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 [and] identify and mentor thought leaders.“ Again, it is not wrong...it is just a decade out of date and in Yahoo’s world, good but old adds up to failure as your world leaves you behind.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.

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. <<<<

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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. <<<<

With the recent focus on innovation, it can be easy for any organization to become wrapped around building a better axle. However, innovation alone does not breed success. There is a battle brewing between the time tested practice of entrepreneurship and the requirements of the emerging innovation economy. The question is whether innovation or entrepreneurship can exist in this new environment without the other, finding the right mix, and understanding the difference. In this article, we explore the critical differences between and the many types of innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as how to find the balance between the two and your optimal mix for competitive advantage.

Innovation is about new ideas. It may be new products, processes, services, business models and more. Entrepreneurship, however, is about realizing profit. The difference between innovation and entrepreneurship is key. You can build it, but they may not come. Delia Smith of Green Field Ventures gives a concise view of the difference when she notes that, “If innovation is the creation of new capacities for wealth creation, entrepreneurship is the exploitation of these capacities.”

In the accelerating business environment and evolving innovation economy, differentiators are key. Your business has to be unique in some advantageous way that draws your customers. The right mix of innovation and entrepreneurship is at the heart of creating advantage in this evolving economy. Steve Epner suggests, “an entrepreneur with an innovative idea is a rare and valuable find...everyone is capable of coming up with the idea. Put that together with someone who can execute a plan—and watch out.”

To turn this trend into a competitive advantage, develop the right mix of innovation and entrepreneurship for your organization. Decide how you will encourage each kind of innovation within your organization. Next, develop entrepreneurial processes for acting on innovation. Your entrepreneurial process needs to vet ideas effectively and move them forward systematically. In other words, invest in moving forward with ideas that fit your business strategy, contribute to your company’s future prospects and are within your current means.

Lastly, reward innovation and entrepreneurship individually to keep enthusiasm high. Given these steps, your organization will be on the path to a sustained mix of innovation and entrepreneurship that will enable your to thrive and not just survive in this evolving economy.

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Continuing this month’s focus on converging trends, we turn our attention towards trends converging to bring revolutionary change to our favorite precursor industries - Travel and Food. In this article, we cover how global market shifts, evolving tastes, and emerging technologies are converging to affect these industries and how all industries can use the opportunity for advantage. Three major trends are converging to affect the hospitality industry more than most: a global market shift in travel outside of the United States, a globalization of consumer tastes, and emerging technologies used by these increasingly mobile and worldly consumers. In each of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, new ventures are steeped in high levels of service directly to the traveler and a particular focus on the business traveler. Of course you must notice that these regions have little to do with the United States. Travelers are going elsewhere. Going elsewhere is also the theme for restaurant patrons. They are not leaving their favorite restaurants, but they are craving more global fare. A globalization of consumer tastes has accelerated amid an increasingly global economy and increasingly connected world. Technology adoption within the hospitality industry worldwide has focused on catering to the busy and globally savvy business professional. This includes SMS-based interaction and smart phone applications (i.e. mobile apps). Video teleconferencing services in restaurants and hotels, internet access on aircraft, business lounges and more are all increasing as the hospitality industry recognizes that today’s business professional cannot really afford to leave the office, even when they have left the office. The shift outside of the US in travel and increasing globalization of consumer tastes are trends that feed each other as business professionals use mobile and other technologies to act on emerging markets and long for new ideas, more exotic fare and more exotic experiences. It is globalization as modernization and vice versa in the hospitality industry. As your business model within your own industry hangs more and more on service and direct interaction with your customers, a global and/or modern element in your business will be key. Decide what combination of these elements makes the most sense for your brand and organizational culture and enjoy the advantage.

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This month, we continue to turn our attention towards the powerful combination of trends from each category that are converging to bring revolutionary change to the global economic and business environment. In this article, we cover how social media, evolving alliances, and trends in global innovative capacity are converging and how you can use the opportunity to your advantage. The initial capability of social media to connect people has become a capability for those same people to not just find each other but to conduct business, capitalize on innovation, learn from each other and much more. When the emerging global economy was spiked with the potent brew of social media, the evolution accelerated. What is a country in this global business environment but an affiliated company with the people as shareholders (we hope). We invest in countries as much as we invest in companies. Evolving alliances around the world can come in many varieties. As a business you must become politically and economically savvy about who you deal with and how you deal with them. At the same time, global innovative capacity is increasing and certain countries are taking the lead: Singapore, Sweden, The Republic of Korea , and Barbados have all begun a surge forward towards regional and global economic innovative dominance. The convergence of social media, evolving alliances, and trends in global innovation have resulted in a global innovation economy with as many dangers as opportunities. Terrorism and unhealthy alliances are the greatest dangers but the opportunities are boundless...and border-less. To turn this convergence of trends into an advantage, consider the following: You are who you surround yourself with. Do not trade away your innovative capacity for anything in the world. Individual countries offer enormous potential for fruitful partnership. Shop the world for what you and your organization would profit from the most and dive in! Avoid counties likely to succumb to unhealthy alliances and economic warfare. Don’t allow yourself to paint any one region in a negative light based on a few problematic entities. Put these lessons and tactics together and enjoy the accelerating global innovation marketplace. The advantage will be yours, and it will be global.

