·
All
of the “future” things that Kelly spoke about – screening, interacting,
sharing, flowing, accessing, generating, and “paying for attention” – would
positively drive me to distraction. What
a cluttered world of unwanted “data” foisted on the “consumer” of this data.
·
The Corning
presentation had a dazzling show of potential uses for glass - All-weather
surface glass, Work surface display, Electronics-ready glass, Large-pane
display glass, Flexible display glass & 3D TV glass. But my immediate thought was: OMG, when
somebody invents a medium less “made of sand” , Corning will enter buggy-whip
land overnight.
·
I
cannot say a single kind thing about the Google Glasses. My kids are late 20’s. They most enjoy things like hiking and a sip
of wine. Running through life with data
hitting you everywhere you look? I cannot
imagine a product I would want less.
·
Millions
of young people, I’m certain, find the above nuisances as cool and must-have,
which means my take on these presentations is of very little value to those for
whom these presentations are intended.
Or, said another way, these presentations were not made for my type. They were made for your futurists with skin
still left in the game (to realize these trends).
·
I was
moved by the concept of streams of data, and tagging streams to grab what of
the stream you wanted. I have been
saying for several years that the next big thing is going to be the development
of a big “filter” used to opt out of much of what is being blasted at you (see
Corning and Google above).
·
I
think the ideas have merit, but not in the ways people will actually use these
items. Here’s why: people don’t have a need for constant
data. The ads present a kid walking
around interacting at every turn. I
believe this new technology will be valuable when people want it. See Kelly’s
Accessing and Generating concepts mentioned above.
·
Either
did not get or understand Kelly’s last item, “paying for attention”. I did not see how that item was on the level
of the other six action verbs.
·
The
presentations were made like fashion ads are made – for a New York based elite
audience.
·
I was
struck by Kelly’s mention of the study of baby use of the iPad. This type study made perfect sense to me as
it relates to how humans interact. In my
youth, we were given a cookie and told we could get five more if we waited…how
times have changed.
The implications
for leadership are many as they relate to the onset of new technology. Leaders should weight protecting what they
have v. what they will lose in opportunity costs. In global logistics, there is a concept
called economic destruction, which
naturally occurs when new trade partners are inserted into a fixed
environment. The weak must perish, the
strong survive, and your business better be on the right side of that
existential equation.
Similar in
concept to economic destruction is technology convergence. According to the Hay Group, “…four tech areas
are converging fast, promising the sharpest technology shifts in history. Nano,
bio, information and cognitive (NBIC) technologies are already transforming areas
like medicine, energy and production.”
Meaning, ignore disruptive technologies at your peril.
Leaders must
stay current. Peter Barron Stark said
that learning is an ongoing professional commitment. From a 2009 blog:
Eartha Kit once said, “I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.” This quote says it all. Great leaders are great learners. The world and the economy are changing in ways that make most people say, “I have never seen times as challenging as these.” As we have said before, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The time is now for saying, “Whether it is perfect, not broke, completely broken, partially broken or completely broken, we need to change the way we do things to be even more innovative, efficient, and in tune with the needs of our customers.”
Stark went on to list six types of “futurist” leader he found during his consulting career (excerpted below):
Self-Directed Learners - Leaders intent on staying current with the
latest technologies and organizational trends know that now, more than ever,
they must be responsible for their own learning.
Receptive Learners - Great leaders have a fascination with people
and display an openness to learning from anyone they encounter, whether the
person be someone who shines shoes or heads up a company.
Great Listeners - Being open to learning from anyone requires
another skill, the skill of listening.
Excited Learners - Leaders who are committed to continuous
learning are great role models for those around them.
Good Teachers - Leaders committed to lifelong learning are good
teachers.
Popular Learners - Finally, we have noted that when leaders
display excitement about learning and a commitment to being a continuous
learner, they may experience greater job security.
Rope, I liked how you wrapped up your post with Stark's six futurist types. All are important, but for me, the "self-directed" is at the forefront. Leaders cannot wait for someone else - the IT person - to train them. They have to be as self-directed in adapting to technological change as they are in managing their company.
ReplyDeleteAs for your curmudgeon analysis...many studies suggest that our initial reaction to change is outright rejection. So well done...I suspect after rejection will come examination, and if value is found, adoption. I use Twitter daily, and my boss likes to remind me that when he first suggested it to me, I said "No way!"
:-)
Amen all around. I blanched at FB and Twitter. Now I use both. I feel in many ways that the "structured analysis" I mastered went "poof" when OO development came in. So I adapted and began managing operations projects instead of IT projects...How's that for adapting? I suspect many will meander around the edges like I did before acceptance. I'm not fond of the data bombardment. After all of the readings and exploration this week, I only know that things will change drasitically.
ReplyDeleteI mention above that I didn't get the "pay for attention" item of Kelly's...but, unbelievable, during my 7 hour drive home today, I listened to a week-old podcast of Dennis Miller's radio show...sure enough, he interviewed Bobby Hurley, ex BBall star, about his affiliation with Thuzio (http://www.thuzio.com/)...what karma. Now I get it completely. Old dog humbled again.