JIM’S INSIGHTS

Futurist Jim Carroll has quickly become recognized as your ‘go-to source’ for effective insight on what comes next, the strategies that you consider, and the leadership path you need to follow.

All about growth!

Article in Flame Magazine: "Dancing in the Rain: Why 2026 Demands Bold Franchise Leadership"

I just finished writing my fourth article this year for Flame, the magazine of the National Franchisee Association. This one is about why 2026 demands…

Decoding Tomorrow: Daily Inspiration – Global Economy: "Stability. Reliability. Predictability. Clarity. This is now the foundation of the new 21st-century economy."

"Stability. Reliability. Predictability. Clarity. This is now the foundation of the new 21st-century economy." - Futurist Jim Carroll It's been fascinating to watch the speed…

Decoding Tomorrow: Mastering 2026 – #24 Trust Capital: "In an era of synthetic perfection, your flaws are now the ultimate watermark of your authenticity."

"In an era of synthetic perfection, your flaws are now the ultimate watermark of your authenticity." - Futurist Jim Carroll I'm back! And we're on…

Decoding Tomorrow: Your Daily Future Inspiration – Innovating in Uncertainty: "Every good moment of uncertainty demands the certainty of action!"

"Every good moment of uncertainty demands the certainty of action!" - Futurist Jim Carroll You can pre-order Dancing in the Rain effective today! I've got…

Decoding Tomorrow: Your Daily Future Inspiration – “There is no shortage of big opportunities.. There is a shortage of bold leadership!"

"There is no shortage of big opportunities.. There is a shortage of bold leadership!" = Futurist Jim Carroll One of my fellow futurists recently included…

Daily Inspiration: The Economy and Innovation - "Markets are not trends!"

"Markets are not trends!" - Futurist Jim Carroll Some wild headlines yesterday: In that context, I shared this image with one of my sons yesterday;…

Daily Inspiration: Retail, Supply Chain, Logistics - "Bring on tomorrow!"

"Bring on tomorrow!" - Futurist Jim Carroll Like the sign says. Bring on tomorrow - because if you don't, your tomorrow might not work out…

Daily Inspiration: Economic Outlook - "The US consumer seems to have entered into a state of perpetual economic gloom. Some companies seem all too eager to follow them into the abyss"

"The US consumer seems to have entered into a state of perpetual economic gloom. Some companies seem all too eager to follow them into the…

Daily Inspiration: Volatility & Trends - "You'll never find your opportunity in the depths of your despair!"

"You'll never find your opportunity in the depths of your despair!" - Futurist Jim Carroll I'm down in Silicon Valley in California today, where I've…

Daily Inspiration: Leadership and Growth - "Real leaders don't try to cost cut their way into the future! (They reinvent!)"

"Real leaders don't try to cost cut their way into the future! (They reinvent!)" - Futurist Jim Carroll Really? Are we going to do this…

Daily Inspiration: Transformative Thinking - "If you are surrounded by transformative trends that are so big, why do you continue to think so small?"

Daily Inspiration: Industry Transformation - "A bold future abhors a timid mind!"

"A bold future abhors a timid mind!" - Futurist Jim Carroll The old automotive industry is disappearing; a new one is being born. The old…

Daily Inspiration: Economic Growth - "At what point will you realize you've wasted time preparing for an economic downturn that never happened?"

"At what point will you realize you've wasted time preparing for an economic downturn that never happened?" - Futurist Jim Carroll Have you noticed that…

Daily Inspiration: Business Transformation - "At some moment in time, you will come to realize that the future you thought had no longer exists!"

"At some moment in time, you will come to realize that the future you thought had no longer exists!" - Futurist Jim Carroll If you…

Leadership and Volatility: It's What You Do Right Now That Matters

History teaches us that those who move forward, fast, during periods of relentless uncertainty, are those who win. Futurist Jim Carroll on stage in London,…

Scary News Headlines?

Have a history lesson! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIbjbwez6pM&feature=youtu.be

Daily Inspiration: "The future of work? It's the skills you don't know about that you need to be planning for!"

"The future of work? It's the skills you don't know about that you need to be planning for!" - Futurist Jim Carroll What can the…

Daily Inspiration: "If you are letting all this recession talk defer your plans for growth, you're doing it all wrong!"

