Power Shifting With Old and New

Here’s the challenge: what to cling to from the past and what to embrace in real time as online opportunities continue to explode?

The conundrum, although not new, surfaced again when I took my first car – a 1969 Pontiac Firebird – in for service. There’s plenty that needs fixing. The seals are going, there’s a crack in the manifold, the engine blanket has housed a family of mice and needs replacing. But a more finely engineered, solid vehicle is hard to find. Besides, it’s great fun to drive! Even the hood mount tach still works. And, then there are all the memories….coupled with the costs of keeping it running and stored, and feeding its insatiable appetite for gas.

On the other end of the spectrum are the fuel efficient hybrids that are capturing the media’s attention, like the new Ford Evos, a plug-in hybrid concept car.

Cloud-connected, this vehicle is a social media networker’s dream. It keeps track of the driver’s work schedule, monitors the weather, office tasks, driving routes, music preferences and helps you not only navigate your day – but your life.

Yet appreciating the historical element is essential. After all, today’s technology is based on this country’s entrepreneurial quest for invention and innovation. That’s what not only compounds technological progress, but is at the root of our economy.

Valuing the best tactics and lessons of the past, and melding it with today’s fast-paced innovation is the premium fuel-injected formula.

Whether it’s building sales or bringing in new customers, driving the tried-and-true while moving forward with the riskier outside-the-box technology is the best business solution—in any economy, but particularly now.