Futurist Daniel Burrus, founder and CEO, Burrus Research Associates, explained how to improve attendees’ businesses by identifying and seizing opportunity, having an anticipatory mindset and maximizing relationships.
“Everyone in this room is really busy and you’re going to go back [to your business] after this conference and you’re going to be really busy. But you have to ask, why didn’t the cab driver think of Uber? Why didn’t Marriott think of Airbnb? I know why. They were busy doing what they’ve always done,” said Burrus at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) 2019 in Las Vegas, during his keynote address, “The Anticipatory Organization: A Proven Model to Predict Change and Create Extraordinary Results.”
“Right now there are multi-billion-dollar opportunities that are cropping up all around us, but they might be invisible to us,” Burrus said. “I want your ‘opportunity antenna’ to be up and I want you to keep it up. I know your business … and there’s more opportunity than we’ve ever had, but we’re so busy, we’re missing it.”
One of the keys to seizing opportunity is to have an anticipatory mindset instead of a reactionary one, according to Burrus.
“You can anticipate disruptions before they disrupt, allowing you to have a choice because you’re either going to be the disruptor or the disrupted,” he said, adding that problems can be anticipated before they occur and opportunities can be identified before the competition.
“The way to do that is you start with ‘certainty.’ Uncertainty does not empower,” he said. There’s a science of certainty which is the study of cycles, such as business and economic cycles. “And you can use those cycles to your advantage.”
He also explained the ‘linear’ concept, which is not a cycle because what is linear is going one way, not back and forth like a cycle. And what is linear is “growing exponentially … and it’s amazingly predictable.” For example, “once we start putting sensors on trucks, we’re not going to get rid of all the sensors. Once we start using telematics, we’re not going to stop using telematics.
“What if you started using certainty to see the future of your business so you can move boldly with low risk? What’s high risk? Not moving. Risk has flipped. The risk today is not doing something,” he said.
Another key to understanding certainty is recognizing that the future is not just about technology, it’s about people.
“It’s still all about relationships. Are you cultivating them or are you coasting on them? People retire. Do you know who is replacing them and have you already started on that relationship?” he said, adding that Amazon and big tech don’t have relationships.
Part of growing and maximizing relationships is collaboration, which Burrus made clear is more than just cooperation.
“We say we’re good at collaboration in this industry. But what you’re really doing is cooperating. Why do you cooperate? Because you have to. Why do you collaborate? Because you want to,” Burrus said.
“Cooperating is about scarcity — I have to work with you how to protect and defend my piece of the economic pie. Collaboration is about how we can work together to grow a bigger economic pie for me and for you. You want to really thrive in this industry? We better get into collaboration in its real sense not just cooperation — that’s how to shape the future moving forward,” he said.
Burrus’ keynote segued into a “fireside chat” with Sam Schmidt, co-owner, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Schmidt was paralyzed in a crash while preparing for his fourth IndyCar season in January 2000.
Schmidt spoke of his challenges and triumphs since that life-altering day — one of his triumphs includes making history in 2016 by completing the 12.42-mile and 156-turn Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 15 minutes driving a modified Chevrolet Corvette.
His outlook on life and his achievements translate well to the business world.
“You have a choice. Sit there and do nothing or face reality, deal with it and move on,” Schmidt said. He added, “I have to have the right people in the right places to get the job done.”
Burrus closed the keynote with an inspirational message to attendees: “Be positive disruptors. Everything can be made better. ‘Am I taking time on that or am I too busy?’ I don’t want us to be passive receivers of the future. I want us to be active shapers of the future.”