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This month, we turn our attention towards the powerful combination of trends from each category that are converging to bring revolutionary change to your business environment. In this article, we cover how social media, interactive marketing and the innovation economy are converging and how you can use the opportunity to your advantage. The next step in a long line of economic evolution has been innovation...in other words, they who can turn knowledge into ideas are rare and therefore valuable. Enter the innovation economy. Meanwhile, by filling the need for human connection, social media also filled a need for the secret sauce of innovation - people. With the rise of social media and its native multi-media and interactive formats, came the emergence of interactive marketing. In the world of social media that means meeting them online in their networks in an interactive way. No one puts it quite so well as Ralph A. Oliva, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets at Penn State University who had the following advice for our readers: “Recognize that you don't own your brands -- your customers do...you co-create your brand -- and profitable businesses -- together with your customer.” It is an overarching mantra for the modern business and one that is at the heart of these converging trends. The evolution of the innovation economy contributed to rise of social media and both in turn encourage the rise of interactive marketing for business purposes. These developments have brewed a powerful convergence of these three trends wherein each encourages the evolution of the others. Trend soup; swimming in it can feel overwhelming. To create competitive advantage, place your organization at the center of these converging trends. That will mean different things for different organizations. Decide what it means for you. Develop measures for innovative capacity and brand management within your organization that will guide you towards an optimized use of social media and interactive marketing for your focused purpose. Above all, don’t be afraid to dive in.

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Restaurants are inherently direct-to-consumer and heavily service oriented. In an age when every industry is moving increasingly in that direction, we can look to the culinary industry to for a sneak peek at the trends we might all be adopting in the near future. In this article, we detail where the nation’s most successful restauranteurs are spending their working capital, and what we can all learn from their smart moves.

The major trends culinary industry investment have included a push towards highly individualized business concepts, high end at low prices, catering to mobility (pun intended) and loads of new technology adoption.

Highly individualized business concepts in the restaurant industry mean local flare, unique experiences, and overall just something different that speaks of the region or city they call home. We live in a customizable society and enjoy finding the unique and sharing it with everyone we know.

Meanwhile, a clash of economic hardship and consumer craving has produced a new trend in the restaurant industry of high end dishes for low prices. With an increasingly mobile clientele, the restaurant industry has responded with an increasing number of concepts that cater to the mobile customer. Understanding that their customers are business professionals, and always working, Ruth’s Hospitality Group went the route of technology adoption by installing video teleconferencing capabilities at over 100 of their Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Mitchell’s Fish Market locations.

To turn these trends into an advantage, consider the following steps. First, when developing new business concepts, make every effort to ensure they are unique in every aspect. If possible, offer a version of your higher end products and services at lower prices. Find a way to address the mobile nature of your customers. Lastly, technology often works well as a differentiator for your products or services. Don’t be shy to comb other industries and unlikely places to find a technology that will work best to help bridge the gap between you and your customers.

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Economic, and more recently, financial warfare has become increasingly in vogue among nations worldwide. In this article we explore how countries profit through economic aggression, whether it is all just a nation-sized version of hardball business and what it means for business owners and executives in today’s climate. It is time to up your game to prevent your business from becoming collateral damage.

Economic Warfare, including the more specific Financial Warfare may include blockades, preferential purchasing, bank account seizures, trade sanctions, industry-specific laws, media coverage of financial issues, and much more. With economic warfare, one state can actually profit while the other collapses and all the while maintain cordial relations in the court of world opinion.

In the Fall 2007 issue of Orbis, Paul Bracken, Professor of Management and Political Science at Yale University, suggests that, “Financial warfare is likely to be an increasing form of conflict because it lies at the intersection of powerful long-term trends in technology, networks, and finance.”

But just how wide-spread is it today? The Fauklands are accusing Argentina of economic warfare and Argentina openly admits it. At the same time, The People’s Bank of China is calling for a new “super-sovereign” currency to take the place of the dollar in the global financial system. The mere suggestion temporarily dropped the value of the dollar. Was that deliberate? The brilliance of economic warfare is that you will never know. For most actions you would not be able to prove that the offending country was not simply acting in their best interest - because they are.

