HP Innovation Journal Issue 12: Summer 2019 | Page 41

FUTURE-PROOF HOW CAN YOU BETTER PREDICT AND SHAPE THE FUTURE? Here are some tips and tricks I’ve Resources Officer, led the initiative might it evolve in 5, 10, or 20 years? learned along the way: which grew out of two distinct com- What new customer experiences ponents: a continual focus on getting might be enabled? Keep a pulse on the latest trends. Pay attention to trends, analyze their meanings, identify their underlying drivers, and give yourself time to examine how they might make an impact on you or your business. As a futurist, I do a lot of reading and watching. Personally, I stay on top of trends by reading the latest technol- ogy news, speaking with customers and industry pundits, paying attention to university and academic research areas, and monitoring venture invest- ing trends and startup activity. I also draw from my personal experiences, better (as opposed to being the best) and defining what HP prioritizes as an organization, so that it could build the habits and systems to make those priorities come to life. Tracy and team adopted a growth mindset and crafted an innovative future for HP. Adopt a growth mindset. If you have a fixed mindset, your qualities are carved in stone. If you lack a skill, you will continue to lack it. However, when you adopt a growth mindset, you can grow and change through persistence and experience. Allow yourself to time-travel (in your mind for now) to a future date. Keeping your research in mind, imagine what the world might look like, what a daily routine would be in different parts of the world, and what experiences our future selves might encounter. Now work back and think about how we arrived there. Ask questions about timing and what trends, market conditions, business models, and technologies spearheaded those experiences. Now think about how your company, your team, and you media coverage, and public data Observe, ask questions, have an personally played a role in arriving at sources. You have to do your research open mind, and suspend judgement. this future state. to come up with provocative points Be bold. Be passionate about what of view that you can then test and do you’re doing. Most importantly, have further research on. Once you have fun. I often say that boredom is not that, you can look for strategic choice a corporate objective, and when points and long-term implications for you enjoy what you do, you will be your business. better at it. Singapore is an example of a city that is outlining future goals and strategies. At the recent launch of their Smart Nation initiative, Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong outlined their smart future with data-driven services When HP separated from Hewlett- Futurecast outcomes. Create a that will help residents make informed Packard Co. in 2015, senior leader- framework to look to the future, decisions about their life in the city. For ship recognized they would need to and base it on the outcomes you example, every citizen will be provided establish a new culture for the 50,000 are wanting to explore or influence. with a digital ID to do things like check employees moving to the new HP Inc. Ask yourself some questions: What medical records, submit tax returns, Tracy Keogh, HP’s Chief Human is your company’s vision and how and sign up for government services. 39