What does the future hold? None of us know yet all of us are a mix of thrilled and terrified of it. No matter which camp you are in, your vision of the future is probably filled with technology. While we don’t know all that the future holds, I feel confident in saying that constant technological advances will be a part of it. By the time you read this blog, there will probably be more technology advances ready to revolutionize the world. Rather than be swallowed alive by these advances, I want to help you and your business prepare today to be ready tomorrow. I call this being a “todayist.”
You’ve heard of being a futurist, which I am most certainly not, these futurists are people who I’m sure are continually looking to get their hands on the latest technology and adapting to the future. However, if you’re constantly racing to keep up with the times when are you stopping to enjoy today and what’s in front of you? That’s what being a todayist is all about and it’s an idea that you can apply to both your life and your business. As todayists, you and your organization embrace the now and will be set up for future success with these three ideas.
Accept, Adapt, and Thrive
To win in today’s market, your business must accept, adapt, and thrive on a few key modern technologies that will change our everyday life and our working world.
- Computer Speed: By the time you read this, there will probably be a faster computer. Think about this – the smartphone you carry around in your pocket has thousands of times more memory and processing power than the computers onboard Apollo 11 for the first moon landing. As computers get faster and stronger, make sure your organization is using them to the best of their abilities.
- Artificial Intelligence & Deep Learning: A futurist might spread fear that with AI and deep learning we’ll all lose our jobs. Instead, as a todayist, we must embrace these expanding abilities to work more efficiently. The businesses that harness deep learning and AI have some of the best opportunity to continue to succeed in the future.
These technologies are prevalent today and will be for years to come. What does this mean for your customer and your colleagues within your organization? I’ve seen a couple of big trends that matter today both internally and externally.
Hyper-customization
- Externally: It’s no longer a want but a need for the product you give each of your clients to be tailored to them. How are you giving them this? There’s more data today than ever before that when used properly can make that custom product or service easy. By utilizing data for your customers, you can make a better product and thrive today and beyond.
- Internally: Are the roles and job descriptions when you hired in 2004 the same as they are for when you’re hiring in 2020? Technology has shifted the tasks and abilities at every job level. The work that one data analyst may have been able to do back then may need a team of data analysts to tackle the sheer amount today. The hyper-customization of job roles has opened doors for organizations everywhere to operate more efficiently and grow.
Death of Distance
- Externally: Your once dream customer that you couldn’t get because they’re on the other side of the country or world is now at your door. As technology gets better, the more barriers of distance die. Advanced technology allows for connectivity seamlessly all over the world.
- Internally: The world is your talent pool. Remote work is becoming more and more frequent in organizations of all sizes. You may be limiting your organization if you don’t expand your horizons to have remote employees as the best fit employee may be out there.
While technology may be bringing all of these new changes, there are of course business fundamentals that will continue to be prevalent internally and externally. Especially related to the death of distance, the focus on hiring and retaining top talent and building a culture in the workplace that is purpose-driven. Even remote workers want to be a part of an organization that markets itself well and has a stellar culture. Meanwhile, it will never go out of style to focus on your customer. Whether that’s hyper-customizing a product for them with data or simply sending them an old-fashioned thank-you note, customer focus is here to stay.
All of these changes may sound intimidating but as a todayist you and your organization are able to focus today to build for continual success. I hope you and your organization can begin accepting, adapting, and thriving with these topics.
– John