"If you are letting all this recession talk defer your plans for growth, you're doing it all wrong!" - Futurist Jim Carroll History has taught…

Video: Achieving Optimism - Learning from the Two Different Types of Farmers!

One of my favorite bits of insight I like to share from the stage concerns the story of the 'two types of framers.' Which one…

Keynote Topics 2023: Growth, Innovation & Creativity, Megatrends, Leadership and Acceleration

I just sent out my February update to all my speaker bureau partners - I'm represented by most of the major ones in the world…

Daily Inspiration: “Negative people seem to believe they can drag you down and destroy your optimism. Prove them wrong!”

“Negative people seem to believe they can drag you down and destroy your optimism. Prove them wrong!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Something remarkable has been happening in the last month: millions of people have rapidly coalesced around an alternative to Twitter known as Mastodon. Rather than being one big system now owned by one megalomaniac with […]

23 Trends for 2023 : #14 Reimagining and Reinventing

If what you sell, who you sell it to, how you sell it, and essentially, what it actually is – you’ve got to change things. If who you are, how you learn, what you know, and what you need to know, you need to reinvent. That means you need to reimagine your future – because […]

23 Trends for 2023 : #13 Peak Carbon

We all know the phrase – insanity is doing the same thing and over again and expecting a different result each time. It doesn’t happen. Neither does the mindset of clinging to old business models, out-of-date product ideas, irrelevant concepts, and reliance on yesterday’s strategy. In the context of that, it also includes the end […]

23 Trends for 2023: #11 The Massive Velocity of A.I.

There can’t be a bigger story in tech this year – other than the self-inflicted destruction of many aspects of the tech sector through hubris, arrogance, and fraud – than what has happened with AI. That’s why trend #11 of my ‘23 Trends for 2023‘ series is The Massive Velocity of A.I And it truly […]

23 Trends for 2023: #8 – Knowledge Velocity

It used to be about what you know. Now it’s not only about what you know, but how fast you need to know it! And that’s why “Knowledge velocity” is trend #8 of my “23 Trends for 2023.” And indeed, the acceleration of knowledge will continue to be one of the most defining trends that […]

23 Trends for 2023: #7 – Crazy ideas go mainstream

The pace of new ideas, innovations, concepts, scientific discoveries, and product breakthroughs is occurring at such a pace that the need to align to a world of tomorrow is even more necessary today. Because trend #7 of my “23 Trends for 2023” is “Crazy Ideas Go Mainstream.” It’s your job to ingest these crazy ideas, […]

Into 2023: What’s Your Plan if Twitter Melts Down (or Does not?)

You would have had to be living under a rock for the last month to miss all the drama around Elon Musk and his purchase of Twitter. The headlines are breathless; the coverage is relentless; the level of shock with many is astounding. But what does it all mean? No one really knows. And that […]

23 Trends for 2023: #6 – Opting Out

There might be a recession in 2023. Or, maybe not! But whatever happens, it’s pretty certain that an increasing number of CEOs are deciding that they choose not to take part. They’ll opt out. That’s trend #6 of my ‘23 Trends for 2023′ series. To opt-out is to choose not to participate in something. Right now, […]

Daily Inspiration: “Conventional wisdom is often wrong. When in doubt, opt out!”

“Conventional wisdom is often wrong. When in doubt, opt out!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Today’s inspiration comes directly from Trend 6 of my “23 Trends for 2023” series: “Opting out” To opt out is to choose not to participate in something. Right now, the conventional wisdom – the wisdom of crowds – seems to be that […]

Daily Inspiration: “Accelerate your acceleration!”

“Accelerate your acceleration!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Are you thinking fast enough? I know I tend to focus way too much on the issue of speed in this daily post, but it is a huge issue! Just over 10 years ago, my book “The Future Belongs to Those Who Are Fast“ was released. It’s a […]

23 Trends for 2023: Trend #1 – “Techno-skepticism” and Retiming The Future

It hasn’t been a great year for tech. Things went too far. And so the tech collapse in 2022 was entirely predictable. This leads to my first trend to watch in 2023: “techno-skepticism.” I believe this will be THE defining trend of 2023 (other than geopolitics and war which are beyond my scope) What is it? The […]

Video Playlist: Innovating Through Uncertainty

It’s what you decide to do that matters!

