Stand Up for Your Future Keynote by Steve Sammartino Summary notes prepared by Kate Hall
Summary We need to embrace uncertainty and become accustomed to a state of flux. The best way to prepare is to form daily habits that are change-centric. We need to deliberately do things differently, so it becomes second nature. This is less about technology and more about us as people. We all had to do this as a part of the COVID pandemic. Now it’s important that we don’t fall back into the habits of yesterday as work normalises. Hack your own mind to improve at changing gears by using different approaches to work and life. Treat different situations differently – adapt your style and messages in different forums. It forces an internal shift and helps you cope better with changes that are outside of your control.
Key Take Aways: 1. If you can change, everything can change in your favour - Moving between gears doesn’t mean we throw out the skills we have. Instead, we should change how they are used and interpreted in our market segments. The more gears we regularly employ, the more future-proof we become, ready to respond to anything the market throws at us. 2. Technology on its own is never enough! It has its limitations and will always need the human interpretation to achieve the best results. Every day we already see humans augment their senses (smart phones, smart glasses, wearables, watches and earpods) all enhancing our cognitive ability. Simultaneously technology is being developed to create ‘fake bodies’ we can wear in the form of exoskeletons so we’ll be able to run faster, be stronger, work harder, move for longer periods or play totally different and weird sports we can’t even imagine yet. The trend isn’t us versus the robots – it’s us evolving into them. 3. Emojis are the world’s most used language. Why? Because we all understand them. Connection and knowledge are the drivers. We are currently in the middle of the transition to a global language, the written version at least. Something seemingly childish is about to entirely transform the written word: emojis. Now that the technology exists where the click of a single button can be translated into an entire sentence or deep emotion, our species has taken to the form with abandon. Is this part of your communication and language as a business? 4. Take something dumb and make it smart. This has already been done with smart phones, fridges, washing machines, etc. Ask yourself– how do I make things smart? Add ‘smartness’ to your company goals and planning. 5. Products that you put in the market reflect who you are as a business. It’s your DNA. Decide what you stand for and DO THAT – The products and services you put in your business represent the DNA of your company. Know what business you are in. Know what problem you solve.