We should all be involved in unfinished work. That’s Cathedral Thinking. Those who anticipate the long term ramifications of what they do today, and who put in place a vision for success, are often called "Cathedral Thinkers". Former CEO of Tourism Vancouver, which launched the successful bid to bring the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to Vancouver and Whistler, Rick Antonson, will be speaking to us on this visionary approach to how we lead our lives, at the 2020 Vision Conference of Rotary District 5040, April 24 to 26, 2020, at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel in Vancouver.
Say you were an architect in the 1500's and community leaders asked you to design the city's new cathedral. You would begin the task knowing you would not live to see the work completed. However, you would have the faith that grandsons or granddaughters of yourself and colleagues - in your professional footsteps and with skills you may not possess and in times uncertain to predict - would rework your plans as necessary decades hence, and see the job done.
What about your role today as you consider the future of Rotary? Does it build upon all the successes achieved to date? Will the values and preparations that infuse your deliberations sustain those who inherit the work you leave behind? For Rotary and our community, we experience constant change now and tomorrow. “What was, isn't. What is, won't be.” The strategy of "Cathedral Thinking" cements a foundation that supports future work, and lasts generations.
Author and scriptwriter, Rick Antonson, is the former President & CEO of Tourism Vancouver, which launched the successful bid to bring the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to Vancouver and Whistler.
Recognized by the tourism and international meetings industry in Canada, United States, Europe and Asia, Rick also served as chair of Destinations International (based in Washington, DC), and deputy chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (based in Bangkok, Thailand).
His most recent book, Walking With Ghosts in Papua New Guinea, was published in Fall 2018. The New York Times noted at the time of publication that his book, Route 66 Still Kicks, was "one of the best books of the bunch" in a Christmas book roundup. The Chicago Tribune called his book, To Timbuktu for a Haircut, a "travel classic."