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The following has been "re-blogged" from Recreation 2.0 - The Recreation Social Network. The original article was posted on October 14, 2009, following the keynote address by Jim Carroll at the National Recreation and Parks Association Annual Congress:
Today Jim Carroll (innovative consultant, keynote speaker, author, and columnist) delivered the keynote speech for the 2009 National Recreation and Parks Congress. Jim focused on the fast pace at which our society is changing and the need for the parks and recreation profession to “innovate, change, and adapt.” He urged the audience to “Change your assumptions on the role of recreation,” to “rethink community,” and to “reorient yourself to action” because “The future belongs to those who are fast, not those who are big.”
Jim discussed the incredible changes in technology as well as the rate at which things will continue to change in the future. He pointed out that it is estimated that “65% of kids in preschool today will work in careers that do not exist today,” and that “the next generation will interact in completely different ways.”
Due to advances in the way larger organizations operate, customers now expect more from recreation organizations (better registration processes, interactive websites, different marketing) and departments now have a variety of new ways to meet the needs of their customers.
Having grown-up in a rapidly changing, technological world, young professionals entering the workforce have entirely different goals and perceptions. Young professionals are looking for flexibility and the opportunity to develop multiple skill sets. Jim quoted research saying that young professionals view 2-5 years as a long-term job (this was met by audible chuckles around the auditorium) and that “67% of young people are thinking of their next job on the first day of their new job.”
Jim discussed fluctuations in the stock market, advances in medicine, the power grid, and a variety of other areas. He shared the following quote from Bill Gates that summarizes the point he was driving home:
“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.”
-Bill Gates
At the end of the day I got the impression that Jim Carroll’s presentation was a bit polarizing. Some people loved it, others didn’t (I’m basing this on a few comments I’ve overheard, conversations I’ve had, and a couple comments on the web…not a scientific study by any means). I am not surprised by this...
Read the remainder of "2009 NRPA Congress Keynote Summary and Debate."
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