The reality may be that the US is already under attack. According to Howard C. Whetzel, recent article The War No-One Is Talking About, “...we are paying for our own demise. As China and Russia are some of our biggest debt holders, our own treasury is paying for the purchases and foreign policy funds they are using to reduce the US economy to lower and lower levels.“

If another business puts out a product that is better than yours, specifically to take your market share, you have no legal recourse. You can, however, become better at the game and produce another product or strategy to reverse the trend. Is it warfare? Is it aggression? Or is it just business and they all need to grow up a little and stop whining.

Whether your business is large or small, local or global, business owners and executives must become more globally, politically and economically savvy. Consider whether your overseas and domestic locations and partners alike are in zones of potential economic conflict or ripe for financial attack and who would “win”. Cordial political ties do not imply economic bliss.

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The spotlight award is given organizations that demonstrate a keen understanding of emerging trends and act on them to significant advantage. Virgin Group receives this month’s Spotlight Award for their continually fearless biznophrenic innovation and the management style that has led to success. Today, Virgin Group Ltd has spawned over 200 branded companies in 29 countries and enjoys more than $17 Billion USD in yearly revenue. The big deal is that Virgin Group Ltd has on average developed and launched more than 5 companies per year in industries so diverse as to question the meaning of “core business areas.” Management philosophy within the organization is centered, in our interpretation, on several powerful characteristics: openness to people and ideas, focus on perfecting the details, and willingness to take risks and fail. Openness to people and ideas, for Virgin Group Ltd, means working to find the right talent, and letting them have a voice. Focus on details, for Virgin Group Ltd, means seeking high quality in every product but also paying attention to the details of the business. Not every venture succeeds, even for Virgin Group Ltd. The ability to roll on quite happily to the next is the key. We asked Dr. Tony Warren of Penn State University's Smeal School of Business for his insight. He suggests that perhaps quality is not always maintained at the pace of five businesses per year. Dr. Warren also suggests that, “The group uses the start-up mode to emphasize its free-wheeling image, and to encourage innovation and other entrepreneurial traits throughout the organization. They are not afraid to fail which is a necessity if you are going to be innovative in any case.” To turn lessons from Virgin Group Ltd. into an advantage for your organization, consider the following. First, a word of caution. Dr. Warren recommends, “Don’t try to copy unless you have another messiah at the head... let ideas get support and let your employees take a stake in good ideas they come up with; don’t fear failure.” Point well taken. First, make it all about the people. Be open to ideas - from your customers, your employees and your competitors. Don’t be afraid to fail or look foolish. Focus on your creating something unique and special for your customers and don’t ever stop working to improve it. These lessons are not new, but they are seldom implemented in most companies. Take them to heart for your organization and watch the difference.

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Everyone is talking about innovation. The economy itself is evolving to embrace innovation over information as a basis for revenue generation. In this article we explore existing and proposed ways to measure innovative capacity and which may be the most effective for your own organization.

Innovation is the process of creating new solutions, brands, processes, products or concepts in response to opportunities, needs and demands. Several organizations have begun to put forth measures of innovation. One of the most prominent is PRO INNO Europe. The offer two different analyses - the Innobarometer, and the Innovation Index (not to be confused with the Business Week Innovation Index of stocks).

PRO INNO Europe’s Innovation Index, in contrast to the Innobarometer, is more of an actual measure of the innovation performance of individual countries. Their measure is based on seven specific dimensions in three categories: Enablers , Firm Activities, and Outputs.

Another measure of innovative capacity is the Global Innovation Index by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The scores for the Global Innovation Index are based on a total of twenty four factors in six categories: Fiscal Policy , Other Policies, Innovation Environment, R&D Results, Business Performance, and Public Impact.

Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and Scott Stern of Northwest University and the Brookings Institution have also produced a candidate measure in their paper, “National Innovative Capacity.” Their measure of innovative capacity is based on four sub-factors derived from twenty four measures: proportion of scientists and engineers, innovation policy, cluster innovation environment and linkages.

What is the same about each of these efforts is the focus on not only what goes into creating innovation, but the ability to turn that innovation into growth. What is lacking, is a focus on the individual business firm or organization. To turn this trend into an advantage, take the time to develop the right measure for your organization. Consider the specifics about the people, infrastructure, money, training, time and other factors that affect your organization. For each, devise a measurable factor. Keep your measures relevant and growth-ready. Lastly, weight each factor based on importance. Now you have your own organizational innovation score.

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No matter what you call it, more businesses are opting to be multiple businesses all in one. In this article, we explore the pros and cons of the emerging trend in Corporate Biznophrenia and how a smart business can get the greatest advantage. The internet and e-commerce are certainly a factor. Meanwhile. the disposable worker has yielded the disposable brand. Brand loyalty is harder to come by and your organization cannot count on a single brand carrying them through decades of great sales. What differentiates a biznophrenic organization from a conglomerate or diversified group is the speed and processes by which new business concepts or brands are brought to market. Biznophrenia is about acting at the pace of the social media age.

