It would seem the worst of the financial crises of the last yearor so is over, but much of the turmoil they produced is not. Theunemployment, foreclosure, and credit crises remain. The stockmarket has been able to regain some ground, but that statement isonly as certain as last night's closing prices.

The reality is we are in a period of transition in many keyareas, and change rarely is painless. From healthcare reform toairport security, there has been a mad dash to “do something” so noone can make the accusation nothing has been done. But thisstrategy is as sensible as buying a lottery ticket to secure awindfall.

The trick is to guide each area in transition so we wind upwhere we intend rather than where we are led by circumstance orpolitics. I admit the realities may not be in favor of such anapproach. But let's at least ponder the possibilities.

Federal vs. state regulation. If the healthcaredebate is any indicator, congressional intervention in thefinancial services will not bring any near-term clarity to theissues that precipitated the economy's decline (for more, seehttp://www.tech-decisions.com/Issues/2010/January-2010/Pages/PILING-ON.aspx). I'd guess most people still don't understand whether they'll bebetter insured or not after the 2,000-page “something” Washingtonhas been fighting over is enacted. If we can, let's avoid thischaos in the regulatory arena. Consumers and insurers should have avoice in regulatory change. And states need to be able to adjustproactively to adapt for the better.

Innovation. One of the greatest successes ofthe last decade is the assimilation of technology into the fabricof business. A positive sign is, in general, budgets are at worststaying flat (for more, see “Turn the Page”). However, requirementsof the next decade may demand greater spending. As technologytransitions to a necessity of daily living, insurers must keepstepping up to be relevant to both consumers and employees. Theyalso must shift from a mindset of simply running the business to amindset of growth
and transformation.

Leadership. This may be the biggest issue ofall. Conferences and articles have all trodden on the topic ofwhere future IT talent will come from. Perhaps an equally, if notmore, pressing concern is where insurance IT leadership will comefrom. A good percentage of the guys at the top who have gone fromthe pre-Internet computing era to Web 2.0 are pushing retirement.Are there others in the ranks who will be able to navigate thisfuzzy time of baby boomers and Gen X or Y or Z? Let's focus todayon what we need our IT leaders to be 10 years from now and trainthem accordingly.

It's amazing how the dynamic has changed from whether technologyis up to the capabilities of humans to whether humans are up to thecapabilities of technology. Let's hope our IT leaders will be.