Taking the Long View: Bumps in the Road

A recent communiqué from INMM PresidentKen Sorenson to the ExecutiveCommittee (EC) used the term “bumpsin the road” as he described the continuingefforts by the EC to strategicallyaddress the various confounding circumstancesthat have reduced attendanceat our Annual Meeting, including restrictionsplaced on conference attendanceby U.S. government agencies, and thegeneral global economic malaise that existstoday.I equate “bumps in the road” toevents that arise from the commonlyused strategic/scenario planning terms“critical uncertainties” and “wild cards.”Both of these terms have been used inthis column before to describe thosesituations that can cause a dramaticchange in the path to the future, and forwhich we must be prepared to respondto with robust strategies.