outside to alter the dynamics of the game. 

Business operates in an open system. Business does not operate within closed system defined boundaries.   Why are we still talking about Wayne Gretzky when our businesses operate subject to open system dynamics?

The New York Times published an interesting article regarding how the open, instant and transparent communications culture of Millenials (younger people) is challenging our top-down, fear based business organizations.

It's worth your time to read it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/jobs/embracing-the-millennials-mind-set-at-work.html?ref=technology

SOMETIMES

Sometimes I encounter job related stress from projects or people.  Maybe you do too.
Sometimes I need to de-stress just to keep going.  Maybe you do too.
So I was de-stressing the other day and it occurred to me .........

Sometimes my family thinks I am the source of our money.
Sometimes I remember the real source of my money is my employer.
Sometimes I remember the real source of my employer's money is my employer's customers.
Sometimes I remember their money really comes from their customers.

What a revelation ! ! !

Yesterday I bought something from a company who is a customer of a customer of my employer.
So if the above is true, yesterday I triggered an (albeit small) economic cycle which will soon reward me (albeit small).

You're reading this may not be helpful to you, but my writing it was helpful to me.

Apologies.