Small and medium sized organizations are just as capable of producing new business concepts in diverse industries quickly...in fact, in an age when speed is critical, the smaller organization with the right mix of talent and resources is the best positioned to succeed. So, why would a company want to take on multiple brands? The answer is not far from why individuals would create a side business: reduced risk, greater chance of overall success, and to capitalize on opportunity. To turn this trend into an advantage for your organization, prepare to get biznophrenic. The challenge for any biznophrenic company (i.e. diversified organization) will be quality and speed. The key is to determine which are the winners and worth the time, effort and resources of the team. Once you know the business concepts you want to pursue, the key will be to pursue them quickly before their time has past. Lastly, you must know when to retire a brand that has over-stayed its welcome. Now a caution against toxic biznophrenia - the tendency to create multiple brands for the sake of multiple brands. Just because it would be profitable does not mean it should be under your umbrella.

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Link: http://www.books.DrAmyVanderbilt.com

Negative Nine, the innovative early learning math book for 0-7 year olds by Dr. Amy Vanderbilt and Sabrina Vanderbilt, has been awarded the Gold Seal by the Young Voices Foundation for books that educate and inspire. This first book in the Early Math Series plants the seeds of the concept of negative numbers and was followed by the second book in the series, Zero, Zero Everywhere. The boardbook edition of Negative Nine is in limited quantity only and the entire award winning series can be found at http://www.books.dramyvanderbilt.com

Link: http://tinyurl.com/kof7a7

The travel industry is suffering from the economic downturn more than most as families and business alike cut back on what is perceived as the luxury of travel. Overall growth is negative but with some specific areas of surprising growth. In this article we detail the realities of inbound versus outbound travel thus far this year and shed some light on the growth areas where every business can find an advantage.

According to the US Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, travel inbound to the United States in the first quarter of 2009 from the rest of the world has decreased. Given the current economic crisis, business belt tightening and luxury-driven scrutiny, the industry does not expect to regain this lost ground for at least a year.

The most surprising statistic was that travel out of the United States to the Middle East and Africa has increased more than 33% from last year’s totals. A significant portion of new property development is taking place in the Middle East and Africa. Airlines, at the same time, are increasing service to these regions at attractive prices.

Couple these trends with recently lifted sanctions in the region and you have the makings of a potent emerging business travel market. The hospitality and travel industries are predicting a mini-boom in 2011. If brighter days are expected in coming two years, it can only be due to an expected increase in business travel beginning in early 2010. However, for businesses to increase travel, they will have to stop feeling the economic pinch and return themselves to brighter days of higher revenues.

The advantage for businesses everywhere can be found in tracking the expectations of the travel industry; for they themselves have carefully measured where your business will go, how much success you will encounter, and therefore how much travel you may undertake. So permanently locked together in the dance of success, you can learn a lot by watching the moves they make and where their eyes are looking.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/nrpy89

The Spotlight Award is given to those who demonstrate a keen understanding of emerging trends and turn those trends into a distinct advantage. This month we spotlight the secret jewel of the western hemisphere: Barbados. In this article, we detail how this innovative island nation of less than 300,000 has moved to a place of regional domination in the emerging innovation economy while diversifying to survive and thrive. Perhaps more impressive than their growth in patents filed, is that fact that the average number of patents filed per person in Barbados is three times that of the United States and just barely below that of Japan.

Help is not far away for the innovative Barbadian. According to the 2008 year end report from BIDC, “The Innovation Support Programme continued to assist clients in realizing the commercial viability of their ideas.” While several of Barbados’s regional neighbors have fallen prone to sometimes unhealthy political and economic relationships, Barbados itself has remained strong and has avoided potentially negative alliances such as Petrol Caribe. Barbados also recognized the need to maintain their strengths in banking, manufacturing, and agriculture. Services as an industry is not ignored in Barbados and has produced a more than doubling of foreign investment. The final piece of the puzzle is leadership attitude. Barbados has enjoyed a series of leaders employing a command without control management style that is honest, transparent, and based in strong belief in the power of their people.

Consider the many capabilities of Barbados. Review your options carefully, then dive into those relationships that will benefit your business the most. Most importantly, learn from Barbados’s story. The potent combination of education, agility, modern leadership, and calculated growth are a lesson for every organization large and small. Just because you are smaller than your competitors does not mean you have to settle for a smaller piece of the pie. Organizations of all sizes can dominate their markets, and diversify to fantastic results.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/lsebob

The Self Tending Mushroom award is given to individuals and organizations who refuse to accept the realities around them. This month, we award the STeMie to IBM Global Services in the category of Business Trends for ignoring the nature of the modern employee-employer relationship.

According to IBM’s own proudly displayed metrics, the number of employees at least minimally satisfied with their jobs has remained in only the mid to upper sixties for more than five years without change. Specifically, it shows no effective effort to increase employee satisfaction.

