Goooooooooooooooooooood day folks!
Let’s play a game of… spot the difference! Come on! I’ll make it worth your while. In fact, I’ll even raise the stakes: if you win, you get our complimentary research report on What The Future Looks Like. If you lose, you uh… come out of this having learned a very valuable lesson on business strategy… and you will still get a complimentary research report on What The Future Looks Like. Talk about a win-win!
So look at the three following quotes:
“Where is the future trend that will disrupt my current product roadmap? Can I see it coming, can I plan for it?”
“Planning for almost everything has been a long-term struggle. We are very reactive.”
“We thought climate change was going to be the black swan in five years.”
Now compare the quotes above to the ones directly below, and try to spot the MAIN difference between each set:
“We did a scenario planning a few years ago, and one of the scenarios we activated against was a global pandemic. That has come in handy!”
“We were paying attention to travel plans plans in early February; we took quick action on the technology front.”
“We designed our product for multiple scenarios – omni-channel, easy delivery/installation, multimodal, inventory.”
Did you spot the difference? Come on, even I was able to guess it! Yes, there is a stark contrast in sentiment between each set of quotes, but it’s much, MUCH more than just pessimism versus optimism, or failure versus success. You have to read between the lines!
Give up yet? Well I do, because I don’t have all day: whereas the individuals in the first set of quotes did NOT have an innovation management program, those in the second set of quotes DID.
Crazy, right? But not really. That’s what innovation management is all about. Yes, it’s about improving and innovating current business offerings on an ongoing basis, but it’s much, MUCH more than just that: it’s also about risk management, and planning for emerging trends and future disruptions. New technologies are always on the horizon; disruption is always right around the corner. Ultimately, the difference in long-term business success lies in being proactive versus being reactive. So what does the future of your business look like? I don’t know, but maybe your employees, customers, partners and suppliers do. Ask them! Give them a platform to identify, manage, and collaborate on the best ideas and solutions for your company, so you can stay ahead of the curve by preparing for whatever’s around the corner.
OK, so if you spotted the difference, kudos! Here’s our latest research report on What The Future Looks Like, on the house, as promised.
But I like you, so even if you didn’t spot the difference, here’s the research report anyway, as promised. In fact, I’m feeling rather generous today, so I’ll even throw in a free consultation should you be interested in learning how your organization can start planning for the next crisis, like another virus outbreak. Or an economic downturn. Or an environmental disaster. Or a digital disruption. Or whatever, you get the point. But that’s it! No more free stuff. There’s only so much I can give.
Til next time folks!