"Chasing success? Be fast, bold, disruptive, focused, certain, flexible, anticipatory, and young at heart!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Two days ago, I found myself in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where I was the closing keynote speaker for the annual meeting of Protein Canada. (The song by the Guess Who might resonate in your mind!)
The organization is at the forefront of industry efforts to position Canada in the fast-emerging global plant-based protein industry. There is no doubt that we are seeing a seismic shift in consumer behavior as new dietary alternatives take hold, as global food demand continues to increase, and as new forms of opportunity and disruption envelope the industry.
I took the audience on a tour of tomorrow that was broken into these key themes.
Interpreted another way, I was covering the issues found in today's quote - "Chasing success? Be fast, bold, disruptive, focused, certain, flexible, anticipatory, and young at heart!" MidJourney sees it this way!
The key themes covered these issues, with a lot of specific details on the future of agriculture and food consumption trends, artificial intelligence, and more:
- Aligning to Velocity: anticipate faster agricultural, retail, consumer behavior, and other forms of change that will open up new potential markets and opportunities - and focus on having the agility to move at the speed demanded by relentless change.
- Rethinking Bold: we expect the global population to grow to 9 to 10 billion by 2050, but the available arable land for farming is estimated to be but 1/2 of what it was in the 80s. That means the opportunity is vast, and big, bold thinking is required to chase the massive opportunity. Step up to the plate!
- Disrupting Before Disruption: this means taking the steps today to align to tomorrow - recognizing that major new changes are coming to the business models that define success, and the key methodologies and concepts that drive industries forward
- Discounting the Insanity: the future has become part of the culture wars, and you are often caught up in the middle of it. Ignore it - keep focused on the opportunity, not the noise.
- Ignoring Uncertainty. We're living through an era of relentless economic volatility, with constant talk of recessions and pullbacks. Ignore it - focus on the long-term reality that global food production has to double to keep up with demand. Choose not to take part in any economic recession that might occur!
- Reinventing to the Tune of Scientific Exponentiation: agriculture is all about science, and world-class innovators reinvent and align to the speed of science. Be of a mindset that you will continually explore the opportunity to get involved in new markets and new product opportunities in the consumer and food industries, as continual reinvention takes hold
- Aligning to the Machines That Think: we are on the edge of a massive productivity explosion with the arrival of autonomous farm vehicles, a world of 24-hour farming, and significant new methodologies - chase the opportunities these new ideas and technologies represent!
- The Arrival of Generational Transformation: much of tomorrow's future will be defined by the kid playing Farmville today., Embrace their thinking, encourage their innovation, let them disrupt and grow!
After taking them on a tour of trends and opportunities, disruptive ideas, and innovation, I closed with this slide, which is one of my Daily Inspiration posts from a few years ago.
Think BIG!
Your future will thank you for it!
Futurist Jim Carroll once had a suit jacket caught on fire on a stage in Saskatoon. It's a long story.