Stop Defending What Was, and Start Discovering What’s Next

A few years ago I was speaking at the Christian Media Australia Conference and met Mark Scott, Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. During our chat he mentioned one of his greatest challenges leading the largest broadcasting corporation in Australia was getting people to stop defending what was, and to start discovering what’s next. That’s a brilliant insight. In a business where change is coming so fast, people need to position themselves for what’s coming.

But change is hard. For many people change is intimidating and for a few, overwhelming. But as I say in my book “Jolt!” – change is coming whether you like it or not and whether you’re ready or not.

That’s why defending what was will not take you into the future. Discovering what’s next will.

I see media organizations – both secular and Christian – crashing regularly because they spend their time defending the past. They desperately hope that marketing plans, fundraising strategies, and creative ideas that worked in the 80’s will still work, without realizing that people change, styles change, and culture changes.

Were there good things in the past? Of course. But how we express, share, and connect those things with the culture is changing.

The question is, will you continue defending what was?  Or start discovering what’s next?