I am getting an increasing number of emails about the football situation at my alma mater. There are some things I like about Charlie Weis, there are some things I dont like but at the end of the day I am not really in a position to comment on his performance as coach. Except to say, his record is now worse than the previous two coaches who got fired…

But what we really need to talk about is the different landscape of college football and our nation. Demographics were a big factor a generation or two ago when the Irish were perenial contenders for a national championship. Parity had not kicked in yet and there were only a few true contenders in the game. Quite simply, that is not the case today. The question of academic excellence remains a challenge and one that increasingly puts ND at a disadvantage. Personally, I think they should be able to compete for a championship from time to time but should be top 20 all the time. How does all this apply to you?

The business landscape today is TOTALLY differnet than two generations ago. The rise of Europe, Brazil, Russia, India, China is a good start. Demographics in the US is another area. External and internal forces have created a new world and many firms are still playing by the old rules. As you know I teach leadership and I regularly am challenged by execs lamenting the loss of the good old days (just like the alums of Notre Dame) but not doing anything to change the way they look at things or the way they do things.

I think it was Albert Einstein who said, “We cannot solve the problems of today with the thinking that created them.” Or there is the old insanity definition of expecting different results while continuing to do the same thing. And let’s not forget Yogi Berra, If you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always got.

Add the economic meltdown to an already drastically changed world economy and it is a mandate for change. If you want to have a chance at financial success in 2010 you must realize this and do something about it.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.