Futures Coaching

Chinese entrepreneurialism : is there anything more dynamic in business today?

The Chinese growth miracle has been founded upon the entrepreurial energy and vision of an elite class of business people. But who are they? In this 'Asia 5' presentation, I identify 4 different profiles of entrepreneur in today's China.

Look out for my analysis of what drives them, and what's holding them back. 

One thing is sure: the world has only just begun to feel the effects of their dynamic approach to business. 

Read more here.

 

How the Chinese innovate

Here we look the Chinese attitudes to innovation. The rules and the principles guiding resource allocations. For example, why is short term a bigger concern than long term innovation? And why do Chinese innovators emphasise process over product? Find out more about the successful innovation mindset Here.

It's our Birthday!

We're celebrating 5 years of Futures Coaching. Can you hear those champagne corks popping?

Like everything else in life, there have been ups and downs on the way, but since 90% of success is about being there, I'm glad to say that business continues....! 

For a one minute view of what we've been up to click Download 5 years of Futures Coaching

 

Growth Stories

It's official: 2012 will be worse than 2011. Well, that's what most commentators, journalists, Heads of State and stock market pundits seem to be saying. The consensus is in one direction: caution, safety, cost-cutting and NO BIG DECISIONS.

However. 

There is lots of positive news out there. You just have to be willing to go beyond the consensus, the conventional and the groupstink (sic). 

So I've decided to dedicate a series of blogs to just that. "Growth Stories" will be vignettes aimed at revealing the forces that will drive market growth in 2012...and beyond. All will be positive and aimed at helping you building business fortunes and brand profiles.

And to avoid information overload, each trend analysis will take just 5 minutes to read. To ensure you catch each of our Growth Stories, sign-up for a weekly newsletter (top right of this blog). You can unsubscribe anytime you wish. 

It would be wrong to suggest that 2012 will be easy. It will be a time of high uncertainty, 'black swan' surprises and negativity. But whilst everyone else is looking the other way, this will be just the time to identify the market opportunities. Growth Stories will, I hope, help you do just that.

Snake oil salesman or valuable guide?

A dear friend told it to me straight: no one believes experts are able to anticipate the future because the recent past has proven it. No one saw the Credit Crunch coming; the Arab Spring caught everyone by surprise; the Japanese tsunami was a true black swan.

No quite true of course. Bob Prechter, Nouriel Roubini, Richard Maybury, Dr Doom himself (Marc Faber) and others foresaw the economic crash; a computer at the University of Illinois predicted the Egyptian revolt; seismologists knew it was only a matter of time for Japan to be hit by a 'big one'.

However, I had to conceed that futurologists are not good at foreseeing 'out of the blue' events, any more than the average businessman. So what value can we offer? Here's a starter:

* a good sense of the coming agenda

* an evaluation for plausible outcomes

* a grip on the evolving dynamics shaping the world

* a wake-up call for the majority who see tomorrow as a repeat of today

 

And the consequences for businesses:

* taking smarter decisions in the evolving trading environment

* helping businesses and brands prepare for what's coming

* future-proofing existing offers

* stress testing strategies under different scenarios

* intercepting the future with new offers and services

* capturing leading edge targets

* demonstrating thought leadership

* challenging mono-cultures within companies by letting in different world views

* being an effective challenger brand by getting ahead of the curve

* making contingency plans for downturns, PR challenges, disruptive change

* providing a way to discuss fundamental business issues in a neutral way

Ultimately, it's about thinking more broadly about the changing world, lifting ideas above the day-to-day and moving the debate beyond stale, culture bound thinking. Looking to the future, forces management teams to examine their mental maps and ensures better decision taking.

So, no snake oil here. Just two challenges to management: 1) have you got the time, the energy, the courage and the intellectual horse-power to go beyond tactical delivery and build in business longevity?; 2) can you afford to ignore tomorrow's customer?

 

 

 

10 Insights into Indian Entrepreneurship

As part of the 'Asia 5' series of concise reports into the Asian marketplace, I have taken a look at entrepreneurship on the Sub-Continent. Huge strides have been made in just 5 short years and we can predict an explosion of start-up companies in the years ahead. Much is in place to allow this to happen, although some elements still need boosting. Find out more here

Self rejuvenation

Brand activation, marketing make-overs, product re-launches, strategic planning - there are no end of mechanisms that companies use to ensure they are relevant. Being aligned, on-trend and future-proofed are all desirable ambitions - and ones which Futures Coaching accompanies as part of its 'rejuvenation agency' positioning.

However, people also need rejuvenation. In our professional lives, as well as in our private lives, we can get tired, conservative and negative. The good news is that there is an equivalent to a brand make-over for the individual employee. Essentially, this comes down to training and regaining a 'Young Brain' and I capture many of the tips and tricks in my book 'You Can Be As Young As You Think'.

A great place to start on any change process is, of course, with an audit. In this context, what you need is a way to assess how far your mindsets (thoughts and attitudes) have become backward looking - or what I call 'Old Brained'. You can do this, either using the BrainAge Test in the book, or by downloading a free iphone app 'BrainAge Test'.

 

 

 

Making change happen

Isn't it frustrating when you want to make things happen and so many roadblocks stand in your way? Wanting to change the world is one thing. Finding the levers to do so is quite another.

I've been thinking this through and have come up with 5 routes to making change happen. I've added a few images as well. I hope you like it. Download Making Change Happen