One current employee, notes in detail what others are saying in droves; that IBM Global Services is a strong brand name that looks very nice on your resume, and it is a great place for training, but that there are major problems with the work environment, specifically with the way employees are treated. Employees (current and past) are posting more frequently and more negatively on sites such as Glassdoor.com, Computerworld’s Sharkbait blog, and others. Among the most common comments are:

“I have been IBM-free since January and I feel like I have been reborn.”
“I still work there, but I would leave if the economy were better.”
“Trending Downward - Avoid”
“Nothing but contracted slaves.”
“If you don't work for IBM, don't come, if you already work here, leave”
“IBM - a stepping stone to a real career”

Ouch. When you treat your employees like a commodity, they will treat your company like a commodity. Back to the golden rule, students: Do unto your employee as you would have your employee do unto your company.

So it is with great hope for change that we award this month’s STeMie to IBM Global Services. May you put that shovel down immediately and start making a difference for your employees. It is too hard to see a legend fall.

There are so many lessons in this story. For IBM Global Services - act now to change this negative trend. Accept the message your employees are sending. For IBM competitors - in the near term, you have a golden opportunity to grab some great talent looking for a new home.

For businesses and organizations everywhere, the time has come for a more modern management style. You are never beyond the human frailty of complacence. Face the realities that your employees are posting. As much as you are preoccupied by economic woes and just staying afloat, don’t forget that it is your team that keeps the boat from going under.

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Link: http://www.TrendPOV.com

The Trend POV Show will be launching August 7th at http://www.TrendPOV.com with live and archive syndication to all major online video outlets, and even your iPod! This one-hour live call-in show takes advantage of online formats to provide a highly interactive discussion on Trend Watch List topics to give YOU the trend point of view. For the latest news on the launch of the Trend POV show, follow us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/TrendPOV and be the first to know. In the meantime, check out the Trend POV Daily Advantage - one minute clips to give you your daily dose of the Trend POV...by podcast, YouTube, RSS and Widget at http://www.TrendPOV.com

Link: http://tinyurl.com/nbssos

The world is understandably preoccupied. Things tend to happen, however, where and when no one is paying attention. In this article we detail political and economic alliances in the western southern hemisphere and some surprising emerging forces worthy of your best attention.

Central America, South America, and the Caribbean currently house some of the most actively emerging political and economic communities in the world. Countries within this region are reaching out, forming global alliances, regional alliances, emerging service and innovation based economies, and more.

Case in point - global alliances are finalizing between Venezuela, Cuba, China, Russia and Iran. In a 2008 article by Howard C. Whetzel, a former US Army Officer and Intelligence Specialist, he notes that, “Mr. Chavez of Venezuela and the premier of China have different but cooperating agendas ... Mr. Chavez, in order to spread anti-Americanism, under the tutelage of his mentor Fidel Castro, has deftly used oil, and oil revenues to sway elections, buy politicians and gain control over the economic futures of many of the small island nations of the Caribbean.”

At the same time, other countries within the region are forming more local alliances and global capabilities.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has 15 member nations and dependencies and 15 community institutions for various purposes. One of these is the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) established in 2001. Other regional alliances of interest are many including the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Caribbean Tourism Organization, The Latin American Economic System, the controversial Petrol Caribe and many more.

In terms of global capability, Argentina is hosting an emerging services economy that will soon be on par with that of India. The well educated population is finding a niche in outsourced technical services such as market research, statistics, technical support and more.

With a well educated population and previously high unemployment rate, Barbados might have been tempted to enter the technical services market. However, with more than 1400% growth in patents filed over the past decade, Barbados now dominates the region, placing itself in a prime position in the innovation economy.

According to Adrian Sealy, an Invest Barbados representative, “The legislation has been rewritten in the last year to facilitate new business in patents and intellectual property so people are taking advantage of this flexible legislation.” When asked what people should know about Barbados as a player in the innovation economy of the future, he states that, ”We are very transparent and comfortable in our actions.” With a very modern leadership and business perspective, Barbados is one to watch and will be highlighted in detail in next month’s Spotlight Award.

There is no shortage of advantage to be found in these trends. Individual countries offer enormous potential for lower priced outsourcing, lower priced innovation capability, best in class offshore (and clean) banking and more. Toss those countries aside and focus on those with the right attitude, the right capabilities and the right price points to make your agenda their own.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/mh54s2

The most spectacular crashes happen at the highest speeds. The pace of business today is like a race car at full speed and accelerating every minute. If any part of your organizational vehicle is weak, moving slowly, outdated, or sub-optimal in any way, you will not have time to avoid the oncoming disaster. Tuning up your organization is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity for survival. In this article, we explore why periodic organizational optimization with a human approach is so critical and how to carry it out quickly and effectively.

