Does a futurist really use a crystal ball to forecast trends?

(Photo by @8thshot)

I will admit that during these times of endlessly being at home, I *may* have started re-watching old episodes of Charmed on Netflix. (Stop judging.) Putting aside the campy antics, you have to admire the consistent battle against what the future will bring and how to best prepare for it. (Tho in our case, we’re not battling demons that can be vanquished with a potion...or are we?). 

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#techtopic

One of the interview questions I love to ask in mock interviews is “Tell me about a time that you had to make a decision without all the necessary information.” Most students hate it. It throws them off-guard.I have had more than one tell me that they don’t make any decisions without all the information in front of them -- which is ludicrous. We make those types of decisions daily - small/easy (like trying a new brand of clothing out) or large/expensive (selecting a painter for your large Victorian home). 

Employers in tech want to know that you can make decisions with imperfect or missing information, because often, that’s what daily life is like, regardless of sector. 

While it’s tempting to assume that leaders have crystal balls or access to oodles of secret information to help them make decisions, it’s actually more of a method than a map. 

Again, this is where I think tech, the scientific method, agile development, etc provide an advantage to those trying to do strategic planning in heavily uncertain times. You could also try learning from those who are called ‘futurists’ to see the frameworks that they use to help guide others in decision making.

So what is a futurist, you ask? 

According to Amy Webb, “A futurist is someone who studies next-order outcomes using signals from the present.”

Want to make more decisions like a futurist? Check out these articles & resources:

• Articles

  • 5 Principles for Thinking Like a Futurist

  • How to do Strategic Planning like a Futurist

  • Getting the Restart Right: How to Lead When Nobody Has a Map

• Resources

  • Frameworks for making future decisions

  • Futurist Resources

Here are some of the Futurists that I follow to keep up on trends & signals & predictions: 

• Juan Enriquez

• Mary Lou Jepsen

• Alison Sander

• Amy Webb

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#space

Sad that the launch was postponed? Check out this article to learn Why SpaceX has to wait until next Saturday to launch 

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Supply chain tech + drone delivery

(Photo credit @jezael)

Snow! In May! Enough said.

Instead, let me share a social distancing haiku from NPR:

All the days blending
together into a stew
not a good stew

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#techtopic

I've been curious about how tech is helping support disrupted supply chains - and much is happening. As supply chain VC Brian Aoaeh points out, "supply chain innovations are really about two things – increasing throughput and increasing profit."

One way to do that is to optimize operations, so it makes sense that UPS just debuted autonomous warehouse robots to boost warehouse productivity. Separately, retailers who invested in inventory management technology will be the clear winners, when so much of in-store business is moving to counter pickup or shipping inventory from the store to the customer. Stores will continue to play a key role in getting products to customers, with real-time knowledge about distributed inventory becoming a key competitive advantage. It'll be fascinating to watch the UPS & CVS drone delivery trials in Florida this month to see if they usher in a new wave of last-mile delivery solutions.

With increased political issues between China & the US, we're also seeing Apple shift production to neighboring Vietnam to avoid further supply chain disruptions by increasing production capacity outside China. And no commentary on supply chain tech can be complete without mentioning the potential for blockchain to help provide transparency and traceability.

As more organizations look to deploy supply chain technology, the providers of that tech are growing their sales teams to meet demand. As huge transportation hubs, Newark, NJ and Atlanta, GA are both cities with supply chain tech ecosystems. This is still a great breakdown of the supply chain ecosystem via CB Insights, even if it's a few years old. And imagine - what will supply chains look like in Q3 as they prepare for Black Friday and the Christmas holiday season?

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#farfuture

And you thought radio waves were just good for listening to music! Down at my alma mater Princeton, they have discovered a new way to control fusion reactions, a small step towards making fusion energy production a reality.

• https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32389687/radio-waves-stabilize-fusion-reactions/

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Want a Career in Tech but aren’t sure where to start? Take a look at MY COURSE, ‘TECH SEARCH COMPASS’ FOR STEP-BY-STEP SUPPORT

Generating creative energy under constraint

(Photo credit @austindistel)

The sun came out this weekend, and it was glorious. I spent much of my weekend digging, mowing, and enjoying the outdoors. And now I'm back inside on a cold & dreary day. One of my biggest challenges in living alone in covid19 times is to keep my creative brain limber & cranking out new ideas. I am someone who is energized by collaborating & ideating with others, most often physically in a room together, bouncing ideas off each other. I get frustrated if I don't have creative outlets, and realize that taking time to color in a coloring book or sing with Google Mini or hike in a new place adds new neurological connections that help me in my daily work. And adjusting to these new constraints has actually been helpful.

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#techtopic

Did you know that "creative" is one of the most overused buzzwords on LinkedIn? Both individuals and companies all want to be known as "creative" and so many organizations throw millions and millions of money to increase creativity and innovation with little to show for it. These are also the organizations whose struggles with pivoting and redirecting are laid bare during a global pandemic.

Some would say this is why tech companies have seemed largely immune to covid19 -- the DNA of tech companies like Google structurally encourages creativity & bottom-up idea generation, which helps them respond to crises in a different way. The constraints placed on them due to Covid19 may yet encourage their biggest creative outputs yet.

Because: paradoxically,

Boredom + constraints + frustration = supercharged creativity

Don't believe me?

• How Constraints Force Your Brain to be More Creative (Fast Company)

• How Frustration Can Make Us More Creative (TED)

• Apple: Creativity Goes On

• Staying Creative as a Family During Lockdown (World Economic Forum)

• How to be Creative Under Pressure (Medium)

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