You Read it Here First

I’ve got a confession to make: I’ve never been a huge fan of the generic editor’s column. See if I’m not spot-on here ... Generally speaking, the first editorial page to greet you contains a collection of observations about topics addressed on the ensuing pages – all but “money-back guaranteeing” that when you finish the issue, you will rank it just behind the Bible among the most inspirational/informative/entertaining published works ever encountered.

Or ... It spotlights some random recollection of something that happened to the editor that was just so darned (fill in the blank) that he/she just had to share it.

Or ... Your editor feels a need – nay, a calling – to go Billy Graham on you, preaching a sermon on the merits of something without which you can't possibly succeed in business or life. Yea, verily!

ANOTHER CONFESSION: I plead guilty on all charges. At various points in my incarnation as a Page 4 guy, I’ve committed the fawning, prompted the yawning AND yearned for the dawning – sometimes, in a single column. And, yet, amazingly, still no word from the Pulitzer folks. The award letter must have been lost in the mail.

I write all this to suggest that while I and my fellow talking heads (hey, look at the picture) generally mean well, we also generally do as much “throwing” as “sticking” when we face some of the same challenges you do, namely the Quixotic quest for a crystal ball, the earnest desire to be market-significant, and the unsettling and frequently occurring notion that what you do is only as important as what you’ve done lately. Here’s a toss that I believe will stick: As we peer at the close of The Aughts, that last hurdle looms especially tall.

I recall, not so long ago by historical standards, when rotary gave way to touch tone, and then when cellular technology rendered both moot. I remember watching channels 4, 5, 8 and 11 on my television, for which I was the remote control. I marvel – and shudder – at the thought that the phone many of you use today has more sophisticated circuitry than the entire ensemble of computers used to help Neil Armstrong make one giant leap for mankind.

SOMETIME TODAY the collective “you” will use a disposable razor, change a disposable diaper, drink from a disposable cup and part ways with some disposable income. And then you’ll Tweet about it, because posting it on Facebook is so “yesterday.”

Newsflash: Yesterday is so “yesterday” – and the pace is only going to get faster. I’m guessing that most business races heretoaft will be won by the swiftest.

In fact, I’ll just go ahead and “money-back guarantee” it.