If we had to reduce the mission statement (or vision statement) of any manager or leader to only two words, it would be to control events. Simply stated, if we are not controlling events, then they will be controlling us. There is no third alternative!
To even have a shot at controlling events, it presupposes the ability to simultaneously do three things:
- Anticipate critical future events which impact on the organization.
- Be flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances in the present.
- Be able to learn from past experiences (both our own and those of others).
If you fail in one of these areas, survival is possible. Failure in two of the three areas does not automatically mean disaster, but the odds against survival become almost insurmountable. For those who fail in all three areas, the odds of a disaster occurring is nearly certain—unless you are rescued by some outside entity. History is full of examples of companies, countries, and civilizations that rose to prominence because they had, in their own way, mastered the elements required to control events; and history bears witness to the fact that any company, country or civilization that failed in these three areas inevitably fell from prominence, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
Since its founding in 1960, the mission of The William Oncken Corporation has consistently been to provide training that will best position each individual in our client organizations to control events. The action verbs—anticipate, adapt and learn—describe our continuing responsibilities wherever we are in our careers.
The William Oncken Corporation has created and developed several integrated training courses that deal exclusively with these continuing responsibilities:
