like yesterday or the past, which is why full dependence on this approach can be problematic. Why? Because many of today’s problems we face fully require going well beyond yesterday’s solutions. In fact, today we continue to face new and unanticipated challenges, and as they say, “What got us here, won’t get us there”, and I believe there is a lot of truth to this saying. This is why I admire and have learned to subscribe to the “Beginner’s Mindset” way of thinking articulated in Suzuki’s quote. If you lead with a beginner’s mind, you are not hampered by the predisposition of what has happened before. Instead, you are guided and focused on the unlimited possibilities of what could be - that is unknown to experiences of the past. For example - in 2020 COVID-19 ascended upon the world, gave us pause, and stopped everyone in their tracks. As time went on living with this new pandemic, we immediately realized old thinking would not help us successfully navigate this unprecedented and new reality. From hybrid classrooms, establishing a whole new set of business safety protocols and procedures, implementing tracking and tracing, and lastly trying to work, teach, entertain, and care for your children from home….let’s just say - our new way of living required new thinking. Simply put - COVID-19 took us to a beginner’s mindset way of thinking that drove new innovations (and re-thinking) across many industries and throughout our lives to counter and get through this unprecedented pandemic challenge. COVID-19 taught us the value and importance of new thinking, to seek lessons beyond the past, but to approach leading and problem solving with the inclusion of a beginner’s mindset - unbridled curiosity, and anticipation of what tomorrow could be. For example, early in my career, I was asked to lead a team to turn around a segment of business that was struggling with two series of product lines. Both series were experiencing increased market competitiveness, decreasing market share, revenue loss, and declining customer satisfaction. To tackle this problem, it was decided we would form two teams and assign each the responsibility to design, develop, and deliver a turnaround strategy for each business product. I was asked to lead one of the teams and below is a summary of
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