I like this question – for a number of reasons, and being a consultant there must be at least three!
- It assumes that there IS a next thing. So many companies are so focussed on the current situation that they can’t lift their view to the horizon.
- It makes you actually move on to the next thing – forward motion is necessary, sitting still is the way to become obsolete. Perfecting the current situation is the enemy of progress. Many times, moving forward is what is needed, not a continual polishing of the existing processes.
- This is President Bartlet’s routine question after he wraps up the previous meeting. Yes, given the current world situation, I prefer to live in the fictional world of the West Wing for my politics.
As a result, in my own life, I also have to ask “What’s Next” on a regular basis. At 61, I am moving towards retirement at some point in the next four to five years, but I know that I can definitely help quite a few companies in that time!
