[rank_math_breadcrumb]

We were raised to survive in the Industrial Age

  • London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

Author:  Jim Lawless

Short Description

If we are going to do new things to survive in the Industrial Age, we are going to meet uncertainty. If we are going to meet uncertainty, we are going to discover risk. A show of hands… How many people, when you were 12, 13, 14 years of age, had a mother or a father […]

If we are going to do new things to survive in the Industrial Age, we are going to meet uncertainty. If we are going to meet uncertainty, we are going to discover risk.

A show of hands…

How many people, when you were 12, 13, 14 years of age, had a mother or a father or whoever cared for you at this stage in your life who would wave you off to school in the morning and say:

“Bye bye my darling…

Have a wonderful day at school today!

Be sure and take a risk or two at school today!

If nobody in the class knows the answer, there’s huge uncertainty, it’s a new topic, don’t be worried, just stroll out in the middle and have a go, it doesn’t matter if you get it wrong in front of everybody.”

Who had that, anyone have that when they were waved off to school?

Genuinely, working in the Bay Area we can get 50% of the hands in the room going up.

But in the rest of the world… The rest of the world…

I think whenever one or two stray Californians are here, sometimes they popup in EMEA we get one, but they are the only people who will respond.

We were raised for the Industrial Age, ladies and gents.

We were raised to work in great organisations with great heritage – beware here – where the machine worked and our job was to show up, get it right first time to the satisfaction of an authority figure who could define right.

We were raised to survive in the Industrial Age

Who knew what it looked like.

He wasn’t asking questions because we’ve never been down this path before.

They knew what right looked like.

They could define it.

Our job at school was to show up and get a tick, wasn’t it?

In my school, green pen for ticks, red pen for… You knew as you opened the page, just by the color scheme, whether you were in trouble or not. If there was writing, “See me after class”…ouch…

Our job is to get it right first time.

From the age of four through college, for most people maybe not in all cases, and into our careers.

And now we’re operating in this disruptive, VUCA, age of uncertainty, leave the comfort zone, embrace risk and uncertainty, do things we’ve never done before…

We have not been taught how to do this!

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Facebook

Author Profile

Video

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to We were raised to survive in the Industrial Age

raymond de villiers - VUCA

When Lance Armstrong was bust for using performance enhancing drugs through most of his career one of his defences was that it was part of the racing culture of the time and many other riders were doing it too. So, Would you use performance enhancing drugs at work? In order to be competitive, he believed […]

  • Author: Raymond de Villiers
Michelle MACE Curran

A common problem new pilots struggle with is avoiding a PIO or pilot-induced oscillation. So how do we Stop the Cycle as We’re all familiar with the concept of overcorrecting in a car. A deer runs out, you’re driving tired, you’re near the edge of the road, and you yank the wheel the other direction […]

  • Author: Michelle " Mace" Curran
WS Logo 512

A couple of weeks ago I was in Orlando for a talk and I knew the THE 3 C’S OF ELITE TALENT DEVELOPMENT. The night before I was sitting at the hotel restaurant grabbing some dinner. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that there was a basketball game on the tv at […]

  • Author: Mike Lee
WeSpeak Global logo

Imagine attending an event where everything seems to fall into place effortlessly with a Skilled Master of Ceremonies. The transitions between segments are seamless, the audience is engaged and entertained, and the overall atmosphere is charged with energy and enthusiasm. What you may not realize is that behind this seemingly effortless experience is a skilled […]

  • Author: WeSpeak Global
WS Logo 512

The following are our Top 10 Keynote Guest Speakers for a global impact for any conference event. Guest Speakers are available to present as the opening or closing keynote speaker on Motivation, Innovation and as event hosts or Facilitators for your next event and conference. Discover YOUR SIGNATURE MOVE, with Jason Hewlett Having delivered thousands of […]

  • Author: WeSpeak Global
Lisa Orrell

Successful women in leadership roles manage their Personal Branding Benefits on a daily basis; and they started focusing on creating theirs early-on in their careers. Why do they focus on Personal Branding? And why has it become such a hot topic in the workforce today? Smart women in business understand the basic concept that every […]

  • Author: Lisa Orrell

No doubting Lock-down has been a challenging time for almost all South Africans as We can travel again… Perhaps less so for government officials, seen attending funerals puffing cigarettes, and others who have been on full salary, but for most of us a very difficult time. The President’s announcement of easing restrictions to Level 2 from […]

  • Author: Rob Caskie

Do you have to be a manager or executive to Being A Leader? No! Leading others is a choice. It isn’t about your title. Many people with executive titles are terrible leaders, and many people without a fancy title are outstanding leaders. More than your title, being a leader is about influencing change and inspiring […]

  • Author: Jacob Morgan

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME