A few weeks ago, I was at an HR conference when a speaker said something that has become a bit of a broken record in my head: “The pace of change will never be as slow as it is today.” Wow. Let that sink in.
Lately, I’ve found myself asking this question, “Am I just turning into an old curmudgeon complaining about the pace of change (especially looking at you, AI) and how the world has gone mad, or has the world actually gone mad? When I ask my peers, the answer is immediate: “Nope. You’re not imagining it. The world has gone mad.”
But when I think about my adult kids and the younger generation entering the workforce, I realize they’ve lived their entire lives in a world where technology was everywhere, and change was constant. They weren’t latchkey kids. They didn’t spend hours entertaining themselves outside. They didn’t sit through endless family road trips with no screens, no phone, nothing to do except fight with your sibling who crossed the invisible line in the backseat. They’ve always known rapid change, especially rapid change in technology.
So maybe both things are true. Change really is happening faster than ever AND many of us feel it more acutely because we remember a time when life just moved a little slower. And here’s the thing, if today feels fast, and this is the slowest it’s ever going to be, then we probably need to get more comfortable with and find ways to thrive in change… and maybe complain a little less.
That said, full disclosure, I actually love change. I love new ideas. I love making sense out of chaos. I just reserve the right to complain about it every now and then. It’s both scary and exciting how rapidly AI and current events are impacting our industry. How about you? What’s changing so fast in your world that you either love or could happily live without?