Take a look at this picture. What do you see?
It is easy to imagine these buildings are some 3D rendering of a futuristic high tech metropolis built in Tokyo or South Korea - low emission, automated, and linked by a ubiquitous wireless network. But you couldn't be further from the truth.
Although I took this photo in Brasilia last year - what you are looking at is a city designed and built in the sixties as a monument to the future - high tech, utopian, and best of all - laid out in the shape of an airplane. It was, however, also an urban disaster. For many of the locals who lived there - their new capital was best summed up by the unkind joke - Brazil is a country of the future, and always will be! For me the photo is a great reminder of the dangers of desperately wanting to embrace tomorrow, without really understanding the forces that are shaping today.
We are now living in a period of immense change, and a challenging time to be a business leader. I've coached countless CEOs and executives in companies big and small as they tackle a very real issue - reconciling years of operational experience with game changing shifts in consumer behaviour and technology.
The problem is not just staying ahead of the latest trends, but integrating that knowledge in your own personal capabilities. That is the real secret of staying relevant. Some of my best clients just need me for an hour, others I have worked with for years. But I'm confident of one thing - if we spend some time together - both of us will gain a lot, and perhaps even come up with a world changing idea or two.
I've been thinking for some time about the best way to nurture and encourage those kind of conversations. The exciting news is that I have recently put together a great program for what I see as an entirely new kind of globally focused business leader. It is called - The Tomorrow Network.
The program is not expensive - but it is also not free. And, more importantly - it is not for everyone. We personally talk to every applicant to make sure we can both help them with our coaching curriculum, and also that they can contribute to the Network as a whole. But if you are someone who is passionate about innovation, disruptive trends and the future of your industry - this could be a powerful part of your personal acceleration strategy this year.
But more about that later. In the meantime, please tell me a bit more about you and your goals - and someone from our team will be in touch in the next few days.
All the best!
Mike Walsh
CEO, Tomorrow
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