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.

TRENDS INSIGHTS

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!

Jim talks about the Internet of Things – #IoT – in 1997!

On stage, in a keynote for KPMG, in 1997. He was pretty well bang-on with his predictions, considering what is coming in 2017 and beyond. 20 years ahead of his time! https://player.vimeo.com/video/199022765

In 2017, Two Economies are Emerging: Which One Will You Choose to Be In?

It is quickly becoming apparent that in 2017, there will be the emergence of two economies: one linked to the whimsical desire for the 1950’s, and the other firmly set to accelerate to the year 2050. Case in point: one will involve a desire to return to coal; the other, to solar, alternative energy and accelerating […]

Beyond Politics: The Science of Healthcare

Politics dominates the world of healthcare. When that happens, people tend to lose sight of the remarkable advances, driven by science and innovation that are occurring, that make this one of the most exciting industries out there. With that in mind, consider the tremendous advances that have occurred with the science and technology of medicine. […]

Golf balls, golf carts and the future: People hate change!

A little video clip from my keynote for the PGA – think about what happened when golf carts were introduced to the world of golf! Food for thought when it comes to innovation and change…!

2016: My Favourite Quote of the Year!

Here’s my favourite quote from 2016. It comes from Tesla Motors, and hence, Elon Musk, in a SEC filing on August 5th, having to do with the Tesla Model 3. A car that does not yet exist, but which 400, 000 people bought into the idea of (I was one of them!) “We have no […]

17 Trends for 2017

What are the trends I’m watching as we head into 2017? Far too many; indeed, the list is almost too long to consider. I’ve got keynotes, leadership or Board meetings in almost every sector in the coming months: transportation, construction, healthcare, retail, automotive, advanced materials and manufacturing, agriculture, insurance … the list goes on and on. […]

Accelerating Leadership: Here’s a CEO/Board Strategy Session with Futurist Jim Carroll!

While I find myself doing keynotes in Las Vegas, Orlando and Phoenix for audiences of up to 7,000, I also regularly do a whole series of small, CEO or Board meetings that are focused on future trends, strategies and opportunities. I’m thouroughly enjoying myself while preparing for an upcoming 2017 event in this space; I’ve […]

Talent 2017: The Right Skills, at the Right Time, for the Right Purpose!

So … there’s lots of talk about the future of jobs, careers, automation, the disappearance of jobs, and the emergence of new jobs. It seems to be one of the issues for 2016, and no doubt, will continue into the future. I’ve been all over the topic for over 20 years, and am often engaged […]

10 Highlights from 2017! My Favourite Stages, My 50,000 people + 4 V.I.People!

Some people really don’t understand what a unique career a futurist like me has. Every once in a while, I pinch myself, and feel so lucky to have a remarkable opportunity to change the lives of so many people! As so as 2016 draws to a close, it’s a fun time to have a look […]

Agriculture is Hot: Consider some stats!

I’m cleaning up from some of the research that went into my recent talk for the United Soybean Board last week. Here are some of the fascinating statistics I dug out about the productivity gains that have been achieved in US agriculture: corn yields have gone from 39 bushels to 153 per acre in the […]

Your new vocabulary for 2017? “Destructive, impulsive unpredictability,” “yottabit pipelines” and “connected energy” … and more!

As the wild year of 2016 draws to a close, and 2017 arrives, what can you expect in the coming year? Rather than a list of predictions for 2017, let’s simply focus on some of the words and phrases that will become a bigger part of your life next year and years beyond. The big phase for […]

Golf balls with webcams, golf carts, and the future!

For as long as there has been the future, there have been people who don’t like it. Ogden Nash captured that reality perfect, when he observed that “for some people, progress is great, but its’ gone on way too long.” With that in mind, here’s a clip from my keynote for the PGA of America […]

Accelerating Innovation: My Time with the United Soybean Board

I do a *lot* of talks for agricultural organizations, both associations as well as agricultural companies (most of the global leaders in this space have had me in for senior management meetings or customer events, seeking my insight on the trends in the industry.) Yesterday, I was a keynote speaker for the United Soybean Board, […]

Things That Won’t Happen in 2017: And What it Means

Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired, coined a very popular phrase : “The future happens very slowly and then all at once.” I’ve seen the concept used quite a bit as of late as people come to comprehend that things are changing faster than they thought they would. In my parlance, I’ve been phrasing this […]

The Amazing Math of Chemical Acceleration – And Why a Saudi Oil Giant is Realigning Its Business!

Today, the Wall Street Journal ran an article,”Why Saudi Arabia’s Oil Giant Aims to Be Big in Chemicals, Too“, with the subhead: “Aramco’s plans to vastly expand its petrochemical operations are part of the kingdom’s effort to remake its economy as oil’s future clouds.” Why would one of the world’s largest oil companies shift to […]

Article: Banking Without Boundaries (Independent Banker)

I was interviewed recently by Independent Banker magazine for my thoughts on trends impacting the world of banking. I do a lot of keynotes in this area — with clients such as VISA, the National Australia Bank, the Texas Credit Union League, American Express, CapitolOne, the American Community Bankers Association, Wells Fargo and many, many more. The full article is available […]

Keynote: The Future of the Automotive Industry

Interested in a keynote on the future of the automotive/trucking industry? Read this! This January, I’ll keynote the American Financial Services Association 21st annual Vehicle Finance Conference & Expo in New Orleans. The event draws some heavy hitters who will share their insight into what comes next, including the CIO for Toyota Financial Services, the President & CEO of TD Auto Finance […]

The Amazing Karma of the Future! (Hint – Watch this Video!)

So … I regularly get approached to speak at a lot of corporate leadership meetings …. and have done so for organizations like Johnson & Johnson, The GAP, Dupont, BASF, Siemens, Lockheed Martin. I frame for them the issue that the future is arriving faster than they think, and offer concise guidance on key trends that they need […]

Creating a Great Keynote!

During a call yesterday, a client was asking whether I could customize my talk for their group. Are you kidding? Here’s a good case study of the typical process that I goes through. This particular organization was in the retail space; through conversations with several member of global management, we built a list of the key […]

Keynote: The Jetsons Have Arrived 50 Years Early: What Are YOU Going to Do About It?

Here’s some fun – a client had me write up a new topic description and topic focus that would take a look at the trends around us today that are taking us to tomorrow faster. As we spoke, I had them watch the Spock video on my Web site (below) and they loved it! That […]

Things I’ve Learned from Golfing with a Grade 5 Teacher!

I spend a lot of time in conversation with CEOs, leading researchers, scientists, and others as I prepare for my keynotes and leadership meetings. I undertake a lot of detailed research, often reading sets of hundreds of articles on a very specific subject as I prepare for a talk. My mind is a sponge, absorbing […]

A Word about Customization: What’s my Secret Sauce?

So … in an exploratory conference call with a client today, who is looking at me to keynote an upcoming professional services conference, the question was stated: “We’ve spoken to quite a few futurists and speakers, and all of them say they customize. And you said that too. So how do we know you’re the […]

Article: What’s the future of the office workplace?

Office Products International Magazine contacted me for an article about the future of the workplace, for their 25 anniversary issue. Obviously this is an industry that has a keen interest in the issue — after all, if your target market is the office, and that office is changing, you need to know! Here’s what I […]

2017 Is Coming: It’s Time for a Strategy Tuneup!

We have seen more change in the last 5 years than we have seen in the last 100 – and yet there is much more yet to come. 2017 will prove to be a watershed year as trends continue to accelerate. Self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, business model disruption, hyper-competition and hyper-connectivity, collaborative innovation, […]