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!

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: "If only the paranoid survive, it's also true that it's the chameleons who will thrive!"

Don’t freak out – Stay focused!

I just filmed this today in front of the White House. You need to watch it.

A Memo to the CEO

To: CEO’s Worldwide From: Futurist Jim Carroll Date: November 1, 2016 I know things are extremely busy, particularly given the current climate of economic uncertainty. Yet, there is a key issue that you need to make sure is on your agenda. Innovation. The most important thing […]

Innovation, the Future, and Returning America to Optimism

We live in interesting times, to say the least. It’s a time in which some people see the future, and see despair. I see the future and see nothing but opportunity. And that’s the message I am carrying on stage at every event — including the industry that seems to be defining the gloom of […]

Failing at the Future: Why Are Some Organizations Clogged with Organizational Sclerosis?

Let’s talk about organizations that are clearly failures with the future — those who are stuck in a rut, and unable to figure out what to do next. With a twenty-five-year focus on innovation, I’ve become convinced that many organizations develop cultural sclerosis that holds them back to such a degree that their failure becomes a blinding liability. […]

Innovating Post-Brexit – And – Can America Innovate Again?

We certainly live in interesting times! Here’s what I’ve noticed in this new era of hyper-turmoil and uncertainty — many organizations are turning off their innovation engines, waiting to see what happens next in a world in which volatility is the new normal. The New Yorker had a great article in 2009 after the financial […]

Is Your CEO An Innovation Wimp?

I spend my time providing guidance on future trends & innovation to some of the most fascinating companies and organizations in the world, such as Disney, NASA, BASF, and IBM. Often these are in the form of offsite senior executive leadership meetings …. where a team gets together to examine the deep, substantive changes that […]

Managing Money: Global Wealth Managers Turn to Jim Carroll for Insight on Trends

It’s been a fun week, with keynotes in Dallas and Napa Valley – one on the future of education, and the other involving the future of manufacturing. Yet my talks don’t just include keynote presentations — I’m often engaged to come in to small, intimate leadership meetings to help senior executives understand some of the […]

Trend: Self-Driving Cars and Economic Success

Is your community positioned for success in the era of autonomous vehicle technology? Are you thinking about this from an economic development perspective? It’s a valid question, and one that I’ve been addressing for a number of years. I covered this issue in a keynote for 2,000 mayors and elected officials when I was the […]

Reinventing Manufacturing: The Reality and the Opportunity

We live in interesting times, where an inane political debate makes it seem that with a wave of a magic wand, an entire industry can be transformed overnight. It won’t happen like that, folks. It will happen through constant innovation, big bold moves, skill set reinvention and challenging thinking that will – and already is […]

Videos: Innovating in A Period of Economic Uncertainty

#brexit #uselection #economicmeltdown Suddenly, there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world. Senior executives who are focused on trying to move their organizations are discovering that aggressive indecision has set in. What should you do? Here’s some video guidance for your innovation soul! [smartslider3 slider=18]

Video: The Renaissance of Manufacturing!

The popular buzz is that manufacturing in North America is dead, dying, or in a continual state of decline. Politicians seem to want to wave a magic wand and ‘fix everything.’ That being said, the sector has already done a remarkable job in reinventing itself for a new world of digitization, changing business models, changes to process […]

Keynote Update: "Hot Topics for September 2015!"

As a popular keynote speaker with a focus on future trends and innovation, I’m often called upon to deliver a talk that focuses on some very unique or current issues. This post will give you a sense of the types of events that I am being booked into today. There are several key trends that continue […]

Global economic turmoil? Time to innovate!

As the world wakes up on August 24, 2015, to news of turmoil with global stock markets, it’s important to remember the key lessons learned from past recessions – those who focus on innovation despite economic uncertainty, are those who succeed in the long run. Now is not the time for panic, nor to throw […]

Trend: The Emergence of the Vertical Farming Infrastructure Manager

At my recent opening keynote for the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, part of my role was to challenge the audience to think about how rapidly new careers are emerging all around us. I used an agricultural trend to put it into perspective. It’s a good watch. Not only I am talking about […]

Why Prague Matters….

I grew up during the Cold War. I remember the era of atomic weapons as a threat above our heads; I remember my Mom preparing for the end of the world with the situation in Cuba in 1963; she seemed very busy getting lots of extra water and food down into the cellar. I was barely […]

Keynote: Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver – The Future of Transportation

Self-driving cars, electric vehicles, the future of intelligent highways and smart infrastructure. I was invited in to give a talk to local and state business officials, senior government representatives, economic development officials and many more, in order that they might have a good understanding of the implications and challenges. A good part of the message […]

Wall Street Journal Production: Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast!

Back at the end of March, I worked on a custom video project with the Wall Street Journal Custom Digital Studios Team on behalf of CapitolOne; it involved a small, invitation only panel discussion with a follow up custom video production. The latter is now running through out the WSJ.Com digital network. It took place at […]

The Miracle that is Greece….

A week ago, I had the delightful opportunity of being the closing keynote speaker for a global conference of family wealth managers that was held at a resort outside Athens. It was a pretty fascinating group …. Needless to say, I don’t take on too many international keynotes; the travel can be gruelling, and to […]

The “tinkering economy,” global growth and why the Mark 2 Hovercraft matters!

I’m often writing and speaking about real trends that matter. Not fads, or social-media driven hot-Youtube videos. Real, substantive trends which will provide for long term transformation of industries and skills. Business model disruption. The rapid emergence of new competitors. Stuff like that. Back in 2012, in my end of year post, “Trending in 2012: […]

Iowa Farmer Today on Jim Carroll: “Future of ag is focused on growth”

Future of ag is focused on growth By Zoe Martin Iowa Farmer Today | Posted: Thursday, December 27, 2012 Jim Carroll knows a lot about camping, urban renewal, golf and agriculture. Above all, the author, speaker and consultant knows change. “It’s hard to explain what I do,” said Carroll, a “futurist.” “I walk into virtually […]

Trending in 2013: What’s to Come In The Year To Come?

Here’s some of the key trends that I see unfolding through 2013 and beyond. My unique job allows me the opportunity to see and hear what a lot of CEO’s and senior executives in a lot of organizations are thinking about. The nature of my keynotes and small board / leadership meetings allows me to […]

Trend Report: The Future of Retail – Logistics, E-commerce and Attention Spans!

I’ve just had an article published in STOrai Magazine. This is the monthly magazine for the Retail Association of India, one of the largest such groups in the world. The article takes a look at the trends which will define the world of retail through the next 1, 2, 5 to 10 years. You can […]

Moving beyond the Meltdown! How to refocus 2,200 mayors and advisors in Texas!

Last week I was honoured to be the opening keynote speaker for over 2,200 mayors and elected officials from throughout the great state of Texas, for the 100th Annual Meeting of the Texas Municipal League. A fascinating time and a wonderful opportunity to speak to a vast audience with a lot of divergent viewpoints about […]

Investing In The Future: What the Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors are Asking Me

Recently, I’ve had two absolutely fascinating session, each about 2-3 hours in length. In one case, a major private equity firm engaged me to meet with their main advisory board In another case, I met with a group of very wealthy investors who were / are owners of major family held businesses, with valuations into the […]