Review 2016 and Preview 2017

Review 2016 and Resolutions for 2017

There is a flurry of New Year Resolutions in the month of January, mostly of the kind that are meant to be broken. On a similar note, there are a spate of reviews in the last few days of December, just as we look forward to Review 2016 in a matter of days.

Invariably, we get the feeling each year that more happened this year than any other in recent history and time seemed to have developed speedier wings. Review 2016 seems to quite instinctively fall into line. And yet, we get into the “resolutions are meant to be broken” mode in January itself.

Look Ahead or Look Back?

An old Danish proverb points out that “it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future”. Similarly, if we have to put New Year Resolutions in the context of likely scenario in 2017, let us not try and predict the future but instead look back and learn from Review 2016.

As we get into flashback mode, the implications start becoming more obvious. We are living in a VUCA world that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. The next wave of digital innovations is disrupting all industries and all quarters of society. Brexit, Trump and Demonetization in the latter half of the year made us realize that uncertainty is the only certainty in these times.

Review 2016

So, as we get into the New Year Resolutions mode in a few days’ time, it is time to learn some lessons from contemporary history aka Review 2016.

As I sit back and introspect on the year that is ready to bid us adieu, I realize that a lot has happened and the world has been changing at a dramatic pace. Admittedly, in some cases, the changes are on expected lines but the quantum of change has taken everyone by surprise. In some other cases, the unexpected turn of events have left the world in a state of shock.

I have been drawing up my own list to complete Review 2016 from my limited professional vantage point. My own year is certainly a reflection of the times that we live in. It also reminds us that serendipity and circumstances play a significant role in shaping our lives.

The roller coaster year pulsated with the excitement of Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Analytics, Learning, Startups, writing and speaking, milestones and awards. The list is very exciting  and I look forward to sharing more details about Review 2016 in the coming days.

Even though it is difficult to predict the future, I believe we can reflect on Review 2016 to calibrate our 2017 plans.

Seizing the Opportunity

Review 2016 taught us that uncertainty is the greatest certainty of our times. In the context of planning for the next year in such times, I cannot but remember Shakespeare’s words:

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

Hope you enjoy reading my memoirs in this series of Review 2016. More importantly, hope you find some elements to help pivot your plans.

Wish you good luck for making the best of the tide in 2017 !