Bringing data to life – Importance of Storytelling and Data
I was invited to work yesterday with one of my favourite partners; the London Business School and present to one of their clients, a large international Telecoms company. The presentation I gave is called Herding Cats and it explores the new world of customer loyalty...
Three Critical Things You Need to Focus On in 2015
Many people and businesses focus on the wrong things. What will your business be measuring in 2015? If your focus is on your competitors, your market share and internal efficiencies you may miss significant changes coming your way. In a time of disruptive change you...
Deep Games – Video Games for Grown Ups
Imagine a game where there are no evil monsters, deranged zombies or blood sucking aliens, no high-calibre weapons and most surprisingly no scorekeeping of any sort. Rather the game is an allegorical adventure that explores how we might understand and integrate past...
Valedictory Speech 2014 for 13 year olds
I was asked to give a short speech at my daughter's valedictory Leaver's Dinner at the end of her Junior School year. Here is an edited version of what I said (I sprinkled this with some personal stories, humour and local references): To the graduating class of St...
Digital Immersion and Social DNA: Eliminating the Immigrant / Native divide?
A recent report from TGI Clickstream presents data that is believed to dispel the perception that people under-30 [Digital Natives] have a higher online presence than Digital Immigrants. Theauthors of the report believe that it is a user’s Social DNA - defined as a...
Digital Immersion and Social DNA: Eliminating the Immigrant / Native divide?
A recent report from TGI Clickstream presents data that is believed to dispel the perception that people under-30 [Digital Natives] have a higher online presence than Digital Immigrants. Theauthors of the report believe that it is a user’s Social DNA - defined as a...
China: technology, moral and legislative lead in environment
Two years ago, China set itself the target of becoming the world's leading consumer and producer or solar, wave and wind power. They have already achieved this target. In an authoritarian system, when a decision gets made, it also gets done. When good decisions are...
Don’t write the U.S. off just yet – How the TIDES of Change model can help assess the future of the world’s largest economy
“Many business leaders will realise, soon, that they are underinvesting in North America” says Joel Kurtzman a leading figure in the U.S. on the future of business. Joel founded the Booz & Co magazine Strategy+Business and is also a senior fellow at the Milken...
S.M.A.R.T.
Dealing with SMART people in SMART ways in the changing world.
S.M.A.R.T.
Dealing with SMART people in SMART ways in the changing world.
Today’s youth: cleaner living, wholesome hobbies, socially conservative… Research
For over a decade now, we have been using our understanding of generational cycles to predict that today's youth and young adults were likely to respond to social change by becoming more socially conservative. This would include reductions in hard drug use, reductions...
Getting rid of email – here’s a company that’s done just that
Over the last few months I have begun to include a small section in some of my workshops on the clutter and "stuff" that makes work life a pain. Almost all participants identify meetings and email (and many add managers, for a "3M" trilogy of evil). Email is going to...
Microsoft targets Gen Z
Microsoft has acquired Mojang the maker of Minecraft for $2.5bn [see AFP article below]. Minecraft is a game with very simplistic graphic and game play but it has managed to garner a player base numbering in the millions spread across the Digital Natives demographic....
What constitutes middle class, a growing global disruption
Today Graeme Codrington and I are part of the London Business School team working with the leadership of a petroleum company from the Middle East. The course is being held in London and we were talking to them about disruptive forces. One of the forces that will...
Award winning emerging market startups with a global edge
Seedstars World is a Geneva-based company that holds competitions for startups around the world. Their list of competition winners from the last year includes 19 emerging market companies that are innovating products and services with some exceptional promise. We...
The sports car that runs on SALTWATER
The sports car that runs on SALTWATER: Vehicle goes from 0 to 60mph in 2.8 seconds - and has just been approved for EU roads Quant e-Sportlimousine's top speed is 217mph - equal to a McLaren P1 The car uses a saltwater flow cell system to power four electric motors...
Age Quake: A Global phenomenon with two fault lines
In early August 2014 Stats SA released the annual population estimates for South Africa. The report made for interesting reading, especially when our demographic information is positioned against that of the major developed economies of the European Union and the...
A hidden secret of the Ice Bucket Challenge success – and the future of communication
The Ice Bucket challenge for ALS is probably the most successful meme created thus far for social media. Of course, social media experts are now trying to reverse engineer it to discover the secrets to successfully created a viral campaign - that holy grail of modern...
Insights on Beer, Vinegar and Customer Experience
I have come to believe that we are all spinning our wheels in our efforts to change until we learn to understand and embrace our irrationality. I watched anotherDan Ariely talk this weekend and he shared an analogy that really helps illustrate why we are so...
The smart move is not to ignore China
I have the privilege to do repeated work in China. Frequent and regular trips have grown a respect, awe and amazement at what I see and encounter. My ‘Chinese experience’ and continuous education has fueled a deeper curiosity and appreciation for the unfolding story...