The world is the same… but different.

Thirty‑seven years ago, in 1989, I opened my Master’s Project with these words:

“Traumatic changes have had dramatic influences on the retail grocery industry the last ten years. Buyouts and takeovers have put increased pressures on management in addition to normal competitive forces occurring in the marketplace. The normally large pool of labor that has been the mainstay of the grocery business is shrinking; thus, training and development of employees has become even more important. One way to gain a competitive advantage in this industry is through improvement of the selection and subsequent training of the employees of the firm.”

I revisited that paragraph today — not to analyze where the industry has gone, but to understand where I was then, and where I might be going now, nearly four decades later. What struck me most is how true those words still feel, even though they were written before the internet, before personal computers common, before cell phones, before social media. Oh dear indeed.

As I continue re-reading the rest of the document, I’ll share more reflections if they surface. But for now, a few observations that lit up for me. Here are 2.

1. The world is the same… but different.

The core challenges we face — complexity, competition, disruption, uncertainty — are familiar. What has changed is the speed and depth of consequences. News travels instantly. Effects ripple globally. Think about COVID, Cyclospora, social media blasts (have you seen Jiminy?). The pace seems relentless.

2. People are still (as always) the center of everything.

In 1989 I wrote “employees.” Today I’d simply say people. People remain the most important part of every equation. Without human beings, nothing we build, grow, distribute, or serve has meaning. Every product and every service exist because someone — you, me, all of us — is on the other end of that pipeline. Never forget.

There’s much more to unpack, and maybe that becomes my next dissertation. But today, I’m reflecting all this on my journey into coaching, from and bringing my career in the produce industry with me, and the academic path I began long before 1989 (and thank you Sac State, stingers up!).

What I do know now is this: there has never been a better time to invest in leadership, in life choices, and in understanding what a professional coach can help you achieve. Coaching is a wide-spectrum professional service that positively affects both work and life — and if you think about it, isn’t work simply one part of our life?

There is so much more to explore, and it all begins with a conversation.

Let’s begin. Let’s continue. Tell me more. 

If you feel ready, reach out to me — or to any coach who resonates with you. Discovery calls never have a charge. Casual chats are always encouraged.

Cheers to you.