Trend Watch List

The Self Tending Mushroom Award is given to individuals, companies, entities and even countries who choose the dark over the truth. I was surprised when I stumbled upon this month’s STeMie recipient who displays a subtle but deadly mindset that may spell the end of this internet giant. This month’s STeMie is awarded to Yahoo for perpetuating a decade-old business style that goes from product development to leadership strategy...not an ill-conceived style, but one that has not evolved with the times and is the root of Yahoo being slowly but surely left in the dust of their competitors. Yahoo emerged successful because of their unique product that catered to what people wanted at the time. Leadership was novel as well. Leaders sought to listen, so navigate the information age, and to develop products that helped their customers navigate the information as well. Times change, however, and Yahoo has not changed. Yahoo has, however, with the installation of a new and pedigreed CEO, Carol Bartz, embarked on a new brand campaign. A bright shiny wrapper on what is otherwise the same organization same unimaginative products and last-decade leadership. In a press release for the campaign, Ms. Bartz notes that, “Today the Web and your world are inseparable...Hundreds of millions of people use Yahoo! (R) to get the information they need.” I suspect real authenticity and innovation are hiding within the brilliant minds working at Yahoo, but the old leadership style is so information focused that operating at the pace of the social media age is just not in the cards. In the Economist’s World in 2010, Ms. Bartz puts forth her management philosophy as, “Information will be the greatest opportunity for business leaders in the coming years—and perhaps our biggest headache.” She suggests a solution for handling the situation: “... listening... [and] identify and mentor thought leaders.“ Again, it is not wrong...it is just a decade out of date and in Yahoo’s world, good but old adds up to failure as your world leaves you behind. So join me in awarding this STeMie to Yahoo for staying safely in place with what worked in the 90s while their entire business environment passed them by. Lessons within this STeMie are many. You need not operate at the speed of light, but stay ahead of the pace of your business environment. Assess your business. Update yearly (or quarterly if your industry dictates). Lastly, when introducing new leadership, ensure modern styles are coming on board. Consider it well and the advantage will be yours.

The dream of the completely paperless company is not new. We imagine offices free of paper clutter, neatly organized shelves and desktops...the vision is quite attractive. For the large majority of businesses, however, it is not even close to reality. Today the evolution of multi-media and internet security is making the completely paperless office a distinct possibility...and eliminating some organizations and business models through this digitization. The question will be, is there sufficient reason for your organization to go paperless, how to estimate the costs in time, effort and more intangible resources, and when to make the jump. Reduced printing and mailing costs are key for many organizations. Increased efficiency is also a great reason to go paperless. Beyond all of that time saved you are even more likely to save some serious real estate in terms of storage and the need for an office in the first place. Those seeking to go paperless are confronted with challenges that mark an abrupt stopping point for companies not prepared to address them. Major challenges include resistance to change, employees or clients (gulp!) that cannot receive, read, edit or annotate the document, security of proprietary or other critical information and making sure your contracts and other agreements are legally binding even though they are electronically or digitally signed. Modern paperless operations include a number of components to address all manner of these and other challenges including: multimedia, clickwrap, electronic signatures, digital signatures, biometric signatures, authentication and computing devices. Software capabilities such as those from Adobe, NFi Studios, Alfresco, Ademero, Knowledge Tree Echosign, Docusign and others solve the remainder of these issues with ease. To turn this trend into a competitive advantage, understand that not every paperless device or method is right for your business. To develop the right strategy for your organization, do your homework on needs, capabilities and issues before you dive in. Once all of your homework is in place, estimate the cost and benefit in time, effort and more intangible resources such as morale, corporate image, and the like. Make the jump when and only when all of these planning steps are in place.

>>>> NOTE TO READERS: Trend Watch List is evolving and joining forces with Trend POV to become the way that forward thinking executives access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. See and share what we are planning for the big launch January 1st at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com. <<<<

Wrapping up the year and looking forward, we turn our attention to the trends that will be affecting our favorite precursor industries of travel and food in 2010 and beyond. These trends represent the hospitality industry’s struggle to balance the customer as king with the realities of operating a business to make profit. In 2010 we will explore what micro-purchase strategies are working, what is failing miserably and why. If you have considered micro-purchase strategies for your business, it will pay to take a lesson from the airlines before repeating their mistakes. Vacation rentals are increasing in popularity among consumer travelers but with surprising advantages for the business traveler. We will be innovating practical ways to boost your bottom line with existing and new capabilities. The difference between a win-win situation and a complete disaster when going green is all in the choice of and application of green strategies that are right for your business in your sector, with your specific customer base. Going green is not new but is evolving to develop new industries and advantageous business strategies. Meanwhile, consumers are seeking something from the small and local business - authenticity, agility, responsive service, unique products, local knowledge and more. We will document each and develop practical ways to create these elements within your business and individual teams without significant investment. In line with the paperless office is the cashless operation. In 2010 we will track the evolution of cashless operations within the hospitality industry to innovate new strategies for your own business that may decrease the overall time spent managing contracts and payments, reduce cash flow latency and collection problems and provide a host of other benefits. Stay tuned as we track them all, how they affect each other and how your business can create advantage from each and every one no matter what industry you call home.

