7 Reasons Why We Fail to Spot Trends and Why It Matters (Part 2).
Last week was part one about the reasons we fail to notice change in the world (no matter how much news we watch) and what you can do about it. The ideas are from Swedish trendspotter Magnus Lindkvist’s book Everything We Know is Wrong: The Trendspotter’s Handbook:
A faster world forces us to use our imagination about what might happen in the future. Lindkvist believes that we can’t KNOW anything with complete certainty in such a volatile world where countries, companies, people and prices can change dramatically (think: Haiti, Lehmann Brothers, Tiger Woods, gasoline). Exponential change happens!
The truth is, many past generations complained that the world was moving faster. The idea/fear is not new. Older generations have always complained about it (and that the younger generations "don’t get it"- the younger generations have always said the same thing about their seniors!!)
Tip #10: TIME is the latest precious resource.
Everything seems to be getting faster for everyone.
Connect what you do with your clients to the new luxury – choosing how to spend one’s time.
In Felix Dennis’ How to Get Rich, he states: "And just what is the most precious thing in life that riches can supply? Easy. For me, it’s Time. Time to read and write poetry if I want to. Or to write a book if it takes my fancy. Time to travel on the slightest whim, to walk in the woods...to hang out with friends and loved ones."
It is the new status symbol that you can control more of your time. In 1900 the status symbol was being overweight because it meant you had the money to indulge and over-eat. The body we want today requires time to keep it lean and toned.
TIME is what to emphasize when meeting with clients.
Tip #11: Prepare for possible exponential change by being proactive and using your imagination.
Get insurance, financial and physical check ups! Most of what shapes our lives seems to come as a surprise – accidents, illnesses, relationship changes, and deaths - often because our brains are so busy with the present. Yet because of this, many things are not really a surprise at all if we ever contemplated them. Relationships don’t usually change overnight; both positive and negative change develops gradually over time. Heart problems don’t develop in a week but usually come from years of unhealthy habits and the little decisions we make every day.
There are two points here. One is that we are often caught unawares by exponential things that come along. We can plan for some worst case scenarios: ‘Be proactive’ is the first of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Also, significant great things can happen too that likely require some imagination. This is one reason why visualization is recommended to get you thinking bigger about your future (have you read The Answer yet?).
Tip #12: Since time is such a precious commodity, find ways to shave minutes from activities to give you a competitive edge (also understand that sometimes doing the opposite – spending more time with people – can give you the edge.) As I wrote about last week, also start asking yourself: What can I start delegating to someone else?
Reason #5: We believe that tomorrow will be more or less like today only with a few technological changes
Think about the TV show the Jetsons from the 1960’s which supposedly portrayed the future. Despite the space travel and free-floating schools, every family had two heterosexual parents and two kids and the mother stayed at home full time only going out to shop. There was no downsizing, single-parent households, outsourcing or same-sex couples. It was a future vision with 1960’s social values.
Homosexuality still challenges some people’s worldview while others are finally acknowledging we are all the same species: gay marriage is now legal in the UK and Canada. Even if I use my own family as an example, my 20-something cousin is openly gay, but my mother’s 60-something cousin never admitted it to anyone except his mother and he doesn’t even know I know now!
Our flawed thinking when we look into the future is that we believe technology will drive the world forward exclusively and we UNDERESTIMATE the role of human emotions and values – the mistake made in the Jetsons. We OVERESTIMATE what is happening right now and IGNORE that there are always new, surprising developments and invisible trends (highlighted by these seven reasons). So we really need to use our imagination!
Referrals are a great case in point. Some people go on about how you should have thousands of ‘friends’ online for business referrals but technology is not the silver bullet if most of these connections are casual and thin. The human emotions that come from an authentic RELATIONSHIP and great service that align with actual real people’s values matter if you want a word of mouth endorsement to hold any weight!! Sure, use online as a tool but avoid depending on it.
Tip #13: Tomorrow will not be exactly the same for those over 65 either. The senior market is only going to grow and is likely to need more of YOUR services. Most people will continue to stereotype and see grey hair, prosthetics and ‘old people’. Lindkvist argues: This is a BIG MISTAKE!
