Apparently, I’m a member of “one of the world’s oldest professions.”
Hmmm…
That’s from the opening from this 10 minute clip from the CBC in which I’m one of four futurist interviewed (one of the others being Faith Popcorn, who coined the phrase “cocooning” during a previous economic downturn.)
The broad themes address what a futurist does, how we identify trends, and what we think might come next in terms of energy, the environment, the automobile and other issues.
On stage in Las Vegas, Jim challenges his audience to think about the importance of innovating in order to stay out in front of the recession.
There are two types of organizations in the world today: those that have retrenched, shut down their idea machines, and are trying to coast through the recession. Then there are those who are making sure that they keep their team focused on the future, opportunities, and the need for innovative thinking.
I’ve been confirmed to be the opening keynote speaker for the next global leadership/franchise conference for Burger King, one of the largest QSR chains in the world.
This is really quite an honor, and I think is indicative that my theme that “organizations need to stay on the innovative edge despite the recession” resonates strongly.
Every industry is changing at a furious pace, and the quick service food industry is no exception. We’re seeing rapid change in terms of branding and marketing, particularly in terms of outreach and interaction with the new mobile consumer. There’s a lot of fast paced change in terms of consumer preferences. If we think about issues of restaurant design and construction, there are fast and furious developments in terms of energy usage and environmental footprint. The list goes on and on – there is no shortage of opportunity for new and innovative thinking.
I’ll set the stage by challenging the audience to focus on growth, focus on opportunities, and think about how innovation can become a core component of how they progress into the future.
I wrote about these trends in a previous blog post, High velocity change in the food/consumer products sector.
(p.s. I found the photo on iStockPhoto, and dreamed up the “hunting innovation” title. It seemed kind of fun!)
I had a long conversation with a Dubai-based journalist yesterday; he was seeking my insight for an upcoming article on what a nation, city or economic region should be doing to ensure that it can remain competitive in the global economy in these challenging times.
I spoke to a wide variety of issues, but one theme that I emphasized was that one of the most important things that politicians, economic development officers, community leaders, boards of trade executives and others should be thinking about right now was their “brand image.” Given the rapidity of the meltdown and changing circumstances, regions that were once seen as vibrant, progressive, growth-oriented, are suddenly finding themselves with a different “brand.”
Success in the global economy as the rebound comes about will go to those regions that can continue to draw growth industries, specialized skills, and global attention. That’s going to involve a lot of effort to freshen up a brand image that might have been hurt. Or, it will involve ongoing effort to ensure that national or regional attributes are pushed out as part of the branding process. My fear is that with the downturn, some political, civic and business leaders are losing sight of this important reality.
After the call, I dug into this theme a little bit more. Turns out that Dubai had just gone and hired itself to hire a PR firm for a ‘makeover.” He didn’t lead me in our conversation, but I guess I was hitting on a key issue!
Apr 2, 2009 – Dubai has hired London-based public relations expert Finsbury to help the emirate improve its image and offset the effects of the negative media coverage of its economic problems, the Financial Times reported.
WPP Group’s (LON:WPP) subsidiary Finsbury will be entrusted with handling the emirate’s global financial communications amid the downturn that has hit the city state.
— Dubai hires PR specialist to improve image, British Business Monitor<
Two years ago, I keynoted a global financial conference in the Cayman Islands …. and part of my theme was that one of the key battlegrounds for nations in the 21st century will be the war for talent. Those who can get appropriate momentum behind their “brand” — that are seen as progressive, fast to change, and rapidly respond to challenges — will be the ones to thrive. Now with the downturn, that type of thinking is becoming more important than ever before.
My latest CAMagazine article is out.
In January, I was invited to address a group of CIO’s and CFO’s from some of the world’s largest insurance companies — a pretty heavy duty crowd. My challenge? Get them away from focusing just on the here-and-now, and think a bit about some of the challenges that tomorrow will present.
Part of my voyage took them into a view of what their industry might look like ten years out. Here’s a few extracts:
Are you ready to open up your accounting and financial systems to the Facebook generation? In 10 years, that won’t seem like a silly question. But even today, it’s an issue you should think about
In the next few years, we are likely to enter the world of the “accounting mashup,” in which customers, suppliers and business partners start to interact with you through online widgets. As this happens, you’ll discover new business models that will provide sales opportunities, streamline customer support and reduce operating costs.
Young people entering the workforce are able to instantly and easily reshape information so that it is more accessible, shareable and far more interesting. They’ve taken to the world of music and video and have learned how to reassemble bits and pieces into something new.
My favourite music mashup, from years ago, came from a DJ group known as The Kleptones. Their “A Night at the Hip-Hopera” remix took a swath of music from Queen, wrapped it around other sounds and songs, all in a story about early attempts by the music industry to shut down music sharing.
So what does this have to do with accounting? Who is to say that the Facebook generation isn’t going to look at the Best Buy Remix idea and rethink the whole concept of an accounting system in light of that? Why would we expect them to sit in front of a boring web browser, reviewing data on a boring ERP screen? Why would we not consider the possibility that they might write a tool that gets things done in a different way?
Predicting the future often involves the extrapolation of current trends. Given that mashups are a big part of youth culture, it shouldn’t be surprising that we’ll find the concept making its way into business in the next several years. Get ready!
Jim Carroll was the keynote speaker at the National Dairy Convention in 2009, delivering a session titled ‘Greener Dairies: Breaking the Carbon Habit Without Breaking the Bank.’ The event brought together dairy producers and industry leaders to address sustainability, operational efficiency, and the strategic outlook for the sector. Jim challenged producers to think about how emerging environmental technologies and changing consumer expectations were reshaping the economics of dairy farming — and how early adoption of sustainable practices could become a competitive advantage rather than a cost. His talk connected the green innovation agenda directly to the business realities of producers on the ground.
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