“You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.” – Pearl S. Buck
This gem of a quote often rings true, as an individual or within institutions. Who doesn’t get comfortable in the ways “things have always been done” or deluded that “hope” is actually a viable strategy? Going with the flow of daily momentum, annual calendar cycles, and deriving comfort from a lack of curiosity plague us all from time to time. I am trying to do better at this for the founders and communities we serve as VCET builds out its platform of resources and positions for the decade ahead. While we cannot control macroeconomic, Vermont demographic or political trends, we can make choices on where our team, capital and platform of offerings are allocated.
Our premise is that what served Vermonters and VCET’s partners well over the first 21 years is likely not the same for the decade ahead. For most groups, the default mode is to just get bigger – more revenues, more staff, more facilities, more, more, more. But, I don’t buy that. Bigger is just bigger, not better. Sometimes change means growth and sometimes it means getting more focused.
Today’s backdrop is up against tectonic-level disruptions from AI, federal cuts, higher interest rates, wars, and structural failures in healthcare, education and housing. These are dramatic times. So from a relative position of strength and impact success, we are actively learning from peers across the US, testing new programs, challenging core assumptions and contemplating what’s needed next within our lane of serving Vermont founders and college & university innovation areas. It’s exciting to be proactive, it’s painful to question what we offer, and it’s inevitable that we will evolve. No private or public organization is immune to this.
What new ideas are causing you pain? Dig into these as there might be a great new opportunity within. Stay curious Vermonters!
-Dave
