My first prediction for 2017 is such a no-brainer that I'm not going to count it against the five others dispersed throughout this month's HERO Brief. That is, the pace of change in our field will continue to accelerate. That's why I'm such a fan of New Year's Resolutions and predictions. They cause us to pause. It takes disciplined reflection to decide what's important enough to intentionally change and what's likely enough to occur that we should make space for it in our strategic plans. My only wish is that we could give ourselves such pauses daily, not yearly. For a captivating argument that this seemingly inexorable pace got launched in 2007, a 'vintage year' for technological change, read Thomas Friedman's new book: "Thank you for being late." There is a generous amount that covers this idea in Amazon's
book sample.
In this month's brief, I offer "Paul's Predictions 2017," and you'll discover why I think this will be a vintage year for collaboration among HERO members. The HERO team has resolved to offer
new committees and new challenges for existing committees that respond to what our members are saying and prepare us to influence what should be trending most strongly in our field. Predicting that 2017 is slated for uncertainty in
federal health policy doesn't take a crystal ball, but anticipating what changes are in store for the ACA wellness provisions will compel us to convene HERO's best minds. Read on for details about our policy, public relations and other committee opportunities. You'll also see that I'm predicting strategic planning and the voice of the consumer will take a front seat in the year ahead. Read on about how our
February Think Tank is designed to honor Abe Lincoln's idea that "the best way to predict your future is to create it." It's also easy to predict that HERO members will carry forth their fecundity as thought leaders in our field as is evidenced by this month's list of readings to keep you current. As usual, many of the best stories I've curated for you this month come from your fellow HERO members. In my closing notes, I make a prediction that makes the case for my resolution to not feed, or read, the trolls. But I qualify this resolution with a heartfelt prediction that our future health promotion workforce is already transcending social media.
Read on.
