Presidential Address

Abstract

This was a trying year at every level—personally, professionally, and also for our Society, POSNA. In fact, in an email about one month before our annual meeting, Min Kocher shared his thoughts that this was very much a “wartime year” for our presidential line. Unfortunately, challenges of all different flavors will come to all of us from time to time. As in the song “Life During Wartime,” the Talking Heads recount, “The sound of gun fire, off in the distance, I’m getting used to it now.” 

While no one seeks out hard times, the realities of experience, chance, and time will often interact in ways where the road ahead seems steep and challenging. In those times where all seems lost and a peaceful future seems very far away, focusing on early, small wins can make a tremendous difference. It is in these times that we must focus more on trajectory rather than position. Over time, small wins accumulate and allow massive differences in outcome. The fundamental lesson of the Stockdale paradox is that we must face current realities but have a long view on outcomes.

It has been a true pleasure to serve as your president during these times, and I have learned so much along the way.