Accelerate Innovation, Deliver Growth: Why Dozens of CEOs Have Been Booking me to Lead Their Corporate Offsite Events (and what this means for you!)

Most effective Web sites feature a ‘hero image’ which is designed to grab your attention AND get across in one simple sentence what it is you provide. Mine changed – specifically with the ‘hero text’ which ran ever since the newest version of my Web site launched in 2019. That section went from this: To […]

Daily Inspiration: “When times are tough, creativity should not be!”

“When times are tough, creativity should not be!” – Futurist Jim Carroll You should never forget that you might find your best ideas when faced with adversity. One thing I’ll be talking about during my keynote in Switzerland tomorrow is that a recession and economic downturns are actually a great time to launch new ideas […]

Video: “Tell me a story about the doomiest gloomiest group you’ve ever seen!”

Someone asked. So I hit the studio and filmed a thing.

Daily Inspiration: “Successful leaders lift people up … rather than bringing them down!”

“Successful leaders lift people up … rather than bringing them down!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Leaders set the tone. We all know that – but how do they actually do it? One of the most critical ways is by establishing hope, providing a sense of purpose, and instilling optimism in the team during volatile times. Leadership […]

A Recession? Disruptors Choose Not to Participate – Here’s Why!

Here’s a short clip from my keynote in London, UK last week – and my story about what goes wrong if you fall prey to a mindset of negativity driven by economic gloom. The story in the video is key to my ‘innovate for the future despite uncertainty’ message – it’s early 2009, and the global […]

Daily Inspiration: “It’s impossible to align yourself to the future if you are going to let pessimism be at the core of your existence!”

“It’s impossible to align yourself to the future if you are going to let pessimism be at the core of your existence!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Yup, here I go with that optimism thing again, but I’m optimistic about my optimism! Here’s the thing – today’s quote is the actual closing sentence from my keynote in London, UK […]

Where’s the growth? Rethinking long term opportunity in the context of volatility!

I wrote this PDF report late in 2008 after the global economic meltdown as the great 2008-09 recession was settling in. It was an important document then, and it is still powerful, albeit slightly dated read today. Titled “Where’s the Growth: Global Innovation Opportunities for the Long Term“, it was a clarion call for the […]

Keynote: Iowa Housing Authority – Rethinking Housing in the Era of Volatility – It’s a Great Time to Double Down on Innovation!

Jim’s keynote took a broad approach to a variety of issues, best summarized in his keynote description: In an era of economic volatility, it’s more important than ever to focus on the future in order to achieve the core mandate of assisting the less fortunate in society. When it comes to housing, it’s also important […]

Daily Inspiration: “Never let vour short-term gloom and doom get in the way of your long-term opportunities!”

“Never let your short-term gloom and doom get in the way of your long-term opportunities!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Not to beat a dead horse, but it sure is an interesting time to be focused on the future, disruption, and innovation, as I discover an increasing number of CEOs who are working hard to ensure […]

Daily Inspiration: “The greatest gift you can give someone else is a better future!”

“The greatest gift you can give someone else is a better future!” – Futurist Jim Carroll Housing is one of the most basic human needs, and yet for many, one of the most significant challenges. That’s why I’m excited to be heading to Iowa in two weeks to speak at the Iowa Housing Conference 2022 in […]

Daily Inspiration: “Those who don’t like a trend don’t just oppose the trend, they now deny the reality of the trend itself”

“Those who don’t like a trend don’t just oppose the trend, they now deny the reality of the trend itself” – Futurist Jim Carroll I’ve done a LOT of economic development-oriented keynotes over the years – for government agencies, regional associations, economic development organizations,s, and companies, on the trends that will define the next wave of opportunity. These […]

Keynote: “Rethinking Housing in the Era of Volatility – It’s a Great Time to Double Down on Innovation!”

It’s going to be a spectacular fall with a number of fascinating events! I’ll be kicking it off in Des Moines, Iowa, with a keynote that focuses on two key issues – inovating in uncertainty, and the future of construction! Rethinking Housing in the Era of Volatility – It’s a Great Time to Double Down […]