My old friend grew up in New Orleans and basically left at 18. His father designed the sculpture in the picture. He toured us around for a couple of days and talked about the strict social rules and stratification in New Orleans while he was growing up.
My nephew just moved here 3 weeks ago looking for an inexpensive place where other 20 somethings are making a new life. Plenty are here as evidenced by the groups wandering the Bywater area where he lives at 11:30 on a Friday night.
My former Vistage member sold a business and moved back to the town where he went to college and met his wife. They said they never would have moved back if it hadn’t been for Katrina. There had been no place for new comers.
The strict social customs of a very old town where everyone was from here were totally disrupted by Katrina. The incredibly tragic event changed everything for everyone. So many people did not come back. And, new people who see opportunity where home town folks do not-are flooding in.
Is this happening in your industry? Are you so defined by the way things are “done around here”, that you can’t see the disrupters, much less become one yourself?
I know that feeling. If you have extra resources, or even if you don’t, try experimenting with one of those new strategies that you know is out there and available, you just don’t feel comfortable with it. If you don’t, someone else will move in to your ‘town”, and take advantage of your changed community. It’s really happening in NOLA.
Picture by Paul Dye of sculpture by Arthur Silverman