Dare to Dream

Happy New Year, GenGen readers! As we launch into another fresh calendar year, we have a suggestion in lieu of the typical resolutions that occupy so many of our minds this time of year. As suggested by Whitney Johnson in the Harvard Business Review blog, we are asking you to dream. It might sound far-fetched, but Johnson’s argument is worth consideration.

She states that “dreaming is at the heart of disruption.” And couldn’t the legal industry do with a little disruption? There’s plenty of room for the status quo to be challenged and for things to be shaken up… and dreaming is a way to attain the clarity upon which future resolutions can be based. Johnson states, “You can’t know what resolution you need until you know what your objective is.” In the professional world we regularly plan and strategize before implementation; however, this step is often overlooked in our rush to reset our course as each new year dawns. And that rush is likely the very reason so many resolutions are abandoned so quickly each year.

If our goal is to change the conversation and the perception of lawyers in the world, then certainly we need to seek the disruption Johnson writes about, and envision what we wish the conversation and the new perception to be. Only then can we effectively resolve to create the results of our visions through action.

So take a little time to dream as the year gets underway, and see what resolutions are waiting to be called a little further down the road. You may be surprised by what ignites your passion, and by how easy it is to stay the course of resolutions made more thoughtfully. Be sure to share your success with us as the year progresses.