“I said that more people in more places can now compete, connect, and collaborate with equal power and equal tools than ever before.”

~Thomas L. Friedman

What is perspective? Per Dictionary.com, it is “the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship”. I have always felt that developing one’s perspective requires gaining as many different viewpoints as one can, whether through discussions with others, exposure to different kinds of people through various forms of media, or through one of my favorite means – good old fashioned reading.

Recently, at our AT&T Business Summit, we had an opportunity to hear from Thomas Friedman. Yep, the Thomas Friedman – three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, author, and New York Times columnist. Truth be told, I am an avid fan (that’s probably a massive understatement). Each of his books helped reframe and shape my perspective – whether it was “From Beirut to Jerusalem” or “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century” or “That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back”. Through each of his works, I’ve relished Tom’s thoughtful and thought-provoking perspectives on the world around us.

I’d venture to say that our customers at Summit also found his views, attitude, and outlook intriguing on multiple levels. Discussing the themes highlighted in his most recent book, “Thank You for Being Late: Finding a Job, Running a Country, and Keeping Your Head in an Age of Accelerations”, Tom talked about the fact that we all need to think “without the box”. His perspective is that “later is officially over” and whatever needs to be saved, done or acted upon needs to be completed NOW.

Tom’s points about living in the age of acceleration are compelling and highlight the fact that we exist in a realm we’ve never been in before. In fact, he states that our world has gone from flat to fast to smart to deep…and that it will continue to accelerate – where things we thought of as science fiction just 5 years ago are now becoming a reality. In fact, he asserts that we across societies are no longer simply interconnected but rather interdependent with each other.

So, what does it take to be successful – to not just survive but thrive? Tom believes the combination of resilience and propulsion are the most important characteristics – and that it is no longer the smartest or strongest that survive, rather it is those who are most adaptable. This profound observation—that the forces and characteristics of Mother Nature are today also completely apropos and applicable to Humanity—is intriguing and insightful. 

Whether you’re a fan of his work or not, whether you agree with his points of view or don’t, I’d venture to say that at a minimum your perspective will be impacted by Tom’s ideas. What do you think? Sometimes listening to others helps to solidify our own views or, perhaps, to give us a new way of looking at things.  Our perspectives can and should grow, evolve, and ebb and flow – especially if we’re spending time with others, whether they be customers, partners, or colleagues.

No doubt, I feel fortunate to have spent some time with Tom. And for sure, I’m better for having had the opportunity to do so. The power of perspective - indeed!