Somehow, we’re already a month into 2024! It seemed that January 2024 was setting the stage for what is sure to be tumultuous year. Some of the trends we’re watching:
- Pending frameworks for the fractured relationship between creators (news organizations, artists, writers, and others) and those who benefit by hoovering up their work and either using it to feature advertising or in their own AI models – I suspect big shifts will be underway this year.
- The early stages of real shifts in how health care is regulated and money flows through out healthcare system – in particular, giving American payers a bit more power in negotiations.
- More elections are happening in more parts of the world than is conventional – and the destabilizing impacts of those are yet to be seen.
- The executive learning and development landscape is shifting, for sure. What we’re noticing is that both companies feel uneasy in having fully prepared lineups of leaders for their most challenging roles; and leaders themselves are feeling lonely, anxious and frustrated as they are asked to take on responsibilities, they aren’t quite ready for. Hint: we’re hoping to offer some solutions in the Spring of this year!
- What changes will it make to the economy when women control a meaningful amount of financial resources – we suspect big shifts in attention to better community health and thriving are on the list.
In Case You Missed It
January brought some excellent conversations during my weekly Fireside Chats series: check out my discussion with communication expert Matt Abrahams and how to improve spontaneous speaking, and my conversation with organization guru Bob Sutton on his new book “The Friction Project”.
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The Entrepreneurial Mindset, almost 25 years on, and its prescient ideas about the ubiquity of smartphones today.
Organizations capable of rapid, trial-and-error thinking see exponential change, while traditional organizations are left in the dust. See: Instagram and lily pads, for examples of how exponential growth can appear to catch you by surprise!
What the Inflation Reduction Act means for pharmaceutical companies’ largely unchallenged monopolies.
Gig workers tweak the algorithms that determine their work experiences – the latest installment of a phenomenon Frederick Winslow Taylor introduced over a century ago.
In the News
I talked user experience and grocery store self checkouts on the WGBH podcast “Under the Radar”.
95 % of startups do not make it five years from their inception. Here are six questions to ask to see if a startup has legs.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a shining example of what I call an inflection point. Now that we’re watching it play out, consider how leaders should prepare for the next one.
Tool of the month: SparcHub Sage
SparcHub Sage is our software intended for consultants, small companies and smaller units of large companies to track their portfolios. On February 21, I’ll be hosting a live demo of the software, and walking through some of its advantages to users (hint: if you’re using spreadsheets and powerpoints or even just paper lists to keep track of your portfolios, this will be a big improvement!) Register here! (Can’t make it? Here’s the recording of our most recent demo.)
Upcoming Events
February is shaping up to be a great month for my Friday Fireside Chats! On February 16, I will be hosting Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University. He’ll be talking about how he revamped online higher education from the predatory, for-profit model to SNHU today, a leader in the field. Register here!
On February 23, I will be sitting down with Chip Conley, author of “Learning to Love Mid-Life”. We’ll be discussing how we can reframe the way we look at mid-life, and value the wisdom that comes with experience. Register here!
From March 18 to 22, I will be teaching my Leading Strategic Growth and Change course at Columbia Business School. This week-long course equips strategy leaders with the tools to drive change, even amid uncertainty. There are still a few spots left, so claim yours today and join the conversation!
Get in touch, keep in touch!
I work with organizations to run workshops, provide training and offer ideas. Everything from one-on-one leadership coaching to speaking in really big conference rooms. Think that might be useful? Get in touch!
Twitter @rgmcgrath
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath
Website: www.ritamcgrath.com
Valize website: www.valize.com
Warmly,
Rita