>>>> NOTE TO READERS: Trend Watch List is evolving and joining forces with Trend POV to become the way that forward thinking executives access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. See and share what we are planning for the big launch January 1st at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com. <<<<

Continuing our look forward towards 2010 and beyond we turn our attention towards the evolving trends that will affect your talent and workforce strategies in the coming years. These trends represent an overarching theme of the individual in an environment of rapid change and continual learning. Training has to be fast, timely, targeted and relevant. One way may businesses may accomplish this in 2010 and beyond is via audio push. Audio push, differs from podcast in that the delivery is immediate and the whole process transacts over your phone with only SMS and phone service. As more employers demand proof of timely skills sets, more job seekers will look for short certification programs to gain and prove these skills. Certification programs are evolving and we are tracking it. We have not forgotten that the talent pipeline for the majority of American industry is broken. In 2010 we will be tracking efforts by governments, organizations and companies alike towards turning this negative trend around with a future workforce checkup. Speaking of your employees, there may be fewer of them. Freelancing is on the rise to the extent that the employee of the future may not be an employee at all, but an independent contractor. Employees that are not moving towards freelance status in the coming years will need quite a bit more to stay with your organization more than a year. Incentivizing employees to drive innovation, effectiveness, and the bottom line has to be personalized. In 2010 we will be tracking the evolution of freelance as the norm and incentive solutions forms. Each of these evolving trends are part of the larger complex landscape of your talent and workforce efforts. Stay tuned throughout 2010 as we explore each of these and more to develop ways for your business to get ahead.

Globalization has reached, perhaps, a new phase - a sophomore stage. Overall, the trends affecting your global business environment over the coming years speak to a larger blurring of lines - between country and company, emerging market and THE market, companies and foundations, access and vulnerability, local and global. First and most blindingly, it’s not just about the United States anymore. China, India, and to an increasing extent, Africa, are no longer emerging markets. They are THE markets. In the coming year we will explore what this means for businesses of all sizes, and innovative ways to enter these markets on a path of least danger and highest reward. At the same time, it is becoming harder to tell the difference between companies and countries. The ramifications go beyond negotiations with states and countries and will affect how you navigate markets worldwide, including your home market. Even more blurred is the line between company and foundation. In the next year, we will explore the full extent of what corporate foundations provide back to their parent companies and how any size business can achieve a similar effect. Holding you back amid such vast opportunity may be the marked increase in regulation of online access in certain countries. In the coming year, we will explore where, how and how much countries are regulating online access for citizens and companies alike; how to prevent strategic damage and actually create competitive advantage within these markets. The internet and advances in other low cost communications has brought about the age of the small but global business. We will consider how these businesses create competition for each other and larger businesses and what your organization needs to do to turn your competition into competitive advantage, no matter the size. All of these trends together speak to the larger changes within the business world that are not relegated to a single location, country, company, industry or sector. Stay tuned to tune your strategies for maximum advantage.

>>>> NOTE TO READERS: Trend Watch List is evolving and joining forces with Trend POV to become the way that forward thinking executives access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. See and share what we are planning for the big launch January 1st at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com. <<<<

Link: http://www.New.TrendPOV.com

True advantage for your business starts with targeted expertise and innovative ideas that help you turn evolving trends into your competitive edge. Trend POV and Trend Watch List, the names that more than 50 thousand turn to for the latest on emerging trends and practical advice is evolving to deliver access to the people and ideas that you need to make your competition irrelevant.

Starting January 1st, you will be able to join the strategic vanguard with a membership at TrendPOV.com and start turning evolving trends into your competitive edge by accessing leading experts, innovative ideas, and other forward thinking executives.

The short articles you love from Trend Watch List, The Trend POV Show and Daily Advantage Videos will all be at the new consolidated TrendPOV.com and available to everyone along with a new membership area that gives you everything you need to access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage.

• Monthly online sessions with answers from leading experts to your most pressing questions so you can make it happen for your organization now.
• Priority discounted registration for the upcoming Strategic Vanguard 2010 Workshop where you will learn from the best in the company of other executives that think at your level.
• Access to the members-only Trend POV group on LinkedIn where you can share news, network and discuss strategies and issues with other A-player executives in a protected, sales-free, recruiting-free and advertising-free environment.
• Exclusive access to guest experts and in-depth information that you can use today.
• Extended detailed articles, show transcripts and resources from around the world with practical advice that you can use to take action.
• A complementary copy of the Trend Watch List Extended E-Book - over 300 pages of detailed extended articles that show you how to turn evolving trends into strategic advantage now.

See THE ONLY MEMBERSHIP that gives you exclusive access to the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. Mark your calendars and see all the details at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com

December is a great time to look forward to the next year and beyond. These evolving trends represent the overarching effect of digital becoming more serious in its effect on your business environment. The dream of the completely paperless company is not new but highly elusive. In 2010 will track how the evolution of multi-media and internet security is making the completely paperless office a distinct possibility...and how some organizations are dying at the hand of digitization. The online environment is evolving to allow for more interaction than ever before. In 2010 we will be tracking the potential uses of the virtual space for increased ROI that many businesses have yet to consider. Meanwhile, software as a service is fast becoming the route to simplified operations for businesses worldwide. We will explore the right kind of SaaS-sourcing for your business, choosing vendors, when to keep it in-house, offering your own product to the masses and more. Targeting potential clients based on behaviors, and profiles is beginning to happen as we speak. In 2010 we will track the evolution of online marketing (including social media marketing) towards real time individual ad targeting. While we are all online, the old rules of product development told us that the best way to make sales is to put our product into every possible storefront. That rule may no longer apply. In 2010 we will track the evolution of exclusivity and watch the major retailers for precursor evidence of new business strategies to trump the trend. These trends contribute to a potent brew affecting your business environment and the way in which you will do business in 2010 and beyond. Over the coming year, we will be tracking them and innovating new ways to use them to your strategic advantage.

>>>> NOTE TO READERS: Trend Watch List is evolving and joining forces with Trend POV to become the way that forward thinking executives access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. See and share what we are planning for the big launch January 1st at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com. <<<<