Welcome to this 18th issue of our newsletter “Weak Signals and other Trends”. Each week, I sift through hundreds of sources of inspiration to track where we’re heading. We discuss those trends and signals every Saturday at 9am EST on Clubhouse.
This is what I noticed this week, thank you for reading and sharing this newsletter to those who look into the future.
Blindspots
Blindspots are costly biases that can lead companies to underestimate future risks or fail to take advantage of emerging opportunities. This week, we focus on the mindsets required to spot strategic blindspots and think sideways:
Feel free to stop striving: learn to relish being an amateur. Unintended consequences of deconfinement: Greensill: What have we learned? Many People Have a Vivid ‘Mind’s Eye,’ While Others Have None at All. Revealing leaders’ blind spots.
“The clearest signal that a novel risk is emerging is anomalies—things that just don’t make sense. This sounds obvious, but most anomalies are difficult for people to recognize.”
From: the risks you can’t foresee
We have scheduled the dates for our “Strategic Blindspots” course which will take place in an hybrid format in the fall.
Our future
Post pandemic survey (pdf). The roboboss. Invisible roommates. Meet the Top Graduates of FIT’s Class of 2021. Elon Musk’s next project looks set to be a Tesla restaurant. Fake places: These locations may look eerily familiar, but none actually exist. Zoom Announces New All-In-One Virtual Events Platform. The world in 2050. What will the dresscodes be in 2040? 2 Fast-growing Chinese Consumer Groups and Their Digital Behavior. How GenZ’s empathy, awareness and fluidity are transforming business as usual. The Rise Of The Destination-Worthy, Hospitality-Influenced Workplace.
Weak signals
Weak signals are indicators of a change, a trend or an emerging risk that might become significant for the future. They allow us to run hypothesis, expand our thinking, and challenge assumptions. How will you interpret those in your industry or field of expertise?
NewlyNamed makes your name change after marriage easy. Young Chinese Reject Rat Race, Embrace ‘Lying Flat’ ( this is called “involution,” or “neijuan” in Chinese ). Avocado consumption hits record highs. Cargill Backs Cow Masks to Trap Methane Burps. Brandy Melville is selling olive oil. From minimalist to cluttercore. Mighty morphin’ flat-packed pasta takes on 3D shapes as it cooks. Gaming coaches. China’s Hanfu Trend Won’t Cool Down. Crochet everywhere. The world is going crazy for videos about forging videos. An app to mend a broken heart. American Airlines joins Southwest in delaying return of alcohol sales. Sotheby’s launches first virtual gallery in digital metaverse Decentraland.
Join us to discuss those trends and signals every Saturday at 9am EST on Clubhouse. We have a panel of futurists that illustrate what those signals might mean, and an enlightened group of curious minds in the room (an average of 130 participants join each week).
On our radar
In this section, I will share some of the content I come across as I work on specific mandates for our clients. This is what I worked on this week:
I am attending this week the WCD Global Institute, and in particular the sessions about family businesses: Inheriting A Legacy And Ensuring Its Longevity: The Complexity Of The Family-Owned. Family CEOs Outperform Their Non-Family Predecessors. Family business governance: What to know before getting started. The future of the family business: 4 strategies for a successful transition.
I participated in an innovation jam on June 9th with global innovation experts from IKEA, Nokia , Procter & Gamble: Hack Care is an IKEA-style catalogue of DIY adjustments for dementia-friendly homes. Investing For CPG’s Digital Transformation In The New Normal. Trond Undheim on the Future of Technology and a Framework for Analyzing Forces of Disruption.
Our consulting engagements can be found here.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for the curious mind as you like to cross over to new fields:
How many friends can you have? What Renaissance? Dark Web Price Index 2021. A day in the life of a flavor inventor. The tyranny of time. Inside The ‘World’s Largest’ Video Game Cheating Empire. A botnet for climate news ( watch the not live here). Google has mapped a piece of human brain. The Pandemic Messed With Our Morals. Tiny Birds, Big Drama: Inside the World of the Birdmen of Queens. Adult adoption ( hint, it’s about the samurais)
You have asked me to suggest newsletters that inspire me, so I will suggest one each week: Aeon Magazine.
Feeling Good
Stretch your mind in this enigma. Fake the hacking. The mesmerizing colors of the transparent comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi. The little drone that crashed into the vulcano. A violonist matches the singing of the Japanese bush warbler . Clouds and enclaves, visualized. Poetry game by Games for Crows. Following where raindrops end-up. Traveling to Asgardia or Liberland? a guide of micro-nations. For the lovers, like me, of scenes of nature over urban decay, a list of unused highways.
En francais, Paristique.
Did you learn something today? Share your favorite issues of the newsletter, or send friends – or random strangers…