The end product of a well-conducted organizational checkup should include a concise list of what you need to do to boost your productivity, efficiency, optimize your processes, retain staff, boost growth and sales, and a lot more! If you put into practice the resulting recommendations, your organization will see benefits in the near term, with larger benefits accruing long term. In other words, it should show you what you can do NOW to make a difference NOW and LATER.

Over years of corporate and program rescue, I developed my own streamlined organizational check-up that anyone can carry out in less than a week to keep your organization at peak capacity. I want to share it with you here. The only way to accurately assess an organization is to talk to the people that do the work; from the CEO to the janitor. Address privacy and layoff fears before you begin. Then, start by listing out your core tasks. Ask each person to outline each process. Cross-check between interviews to get an accurate picture of the real processes. Every step of a process matches to a skill that someone has (you hope). Ask each person to rank themselves and each other on how well their current role, skill set, and interests match to each step. A self tending mushroom mentality will not lead to growth so check your rose colored glasses at the door. From all of this, you might recommend role changes, learning opportunities, more efficient or effective processes or any number of innovative solutions. Include enough detail to act on, a measure of impact and a cost to implement.

You can turn this into an advantage by ensuring that your organization has regular check-ups. Be the hero who brings the idea to the table and leads the effort. The result - your organization will accelerate to maximum capacity and stay there as your competition stagnates and declines.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/kwx2tp

The Self Tending Mushroom Award is given to those who keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own rich propaganda-laden fertilizer. This is an intervention on a global scale as we award this month's STeMie to Italy in the category of Global Trends. A co-dependent relationship with the Russian Federation threatens to stunt Italian innovation while imparting a dangerous control mentality. Italy is honored with the STeMie because they tell themselves this abusive relationship is the best thing that ever happened to them.

Look closely at the patent filing patterns of these two countries. The Russian Federation and Italy both display the same pattern of sharp bursts of success with an inability to sustain. Moreover, They are nearly exactly opposite of each other. When Russian innovation soars, Italian innovation takes a nose dive and vice versa. There is a co-dependence and a very unhealthy one for Italy.

According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Over recent years relations between Italy and the Russian Federation have evolved to a level of absolute excellence, to the point of justly deserving the designation of “privileged relations”.”

Italy is becoming to the Russian Federation what China once was to the United States...a disposable source of cheap labor, goods and manufacturing. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation is becoming Italy’s indispensable source of energy, the one thing they cannot do without.

There are two critical lessons for any individual or organization. First, you are who you surround yourself with, bad habits and all. Second, understand that the future economic growth of organizations and countries will be built on innovation. Do not trade away one ounce of your own innovative capacity for all of the energy or any other commodity in the world.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/nflrwm

The Spotlight Award is given to individuals and organizations that stand as examples for us all. We are thrilled to present this month’s Spotlight Award to Brigadier General John “Mick” Nicholson in the category of Business Trends. So you might ask what a United States Army Brigadier General is doing in the Business Trends section! Quite simply, this month’s Spotlight Award recipient is a prime example of management and leadership at its best in the social media age.

We sat down with BG Nicholson for an extended interview on the management and leadership methods that he employs and what they mean for management and leadership in every industry in today’s changing climate. In this article, we offer you the most critical parts of our interview with one of the US military’s most capable leaders. For all those who think that management and leadership of an army at war has nothing to do with leading your company...think again.

BG Nicholson proved himself an agile leader with a Command Without Control mentality that led to great success before, during and after his command of the tumultuous eastern region of Afghanistan. The lessons are universal for businesses and organizations everywhere.
Creating his culture of learning and agility took a lot of investment in human capital both within and outside of the organization. Tyranny of distance stood between this commander and his team more often than not with thousands of team members spread out over 27 thousand square miles of unforgiving terrain with little to no infrastructure and the most minimal of communications if any. How could he command a team that large and distributed? It was all about the people...

“The bottom line is I invested a lot of time in these individuals and in my relationship with those individuals… And with the demands on your time, you say i can’t afford to do that; but you know what? You can’t afford not to...”

That philosophy is at the heart of Command Without Control management and leadership in the social media age. BG Nicholson left me with the following advice on why a Command Without Control style of leadership will yield more success than old school control mentalities:

“...you are tapping into the full human potential of the organization not just the potential of one individual. To me its so you can achieve the full potential and do even better whether that’s making a profit or winning a war.”

Well stated. BG Nicholson offers several lessons: Be honest about yourself, your organization, your situation and your goals. Invest in the human connection with your team and entrust them with ability to remain agile in an uncertain and changing environment. And lastly, long distance is just an excuse and not a real obstacle to team cohesion in the social media age.

With this, it is my honor to name Brigadier General John “Mick” Nicholson, US Army our Spotlight Award recipient in the category of Business Trends. Many thanks to you from all of us for the inspiration.

