What is the one skill that the world’s most successful people practice more than any other? Anticipation. Anticipation means that you see things before they happen; you act before others have a chance to react and you preempt problems before they occur. You reap all the advantages that accrue to the first-mover.
Anticipation is equal parts instinct and intellect. The one is a function of the other. Instinct is based on your personal history. It’s your conditioning to respond in the clutch moments. Intellect, on the other hand, is informed by what you feed it. It thrives on knowledge and new ideas. A healthy intellect animates a healthy instinct and vice versa. It’s like a horse and its rider. The more skilled the rider, the better the horse.
Your sixth sense is the result of maximizing your first five. Intuition comes from training oneself to look at the things that are not yet visible and then act on them. The future is one of those things. It’s the circumstances and conditions that will soon be real but are still ethereal.
If you know what the clues are, you can look for them. I call them trends: signals sent by the future to help us prepare for it. So here are the ten most powerful trends that I believe will determine the Champions in 2016:
- The world is turning to women to solve the problems that men caused. Janet Yellen, head of the US Federal Reserve; Hillary Clinton, the next president of the US; Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor; Christine Lagarde, managing director, international monetary fund; Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever nobel prize winner and global girl’s education champion, to name a few. Wherever women are in charge, things seem to turn out right in the end. It’s a way of thinking that is tough minded, yet inclusive and collaborative. No matter what your gender, the future is increasingly feminine and that’s a prettier prospect than the alternative.
- The global economy will be low growth to no growth. China is slowing down. Emerging markets are being submerged. The richest economies are losing their oomph and the poorer countries are falling further behind not catching up. Low commodity prices will continue to weigh down the people already carrying the heaviest burden. The bottom line is that success is about adding unique value to commodities whatever they may be. 2016 will be an all or nothing environment. If you’re stuck in the middle, you’ll get run over.
- The world is consolidating. Scalability is the path to power. From Tech to pharmaceuticals to insurance to retail, mega is becoming giga. As Napoleon said 200 years ago, God is on the side of the big battalions. So no matter how small you are, align yourself with the big guns. Scale your offering through Amazon or Apple. There’s always an app for that. There’s a crowdfunder somewhere. Amplify your resources by sharing them on AirBNB, LinkedIn or YouTube. Make the most of your talent by aligning yourself with the best talent out there. Do your research. Find a freelancer or low cost, high quality alternative to your current option. Leverage other people’s hunger to make yourself stronger. And stay hungry yourself.
- The world is migrating. Never in the post-war era has the world seen so many people forced out of their homes by conflict and oppression. Ten years ago, the UN refugee agency counted some 38 million displaced people; now there are about 60 million. The number will keep rising in 2016 and the rivers of humanity will keep flowing towards Europe and North America. This trend will encourage all of us to think across boundaries, both cultural and geographic. It will continually remind us that we’re all just one degree removed from somebody else. Most importantly, it will offer us opportunities to be part of a global community where everyone is a citizen.
- Trust is plummeting. According to the global Edelman Trust Barometer, for the first time in 15 years, half the countries surveyed have fallen into the Distruster category – that is where the overall level of trust in government, business, media and NGOs has fallen below 50%. The US is at 52% and Canada is at 53%. Here are just a few reasons why suspicion is becoming our default poisition: The deception at Volkswagen leading to a recall of 11 million cars, the cyber crime tsunami and alarming theft of personal data from large databases – think Ashley Madison, the FIFA bribery scandal, the exchange rate manipulation by the world’s major banks, the fear-mongering by Donald Trump, the after shocks of the financial market meltdown and the list goes on. Trust is at a tipping point. Conversely, Skeptism is surging. In 2016, we’re all going to have to work very hard for other’s trust and then we’re going to have to guard it like the crown jewel that it is.
- Temporary is the new permanent. The workplace is growing older and younger at the same time. Boomers in North America are retiring at the rate of 10000 a day while the first wave of Generation Z (AKA post millennials, born circa 1995) enter the workforce. Millennials are rapidly moving into management positions and they value flexibility, freedom and fairness. Working doesn’t mean having a job. Technology, mobility, sharing platforms and a nomadic mindset are accelerating the gig economy – where you complete a project, start a business pop up a store and move on. Every day is an experiment. Trying new things will be a basic survival skill. Becoming a professional shape shifter will be your most important qualification
- Functional is the new fashion. Beauty is about being beneficial. Utility is sexy. It can’t just look good. It must make you good. Wearables will grow exponentially in 2016. And I’m not just talking about watches. I’m talking about apparel that enhances your well being wherever you are. From Apple to Canada Goose to Converse to Under Armour to Kit & Ace, the message is that clothing and accessories will set you free to live your best life. We are all becoming humanoids – a hybrid of human and machine that amplifies our reach and capacity. So reach for anything that arms you with the extra edge. In a hyper-forward world, every fraction counts.
- Food is becoming healthier. Organics will go mainstream. No high fructose corn syrup. No trans fats. Less salt, sugar and fats. We are more aware than ever of what we’re putting into our bodies. The supermarket aisles will burst with offerings of power foods and nutraceuticals – foods that heal us. I’m on a regimen of flax seed, oat bran, barbecued salmon, curried lentils, and multiple portions of fresh fruit and vegetables every single day. Along with millions of others, I’m resisting the siren call of nutranarcotics – those foods that satisfy our cravings and clog up our arteries.
- The population is ageing but their mindset isn’t. Over the past decade, the 45 to 64 year old population grew almost a third to 90 million, and now makes up almost 30 percent of the total North American population. In the next thirty years, it will double. Older people as a percentage of the population is growing fast. We’re living longer but we’re also living younger. “Forever Young” is the mantra of anyone over 40. Monica Belucci is the poster girl for this trend. In the newest Bond movie, she is the oldest bondgirl ever at 51. And I might add, the sexiest. So live as though you’re in your twenties and thirties, while you apply all the wisdom you’ve gained in your forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. Just don’t say, “I’m too old for this.”
- It’s all up to you now. The tenth trend is the surge in personal engagement. It’s the passion for a purpose that inspires you to be audacious and activist for a cause that matters to you. Your soap box has gone global. Reach is within reach. Choose your platforms. Choose your networks. Choose your communities and make some noise. When you communicate your cause, you find out what really matters to you. You also find out whether you can influence others to take action. And influence you must. Otherwise, you’re giving others all the power to decide how you and the people closest to you should live. Start by telling me.
Those are the ten trends that will determine the champions in 2016. Leverage them to maximize your impact. And share your ideas with me. Let’s play together to make 2016 a champion year.
Mike , you always been an inspiration, this article is dynamite..
Anwar
Kudos to you Mike for your insights.
As I farmer, I grow your flaxseed.
As a coach, I agreed that women make powerful leaders to build trust.
As a communicator, I am think you do a great job of research and sharing the messages we need to pay attention to.
As a zoomer, I am looking forward to the next chapter, and being a life-long learner.