None of this made sense to me. Mercyhurst felt like the literal example of one foot in the past, while the other repeatedly reached into the version of the future that it has to survive. How long could this possibly continue before it tears down in half?

What does that have to do with shops?

As a management consultant, I was completely triggered. “What is this place? What is Mercyhurten’s brand?” I asked Joe and his girlfriend Sarah home on our car.

“Is it the place in the tab of historical sights or the one who offers eSports and cyber? What is the promise of value that will make the students come here and pay these astronomical approval fees?” (Another problem in the business model, but I wander off.)

Sarah, who used to give tours as a campus ambassador, interfered.

This is about as unspecific as possible. It’s like my customers tell me that their people or their service quality are their competitive advantage. Everyone says that. It’s not unique. If you also think about your business, you have to re -evaluate.

“I always viewed our specialized programs as what Mercyhurst distinguishes,” offered Joe.

That is closer, I thought. But there is no connective tissue for all this story that lies on her face.

It is a difficult challenge. How can you possibly be both things? A historical college that is rooted in the values ​​and traditions of the sisters of mercy and the innovative and forward -looking institution that it wants to be.

The truth is not.

Michelle was right. The spread of your legs is not a great way to build a life, business or university. It causes conflicts and confusion. Things can be tense, even stuck.

The past and future are not static

The only way to advance is the only way in both life and in business. And you have to take your foot out of the past to take this step into the future. One day her future becomes your presence and your present will be your past and you will be ready to take the next step.

It is something that is easier said than done. We stick to the past without knowing it. The stories we tell ourselves about who we are or what our business is as real and valid as on the day they were formed. And when our present becomes our past, it happens without noticing it.

When I talk to business owners so often about their business model, they get confused and talk about what their business in the same breath showed how things worked before (before everything became chaotic). It is very difficult for the owners to draw this limit between the business. You are just in it. They are too appropriate.

If Mercyhurst were a customer of mine, I would challenge her to honor her story without trying to live her. Instead of registering as a historical place, what would it look like to form the principles of the sisters of mercy – the service, justice, inclusiveness – and the radical students into future managers that will improve our world?

What if Mercyhurst was the school of today’s sisters instead of being the School of Sisters of Mercy in 1926? Those who protest at the border to protect immigrants who take care of Sacramento, take care of their inaccurate, and who struggle to end up with gun power and protect transgender rights.

Creation of future leaders with the spirit of radical modern nuns. This is a brand!

If I continue to think about the question of how I can keep up in the present while I will access the future, I ask you to do the same about your company and yourself.

• What was true yesterday that it is no longer true today?

• What assumptions do you keep in mind that you are no longer useful?

• What does the future you imagine connects with the realities where you are today?

• How can you be radical and apologizing yourself?

If these questions feel resonance and you want a new perspective of someone who does not live in your brain around the clock, let us chat.