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Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83864266285

Dr. V will be on site at Meeting Professionals International's annual education meeting, the World Education Congress (WEC09) July 12-14 this year in Salt Lake City. She will be on hand to give three great topics three days in a row to a packed house of the best and brightest in the meetings industry.

WEC 2009 SESSIONS:

Sunday, July 12th @ 3:15 pm

Double Agent: Social Media & The Internet's Role In The Talent War - Finding, Growing & Keeping Multi-Generational Talent By Turning One Of The Root Causes Into Your Ally

Monday, July 13th @ 1:45 pm

High Technology - Low Economy: A Deeper Look At The Landscape Of Trends Affecting Travel & Your Meetings Over The Next Five Years

Tuesday, July 14th @ 9:50 am

Command Without Control - Management & Leadership In The Social Media Age

WILL YOU BE AT MPI WE2009? MEET DR V! EMAIL CONTACT@DRAMYVANDERBILT.COM

Link: http://tinyurl.com/czvhej

Everyone is talking about innovation. We need to be more innovative...innovation is the key to success...but how? In this article, we will detail how to turn innovation into revenue and your organization into an innovation engine. Innovation is the art and science of applying knowledge in new ways. Your organization may innovate new processes, new products, new business models, and more. Innovation results in intellectual property including product and process and method.

The question then, is how to capitalize on innovation. To turn intellectual capital into revenue, you need social capital and financial capital (the old fashioned kind) and motivation. In other words, you need people and money...but not just any people and not just any money. That brings us to the missing element...Motivation. Motivation comes from many sources and is wildly different between any two people. When selecting your social capital (to include your financial capital) each individual’s motivation must be taken into account.

For established organizations, this same entrepreneurial model applies. For example, suppose that some brilliant person within your organization has an idea for a new product, or perhaps a process improvement. If you are like most businesses, nothing happens. But if your organization is an innovation engine, this idea’s story will play out quite differently resulting in vastly improved product, process or method and more revenue for the organization.

Each organization has unique human capital that can translate into intellectual capital. Social media will give you the tools to create the social capital required; and your organization (or another) is the financial backer. Create an environment for innovation and be prepared to reward and capitalize on that innovation. The advantage will be yours, and it will be global.

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Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Amy-Vanderbilt/67075524905

on May 8th, 2009 in Roseville, MN, Dr. V energized and enlightened the members of the MN Childcare Resource and Referral Network at their annual in-service meeting with a private keynote address. She covered critical trends in education nationwide, what to expect from the current administration and how resource networks can turn them into an advantage for parents, childcare providers and the network itself!

Link: http://tinyurl.com/cdu4xk

The pace of business, that is the rate at which you take a prospect to customer status and the speed at which they expect you to respond, is faster than ever before. Even more so, the pace of business is accelerating. It is not an illusion brought on by age, but a reality of the connected world in which we live.

Communications technologies including the internet, email, cell phones, VOIP and others were the first major contributors to the accelerated pace of business. Customers have access to easy and fast information and they expect easy and fast access to you too. Then came social media. Blogs, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Ustream, and others created and continue to create vast extended networks of people with common interests.

Social media in this way is driving a faster pace of business by creating a cultural expectation of immediacy and by accelerating the speed of word of mouth (be it good or bad). The online word of mouth arena with your business at the center has grown to unprecedented size. Each video view, blog view, tweet and post is a part of a larger swarm of conversation that may be for you, against you, or ignoring you. Only one of these leads consistently to positive outcome.

Over the next few years, I see social networks expanding. In short, anything that will help to automate or semi-automate the lower end of the business prospecting cycle will be well received. The best way to get business in the future social media market may be through short term bidding or must-apply opportunities. A great example of this is Maria Andros, self proclaimed video marketing queen, who dominates YouTube and Twitter. She opened a competition for a limited number of spots as her customer for personal coaching, to great success.

The better news is that the social media age, the very thing that produced this fast-paced environment, also gives you the tools to make it your advantage and that goes way beyond marketing. Turn social media into your double agent by using it to find, keep and cultivate that talent. Then, use communications in all its forms to optimize your proposal and business processes for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Do that and you will accelerate your organizational performance to peak capacity and keep it there.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/dy8rd3

The spotlight award is given to individuals, organizations and entities that stand as examples to be followed.

We are living in a time where the innovation economy sees the lines between company and country blurred. Emerging markets make or break global conglomerates and yet the future of emerging markets is hard to predict. If we treat countries even more like companies, however, some of that difficulty goes away...In the innovation economy, ideas are the basis for economic growth. In that sense, patent data can read like a stock market ticker. I considered that ticker recently and came upon one to watch.