What was normal in 1850 was to live to be 47. Nowadays my mother is not considered old at age 70. Nor should she be! She re-married at 69, has travelled to a dozen countries in Europe and Africa in the last 18 months, has directed two plays at local theatres and works out at the gym more than I do! That wasn’t either of my grandmothers at that age! Old people aren’t just getting older. As people remain healthy longer, they have more choices of multiple careers. They bring with them an increased level of uniqueness, specialization, skills and ideas. These are highly valued things that can have HIGH ECONOMIC VALUE! My (non-expert) prediction: over 70’s entrepreneur groups with Richard Branson as the founding member (until he becomes the first 100 year-old to climb Everest).
Tip #14: When visualizing your business of tomorrow, have more faith in your uniqueness/brand. Yes, DO what other successful people do in your industry, but do not imitate anyone else too closely or the outcome will be mediocre. BE yourself.
Reason #6: The world we see is our personal version; we believe that our world is THE world.
In the Talmud it says: "We see things not as they are, but as we are." Most of us live our lives shielded in our spheres alone from most other worlds. Of course, we believe our worldview is true! Many of us support this by claiming that we have a wide variety of friends. Usually this means they vary in income and background but normally they have similar values and ways of thinking.
Consider this:
The median internet user is a young, well-educated man in proximity to a large city.
The median global inhabitant is a poor woman living in the vicinity of a war zone.
Same planet. Sure about your worldview?
Tip #15: Go to the source - don’t just trust second-hand information. Seek it out yourself in the world. And do talk to strangers.
Tip #16: Ask of people you disagree with: ‘what if they are right?’
Reason #7: We see the future pessimistically
Our thoughts about the future are sloppy and full of worries, ex. what if I fall ill? Will my children be happy? When we think ahead, most of our emotions range from mild anxiety to deep fear. Why? Partly because our thinking is mostly random and we fear loss more than we seek gain, partly because, yes, we are aging and one day we will die, and partly because we see the world of the media as accurate (even though it focuses mostly on all that’s going wrong: "Imagine a newscast focused on all the people who weren’t murdered in an average day, or the vast majority of people who kept their jobs in an economic downturn.")
Also: Each generation likes to think it faces unsurpassed challenges (cue to all your dead relatives rolling their eyes in unison)!
And: Most people glorify the past and vilify the present.
We are blind to all the good things we have and take them for granted. We rarely discuss all the little good things that improve frequently and enhance the quality of our life, such as finding more healthy food options when travelling or at a local coffee shop (now selling oatmeal), technology that takes some stress away (my GPS), a service provider who improves the quality of our health (my chiropractor) or helps us feel more at peace with the future because of education they provide us or planning we do with them (my insurance agent). Or connecting with long-lost friends online or finding a group of like-minded people who share an obscure passion of yours whether it is backgammon or the same rock group from the 1980’s.
I was talking to two other English people two days ago about my life in the USA in 1988 compared to today and there are so many things that are better for people from my home country – free and virtual ways to talk to the family face to face on Skype, great live soccer and rugby coverage, much better beer, easy to find imported food – it’s a long list and it will get longer!
Will there always be problems? Sure. But failure is how we learn best. Multiple failures are virtually the only thing all successful salespeople have in common. To understand the future, study recent failures – that is often why laws are changed, legislation is passed and new politicians are elected (which also assures future failure!).
Technology, economics, consumer emotions and group dynamics drive change in our society. The pessimists may notice the problems but it is the optimists who solve them!
Final tips: take a break from the news; list out five things you are grateful for each day; beware the halo effect you put on another (no human is perfect; think Tiger Woods as only one recent example - shock horror!) and understand the pessimists because they are not always wrong.
Lindkvist concludes the book by quoting Nobel poet Laureate Wislawa Szymborska: "Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know.’" Only from a perspective of admitting we cannot have it all figured out are we then able to look to the future and start noticing change and, hopefully , things that can positively impact our lives and, who knows, maybe that million-dollar business trend idea!
PAUSE PLEASE and ask yourself: "What can I do with what I’ve just read? How can it help me solve the issues, problems and challenges I or somebody else (a client or COI?) is currently facing?"
Then forward it onto someone else that would appreciate some great brain fodder!
even though much of society gets a little bit better all the time.because many real changes challenge our worldview.
Reason #4: We fail to think exponentially