The times they are a-changin’.

What comes to mind when you think of the word “change”? Ripe underwear? Time to dump the boyfriend? Robert wants to become Roberta? Effects of global warming? Bernie Sanders? Women in combat roles?

Change at the speed of life.

The 21st century is a maelstrom of change—24/7 access to goods and services, multitasking, microwave meals in minutes, stock trades in seconds, eye shadow applied at 70 mph, video on demand, and everybody wants everything now (if not sooner). Today, all manner of technological, cultural, social, geo-political, and economic change influences who we are, how we think, and what we do. And the rate that change is occurring is accelerating.

The future ain’t what it used to be.

Management theorist H. Igor Ansoff, known as the “father of strategic management,” thought a lot about change. Researching corporations and the managers who run them, Ansoff described what he called environmental turbulence. Turbulence measures the degree of changeability and predictability in an organization’s operating environment. If we cut through the mumbo jumbo, we discover that Ansoff’s concept explains why the world that young persons (Gen NeXt) face is increasingly less stable and more unpredictable:

1. Less stable:

• Complexity of our world. Globalization and the explosion of technology-related choices have significantly increased complexity. Nations like Japan and Germany are matching American production and consumption of technology. Developing countries like China and India are investing in the infrastructure to join the new economy. The world is being flattened, says Thomas Friedman (2007). To succeed, you must comfortably function within a world economy that is an interdependent system of people, products, and ideas.
• Relative novelty of change. New technologies obsolete existing ones. For example, the migration of music from vinyl records to 8-track tapes, cassettes, compact disks, computers, MP3 players, and iPods. Each represents a novel improvement over the previous generation and requires new equipment, protocols, and learning. The advent of cell phones, the Internet, and e-commerce have reshaped how we live our lives. To succeed, you’ll need to embrace a future that rewards continuous renewal and learning.

2. More unpredictable:

• Rapidity of change.  Increasingly, challenges and opportunities are evolving faster than our ability to avoid or capitalize on them. The term global village refers to the “shrinking” of time and space as air travel and electronic media have made it faster and easier for people to communicate. We find ourselves drowning in too much information, too much choice, and too much technology. To succeed, you need to prepare yourself for more job changes and skills obsolescence than your parents experienced.
• Visibility of the future. Opportunities favor those who respond decisively, but our view of the future is becoming increasingly fuzzy. You’ll find yourself having to plan for a future that is already happening, and with implications that are not clearly understood. To succeed, you must learn to use imperfect or untimely information and self-examine your present actions to ensure they are consistent with your long-term goals.

Be willing to change yourself!

Look in the mirror, all you paragons of perfection. Change traps are ways of thinking about change that increase risk and could cost you a bundle. For example, relying on your individual collection of stereotypes without questioning them clouds your thinking (framing trap). Allowing friends, peers, and other outsiders to unduly sway your choices rather than thinking for yourself (inertia trap). Or simply your own mental laziness (see: Hard work always pays off…).

Change requires you to learn, adapt, and renew. Fail to change and the constant churn can lead to anxiety and burnout—long-term emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion (see:  I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!). That can diminish interest, especially in one’s career. What happens then? You crash and burn. So, do something different today: aim high and THINK (you can thank me later).

* Questionable beliefs can “trap” our better judgment, leading to poor decisions and unintended consequences. Change traps reflect our preference to “not rock the boat” unless prompted by a crisis. Learn more about this, and other traps, in the Young Person’s Guide to Wisdom, Power, and Life Success.

Image credit: “Marine Capt. Katie Higgins, the first female Blue Angels pilot” by Lance Cpl. Olivia G. Ortiz, in the public domain, U.S. Marine Corps (2015).