This month’s Spotlight Award goes to the Republic of Korea. They are on the cusp of either massive economic growth, or simply a place in the top five. I like those odds. Innovation begins with ideas. For the time being, patent records are a great way to track idea development and the record shows some surprising trends.

You can almost see the classic entrepreneurial story unfolding in these numbers. Granted patents are one aspect of innovation. One that shows solid educational foundation and loads of great ideas. But great ideas alone are not enough. The question for any rapidly innovating country is: can you turn all of those great ideas into economic growth?

When I look at their graph, I see a critical point in time for Korea. IF they have grasped the process of the innovation economy, they will soon outpace the rest of the world in terms of both ideas AND the economic growth they will bring. If a practical innovation engine is not in place, however, we will see another downturn as they learn once more what it takes to make it in this new age.

In the DEMOS report titled South Korea: Mass Innovation Comes of Age, Molly Webb writes, “Korea can teach us all something about the future of innovation simply because it is one of the best-connected, best-educated societies in the world. It is at the leading edge of experimenting with ubiquitous, connected, collaborative innovation.”

I could not have said it better myself. So I am pleased to name the Republic of Korea as a Trend Watch List Spotlight Award recipient for Global Trends. The world will be watching!

To turn Korea’s trend into your personal and professional advantage, consider several avenues: investment, collaboration, and study.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/dbv8td

The Self Tending Mushroom Alert or STeMie, is given to individuals, organizations and entities that support their right to keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own brand of fertilizer. As an important point of balance, STeMs give us a valuable lesson in what not to do. So feel their pain and take in the lesson as we present this STeMie in the category of Business Trends to General Motors...yes, the entire company from executives to every last union worker.

Every successful business runs a natural cycle of rise, success and domination leading to decline and a final end. The biggest clue should have been in Toyota’s sales trends in the North American market. When you are overtaken by your competition by more than ten times revenue...you need to take note.

It is the natural cycle of capitalism that some businesses will fail, even some large businesses and that even successful businesses will eventually meet their end. They will be broken up, acquired by venture capital, relaunched, and reincarnated to consolidate once more.

Americans love their cars, and are not likely to stop providing a strong market for cars. That is to say there is plenty of demand to go around. Thus, the more likely scenario is that the majority of jobs would not be lost but would move to another automaker such as Toyota who would naturally expand to fill the void in supply.

But there is something more to the picture than just the natural decline of a business. Businesses decline because they become obsolete. GM is a prime example. The fact of the matter is that GM remained mired in their old school ways, in their knowledge economy processes and their information age management. By failing to move their practices and processes to meet the social media age business environment, they succumbed to a competitor who did.

To turn GM’s example into your advantage, recognize the harm done in not adapting to the times at hand. How can you update your management, processes and skills to keep pace with your competitors..and if you are smart, to outpace them. Look five steps ahead of your competitors’ use of management, process and technological trends and make the leap ahead!

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Follow Dr. V on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/DrAmyVanderbilt on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/dramyvanderbilt. Get up to the minute commentary, advice and videos from your favorite trend strategist.

Link: http://trendwatchlist.com/extended

Terrorism is not new. It has existed in some form or another as a method for getting your way for as long as toddlers have thrown temper tantrums. The only difference is that big boys and girls have access to weaponry when they throw their tantrums. A single uppity terrorist is no global threat but a network of terrorists really concerns us. In this article, we examine how human nature is at the root of developing terrorist networks, is the reason we seem to focus on one terrorist in particular, and at last is the reason for their consistent and eventual disintegration. There is advantage to be found.

In a report from Audrey Kurth Cronin titled “How al-Qaeda Ends,” she notes that “Terrorism, like war, never ends; however, individual terrorist campaigns and the groups that wage them always do.” All people, no matter the culture or religion or upbringing, harbor greed, desire, want, need, and the like in some amount. It will always lead to war or terrorism as a means. Moreover, we need to put a singular name, face and character on everything that we love or hate. So we buy in to the hype of Al-Qaeda as a single monolithic entity and Osama Bin Laden as its single commander.

Those same base human frailties that drove people to join Al-Qaeda will also be their undoing. It is already happening. Given some level of success in 2001, we see a splintering of sub-groups within the organization. Some splintered for geographic security, but most broke away to some extent out of localized agendas based on these core human elements. Al-Qaeda’s actions down to every last video, assassination, bomber and image will be used by their own people as proof that their separate agenda is justified.

As Cronin notes, those who oppose the organization can help speed this process. But help is not necessarily required. It will happen quite naturally via the unstoppable force of human nature.

To turn this trend into your advantage, begin by letting go of fear. Recognize and appreciate that human nature is true and powerful and largely good. Having that, reconsider potential emerging markets that you previously passed by. As this organization continues to decline, many of the affected areas will foster new growth and new opportunities. Be prepared to create advantage in those areas when the time comes.

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