The future, especially in light of COVID-19 is uncertain. Business leaders are asking themselves the question, “Where do we go from here?” Acumatica Summit 2021 closing speaker Mike Walsh has innovative, inspiring—and possibly disruptive— advice based on years of research and advising Fortune 500 organizations.

Like many conference speakers, Mike’s presentations combine practical anecdotes, humor, and firsthand perspectives. Unlike many conference speakers, Mike blends conventional speaking with “video, music, animation and powerful visuals to deliver a cinematic experience.” He also provides his audience members with a pragmatic roadmap for business transformation after the presentation.

According to Mike’s bio, he’s the CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century; the author of three books (so far); a contributor to international publications, such as Inc. Magazine, Business Week, and Forbes, while also regularly contributing to the Harvard Business Review with articles that cover such topics as data-driven decision making, agile organizations, algorithmic management, and AI ethics; a keynote speaker; and the host of his own podcast, Between Worlds.

“There are individuals, leaders, and organizations that are doing incredible things right now to not only get by but to profoundly reinvent themselves with new technologies, new business models, new ways of doing things,” he says.

His first video, “Leadership in a time of crisis,” looks back at past pandemics and how they’ve impacted society. For example, he notes that the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic took a toll on men, forcing women to take on leadership roles and opening the door for the suffrage movement. The Black Death in the mid-1300s ushered in labor-saving technologies and the breaking down of the feudal system, leading to the Italian Renaissance period and a cultural revolution. He asks if we too will have a renaissance in the time of COVID-19.

In answer to his own question, Mike declares, “It’s up to us, and the decisions we make now, and how we use this time. Being a future-proof organization is more than just getting through this crisis, it’s about getting ready for the world that awaits us on the other side. We have to reinvent how we serve our customers, clients, and communities. We have to reimagine how and where we work. And, most importantly, we have to rethink our roles as leaders—now more than ever is a time for transformation.”

Reinventing, reimagining, and rethinking the role of technology, people, and processes has been Acumatica’s mantra from the beginning. We established ourselves as a cloud-based ERP solution based on the versatile, open, and future-proofed Acumatica Cloud xRP Platform, which allows businesses to embrace ever-changing technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and more.

We delight in shaking up the ERP establishment by offering a solution that adapts to customers’ business management needs rather than the other way around. We have also created a competition-free environment through our 100% reliance on our reseller channel and by establishing a unique pricing model that doesn’t penalize businesses for growing.

We view digital transformation as an all-encompassing mindset that involves connecting innovative technology with the people who engage with it and the processes that make it happen. CEO Jon Roskill explains this idea in his post, Digital Transformation Cannot Magically Fix Your Business.

“The goal of digital transformation must be to reach a place where your business is connected end-to-end, from employees and stakeholders to partners, suppliers, and customers. The core technology purchase is very important but no more so than the implementation, user buy-in and training, or application integrations that will follow,” he writes.

He also writes, “That’s right, there’s no digital wand or transformative magic that can revolutionize your business. Don’t believe the hype. It takes the same old-fashioned teamwork, communication, and sweat equity that got you this far to make the next step: change.”

Similarly, Mike has identified seven drivers of transformation, including people, marketing, culture, technology, innovation, global, and leadership, and we’re eagerly waiting to see his strategies and insights intersect with Acumatica’s mission. His years of research (on emerging technologies, transformative business leadership, and human behavior), of advising Fortune 500 companies, and of crafting presentations to meet the specific needs of his audience are guaranteed to give Acumatica Summit 2021 attendees mind-blowing ideas for the new future we now face.

This piece appeared originally on the Acumatica website.