I am going to share with you some of the wisdom I garnered (so far) from the Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference. In particular, I will share that information that can apply to all of us, not just the largest of us.
One of the more interesting speakers today was Frank Wander, CIO for the Guardian Life Insurance Company. Guardian has been around for about 150 years- and it is trying to plan for the next 10 years. Sounds easy- right? No! And, Frank used a great visual to explain the situation.
This picture is slightly different- but you can get the idea. You see the road right ahead- clear as can be. But, It disappears around the corner- and is it going to or through the mountains? Or is it skirting them? And, are those clouds going to bring rain, fog, or snow? That’s the point about planning. It’s really easy to deal with the closer time frames, but the further out in time we go, the less we can really know. And, there’s the second lesson for today- if you have the right strategy, you will reach your destination, even if you take an unplanned detour or two along the way. Moreover, the less baggage you carry, the quicker you can respond, when an evasive maneuver is required. We have to stay nimble as we respond to changes in the road.
Another of Frank’s prognoses is the we are moving to EAAS- enterprise (or everything)as a service. (Read more here.) We will be able to use any device, anywhere, and collaborate with anyone in our enterprises. We’ll buy one seat for everything we want to do in the whole enterprise. (This is not so farfetched, since we only use about 30% of the capabilities of the software we “own” now, anyway). Everything will be digitized, but we won’t rely only on messaging; telepresence (and still have face-to-face meetings, thank G0d) will be employed to insure that kinesic information is transmitted among stakeholders. {By the way, this is akin to our business model- you retain our services and we work with you to augment your entire enterprise- if you want to use our software, fine; if you need our accounting services, it’s included; if you need process or product design- there’s an app for that, too!)
His presentation ended with some very useful advice. (I am paraphrasing it; his analogy employed cars and drivers.) The biggest threat to our enterprise is the other. We need to anticipate what the other may do- preclude accidents, losing our way, etc. We need to insure that we are ready to handle any unexpected hazard and execute evasive maneuvers immediately. (After all, the future is truly unknown). Moreover, we have to view controls as an enabler- and not an impediment. Sometimes going slower is the right way to travel.
To the future- and beyond. (Sorry, Buzz Lightyear- this makes more sense…)
I love the visual! The photo tells the whole blinking story, Roy. Since we can’t see around the bend and we can only predict what’s there, we need to play it smart and be prepared for more than just one possible scenario. I SO appreciate and resonated (big time) with what you added toward the end …
“Sometime going slower is the right way to travel.” Perfect and poignant!
Thanks, Melanie:
I try to make things as clear-cut and concrete as possible. And, from someone who travels at hyperspeed (ask any passenger- or team member), it’s a fact I have to consider often!
Take care…
Roy
Hi Roy,
I think everyone should have this image in front of their workstation. I live in Italy and when you mentioned cars and drivers, I totally related to that. My husband always tells me you have to watch out for others to prevent an accident!
Also having less baggage makes so much sense. Not allowing ourselves to be tied down we can easily respond to any surprises. Very insightful! Thanks.
Dear Diana:
I had no idea where you resided. This is, indeed, one of the amazing benefits of our technology- affording us the ability to peer and discuss matters with people everywhere- without recognizing distance barriers (and, therefore, having it affect our transactions).
We need to continually plan and adapt. Our stock market shows us this with its repeated cycles of ups and downs; we are no longer experiencing the longer term trends, with reversals; the cycles are much shorter. As such, we need to understand that if we want our businesses to remain stable, thriving enterprises, we need clear windshields to observe the future and our direction, side windows that are wide and true to keep us apprised of the competition AND cooperation that accompanies our journey, and a rear view mirror to insure we don’t miss anything along our journey- and to recognize potential tsunamis that can overtake us.
Have a wonderful day.
Roy