ICYMI: Using Disruption as a Catalyst for Excellence

Futurist Rebecca Ryan has been with us since 2019 helping us think more proactively about our industry, and how to get through the “Messy Middle” between the pandemic and whatever comes next. In this powerful keynote from WASTECON® 2021 in Orlando, FL, she offered the personal, team, and organization-wide lessons that must be learned and applied from disruption, to ensure that our leaders and industry are driving the conversation about solid waste and its future.

“It's one of the reasons you come to WASTECON, because speakers like me and speakers like Ron Gonan from Closed Loop Partners, they help us broaden out and they help us see things through different lenses and through different frameworks. And it's extremely valuable for leaders,” said Rebecce Ryan during her presentation. “Because leaders, you may know, it's really important that you can get things done, but it's as important that you get the right things done. And in this moment of disruption, we've got to broaden out so that we can see more of what the right things are.”

Ryan goes on to describe three horizons. These horizons help you navigate where your organization is and what direction you are focused on. Each horizon has a question to think about as you push to try to focus on the future.

Horizon one – “What is the point of this anymore?”

Horizon three – “What is going to emerge?”

Horizon two, the messy middle – “What new things are being tried? What narrative is happening in your workplace?”

“Horizon two, I believe is where we need to be spending more of our time. I call it the messy middle because, good gracious, that's what it is!” Ryan goes on to describe, “Horizon one you're trying to let that milk expire. It's almost like you have to let some of these practices go in the most loving way. It's like you have to be a hospice nurse to some of these things that just need to die their natural death. Right? And then you've got horizon three, which is so full of promise, but we're not there yet. We're not at zero waste yet. We're not at EPR yet. There's the promise of those things, but we're not there yet.”

With the solid waste industry, Rebecca emphasizes the importance of looking to the future and not being stuck in what we are already doing. “If you’re focusing on the here and now and you’re not able to get up to even horizon two, let alone horizon three, you’re really hurting yourself.”

“So, you can fight with the future, or you can be open handed towards the future. But one is a lot more fun. One is going to attract people who share your bigger ideas and your desire to make things better. Being open handed is going to ensure that you make the most of this disruption.”

Ryan ends with the encouraging words:

“The future is ours to create. Let's get it.”

Watch the entire keynote presentation from
Futurist Rebecca Ryan here.

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