As I took a quick tour through the MTA trade show floor, which was quite impressive with more than 160 exhibitors, I ran across a booth with the latest in fiber splicing technology. Having learned this skill almost 24 years ago, I appreciated how much the technology has increased productivity.

Any skills I once had in the fiber realm so long ago are obsolete in this world of precision and relatively low-cost splicing machines. As I thought about the hours I spent terminating and testing fibers, I realized that many of the work place skills I acquired years ago are obsolete in today’s world.

One of the few skills I learned in the workforce some 25 years ago is still with me today. Technically, I did not learn the skill at work, but during lunch hour with a colleague. We would sneak across the street to the ROLM campus, which had subsidized lunches, a pool and a park-like setting. Bob was a juggler and he taught me to juggle. I never progressed beyond three balls, but this skill transcends technological obsolescence.

Yes, I have been complacent, never practicing and rarely pushing out of my comfort zone of three balls. Dan Thurmon, MTA’s keynote speaker, used juggling as a metaphor for life. The balls in the air represent the many things we are trying to accomplish. The key to juggling, which I learned from Thurmon’s presentation, is to keep your eye on the target. The time you actually drop the ball is when you look at what you have accomplished; that is, when you look at your hands. A central message to Thurmon’s talk is the importance of being able to adapt to change and aim for a higher level in achieving objectives.

With a book, Success In Action, and a couple of DVDs to this credit, Thurmon delivers an entertaining, thought-provoking and, sometimes, scary presentation. Our video interview with Thurmon provides a glimpse of the inspirational message he gave to MTA.