It has just been confirmed that I will be opening keynote speaker for the HSMAI/NYU (Hospital Sales and Marketing International and New York University) Industry Strategy Conference in September. THe conference was started in the wake of the September 11, 2001, tragedy, as a way to bring industry leaders together. I’ll be providing insight into the future of business and leisure travel, based upon my “What Comes Next? (And What Should You Do About it?)” presentation.
On the big couch…
This AM, my laptop and I moved on to the big comfy couch in the basement — now into heavy duty book writing mode on the “What I’ve Learned From Frogs In Texas” book.
This is where I’ve done much of my writing in the past; it gest me out of the home office, away from the phone, and is actually quite a create spot
Leading the Future: Leadership In An Era of Innovation and Change
We live in an era of unprecedented, relentless, rapid change.
An era in which competition changes overnight, and where new products and services come to market faster than ever before. A time in which rapid innovation has led to compressed product lifecycles that are now measured in a matter of weeks and months instead of years. A business environment in which distribution channels, business models, market trends and corporate structure changes on a regular basis. Where ongoing cost challenges and the need for revenue growth have created new challenges in meeting shareholder expectations. Corporate accountability issues which have caused many organizations to focus on the challenges of the “here and now,” rather than thinking about what is yet to come.
We live in a time in which permanence has been torn asunder; a time that demands a new agility and flexibility for every organization; an era that requires leaders who have the skills to prepare their organizations for a future that is rushing at us faster than ever before.
That’s why many of the keynotes that I have been providing have focused on how to develop on how to develop and engender the leadership skills of the 21st century, around the theme “Leading the Future: Leadership In An Era of Innovation and Change”
Meeting World 2004 General Session
Tomorrow, I will be doing an opening panel session for Meeting World 2004 one of the world’s premiere meeting industry events — in New York City. I’m honored to participate on a panel with the well-known experts Joan Eisenstodt and Laila Rach, focusing on the theme of “Creating meetings in a changing world.”
I’ve written a discussion paper that outlines some of the trends that will impact the meeting industry in the years to come — you can read it here 
(PDF)
The session description: “The way meetings are present is a reflection of a society we live in. In this highly facilitated discussion, we’ll explore how shifting demographic, generational, multicultural and gender trends, as well as an aging population, are influencing the needs and wants of meeting attendees.”
I’ve long been a proponent of the view that a world of changing complexity, rapid innovation and change, new business models, and everything else, is leading to an increase in the need for just-in-time-knowledge, just-in-time-training, and just-in-time-strategy application — and that corporate and association meetings and events are a key cornerstone by which organizations can prepare themselves for the future.
Check out the conference site and learn more. [ details ]
Certain things are certain…
At 6:15am this morning, I finally started writing my book, “What I Learned From Frogs in Texas: Simple Steps to Thrive in a World of Constant Change and Innovation.” I’m mostly off for the summer; I have a keynote at Meetings World in New York next week, but will devote the rest of my time to both downtime, and to getting this book written.
Get ready for career extinction
I’ve carefully been watching the crowds in my keynote presentations over the years, and have come to realize that there is a direct relationship between the nature of the audience, and the way that they react to my observations on the future.
Call it Carroll’s law, because what I’ve learned is this — those doomed to extinction and other severe career implications as a result of rapid change, are usually the least receptive to a message as to the reality of their impending doom. They would prefer to escape rather than adapt to reality.
Looking out into the audience, it sometimes seems like I’ve got a bunch of deer in the headlights — they seem so shocked by the change that is occurring around them that they don’t know how to take the next steps of figuring out what to do about it. This is particularly true when I discuss the reality of outsourcing/offshoring, or when I focus in on how rapid innovation, fuelled by scientific advance, will continue to cause havoc and turmoil in every industry.
I wrote an article yesterday, How Science Will Change Careers — And Associations — that looks at the theme of impending, rapid career extinction. Read the article 
(PDF)
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