By Dirk Beveridge, Founder UnLeashWD
As you drive south on Interstate 65 leaving Indiana and entering Louisville Kentucky, immediately to your right is Louisville Slugger Stadium with a two story high message on the outside stadium wall that reads “Louisville. It’s Possible Here.”
As we enter 2014, this is a great reminder that “it” is possible.
Throughout electrical distribution there are leaders – at all levels of the organization – that have their own version of this two story high message saying it’s possible. They are the optimists among us.
Optimism is about the future. Optimism is about hope. Being optimistic is believing that things will turn out alright even though the future is unknown. Believing there is a positive conclusion at the end of the journey brings energy to everything you touch. In a similar light innovation, is about the future. Improving things – to make things better. In fact, I believe there is no innovation without optimism.
And this is why I’m thrilled that UnleashWD is working with NAED and tED to bring the Unleashing the Spirit of Innovation award to the industry. The challenges we face – as well as – the opportunities in front of us are real. Both require the energy, focus, and passion of the optimists. There is an innovation imperative and it is the optimists among us who will be leading the way.
The Unleashing the Spirit of Innovation Award will recognize these innovators who are breaking through challenges and seizing opportunities as they create a new, brighter, stronger future.
As I was talking to a distribution CEO about the confluence of the mega trends impacting distribution, he told me that it is important to dream the dream again. For many of us the dream has never faded, for others as this CEO suggests, it needs to be rekindled. I am hopeful that the Unleashing the Spirit of Innovation award brings to the forefront of our conversation the optimism and innovative solutions that are being developed everyday throughout our industry.
Check out all the details for the Unleashing the Spirit of Innovation Award.
Act quickly because submissions are due by February 1. We’ll be recognizing the innovators and optimists among us during NAED’s National Meeting in April as well as in the pages of tED magazine and during the October UnleashWD Summit. You being an optimist and innovator, I suspect you’ll want to take part.
Speaking of innovation – don’t miss out on the upcoming Western Region Conference taking place January 20-22 in Phoenix, where Travelocity founder Terry Jones will deliver the keynote.
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