Beth Comstock is a known business figure from the states; she is a former vice chair of General Electric where she started various business initiatives in different industries. Comstock spent nearly 30 years at General Electric, and she’s sharing all of her experiences and lessons in this new book.
The book has a different approach to spreading wisdom since it is focusing on Comstock’s story as part of General Electric and NBC, the lessons being shared naturally. The book basically constitutes her career memoir, representing a must-read for every person with corporate goals and beyond.
Change is good
When it comes to change, most people are afraid of it, seeing change as something bad because they are way too attached to their comfort zone. However, as Beth Comstock would argue, change is not only inevitable but, also good.
Change is often a good thing, and people should not only be prepared for it but, also be prepared to accommodate to new circumstances. If something is not working effectively then, change is the best option, even if people would often be afraid of admitting that.
You need to give yourself permission to try things before you take on something huge, you need to take small steps to work towards that.
Beth Comstock
With that idea in mind, Beth is aiming to illustrate in her book the nature and evolution of change through real examples from her career. If people and brands are not changing according to the latest social and technological trends, they will end up behind, becoming more and more irrelevant in our society.
Change, regardless of how that may take form, is essential in the process of growth and overall improvement. Not changing the things that don’t work properly will only result in stagnation and failure in the long term, and that’s one of the ideas Beth is trying to highlight through her book.
The process matters more than the outcome
Along Comstock’s career there were many ups and downs but, if we’re taking a look at the bigger picture we can surely say that her journey was a great one. In the end, regardless of the outcome, that journey or process of getting there matters a lot more.
Generally, there are hundreds of methods of accomplishing a goal but, people should always focus on the one that fits their personality best. In the grand scheme of things, if you hated the whole process of accomplishing your goal, the outcome itself is meaningless.
Beth is of the same idea, and she’s trying to share her whole journey in Imagine It Forward, in a practical way that’s giving her enough time to reveal everything. Besides the opportunities and lessons, she’s also sharing some fascinating stories resulted from her encounters with famous business people like Steve Jobs and Jack Welch.
Conclusion
Imagine it Forward is not just a book with practical advice but, at the same time Beth Comstock’s journal and autobiography, illustrating her journey in the corporate world. Her book is surely worth reading, a reason why we included it on our The Best Business Books of 2018 list as well.
