'The Importance of Staying Relevant.'

Greetings and welcome to the seventh edition of my new newsletter. In each issue I hope to share a brief article about a stranger, a place, and idea, or all three at the forefront of innovation. I will also share a book worth reading and a quote to get you thinking about the real keys to innovation and business success.

This newsletter is meant to be a short read – a quick burst of ideas and insights to get you and your colleagues to stretch your thinking and action.

The Importance of Staying Relevant

We owe a lot to the Greeks. In fact, folks like Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Hippocrates, Homer, Pythagoras, Archimedes, and even Alexander the Great have left an enduring mark on our world and how we think about the things that matter most. Three pillars of Western philosophy, a renowned physician, an epic poet, the guy who invented a theorem named after him that included a hypotenuse, a rock star mathematician and inventor, and one of the most famous military strategists ever. People who made a difference, propelled western civilization to new heights, and even pioneered “active listening” before it was a thing. 

But in the “what have you done for me lately” category, the most compelling Greek names today appear to be Fage and Chobani – the two leading purveyors of “Greek” yogurt. Fage is Greek, though the company now operates in Luxembourg. But Chobani is the creation of Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish Kurdish businessman operating in the United States. Both saw the production of this creamier and higher protein delight as the way to build a business and re-energize a slightly tired category of food. Through their entrepreneurial efforts, Greece is once again relevant.

Of course, there’s a lot more to Greece today than simply yogurt. It is a wonderful place to live and visit, the Aegean Sea and all the Greek islands are spectacular, the cuisine is delicious and healthy, the ancient ruins are amazing, and the lifestyle could make us all slow down quite a bit if we were willing. But returning from Greece I couldn’t help thinking that the country’s was not quite as relevant as it should be.

It turns out that relevance is vital to business success and the success of places. Fail to remain relevant, to keep up with the times, and we become less meaningful in peoples’ eyes. It’s why most of us use Uber today instead of a taxi, many of us choose to stay at an Airbnb instead of a hotel when traveling, and smartphones and apps have become our go-to means for buying tickets, getting around, and doing almost all our banking. And soon, if not already, an increasing amount of the work happening behind the scenes to remain relevant will be done by AI.

We all need to be relevant to survive and prosper. This means paying attention to the world around us, having the right understanding of where customers are hoping to get to, learning new things, having the right appreciation for all the new tools and technologies that are transforming the world around us, and simply being curious about new ideas and new possibilities including better making better yogurt based on a 2,500-year-old Greek tradition that was first described by Herodotus, another brilliant Greek. 

A Book Worth Reading…

Adam Grant, the renowned author of “Give and Take,” “Originals,” and “Think Again” is out with a new book that is worth our attention and, in an important way, all about being relevant. In “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things,” Grant shares some of the latest thinking and his own gift for storytelling to show us that we can all accomplish more than we ever thought possible. Sure there are people with great talents, but our talents can be discovered, developed, and applied to making a real difference and remaining relevant.

A Quote Worth Thinking About…

We often associate the American president, Abraham Lincoln, with the “Emancipation Proclamation” and the “Gettysburg Address.” In fact, many of us were asked or should I say required to memorize the latter in school. But here is another quote from Lincoln that rings true today in thinking about the importance of staying engaged and relevant: 

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Stay engaged, learn new things, and make the most of every day. It is an accessible and powerful way to stay relevant in a world moving super-fast.world moving super-fast.