Think Like a Futurist
This keynote talk brings power to ageless questions: “What’s shaping tomorrow’s markets?” and “Where is our greatest advantage?” As Cecily shares her methods for strategic foresight and innovation, she treats the audience to a guided tour of the future, pointing out important opportunities along the way. You will learn:
- Why we get stuck in the Permanent Present.
- How exponential technologies are redefining business, society, and humanity.
- How to anticipate shifts with a now-to-future innovation portfolio.
- Practices to help you stay sane and productive amidst constant change.
Breaking our Addiction to Certainty
The single most important competency for innovation is the ability to face uncertainty and keep moving anyway. In this talk, Cecily shares the mindset and practices to break our addiction to certainty and increase our capacity for the fundamental requirement of growth — risk-taking. You will:
- See the mega forces remaking our world today and why we can’t ignore them.
- Evaluate the long-term cost of being addicted to certainty and the ways the on-demand economy is upending whole industries.
- Explore the practices needed for individuals and work cultures to break their addiction to certainty.
- Learn the most essential qualities needed to thrive in the turbulence of today and tomorrow.
The Future is Where we Belong
As changes race ahead of our ability to make sense of them, strategy needs to focus on the deeply human things that don’t change: the need to be safe and be valued, and the wish to shine a light in the lives we touch. It is here, at the intersection of what changes and what doesn’t, that astute leaders find what’s next for their business. This talk dives into:
- How megatrends are transforming how we relate to each other and how we behave.
- The impact of social technologies on identity and status, and why today’s customers seek belonging, not loyalty.
- Four simple practices that can powerfully generate belonging for yourself and others.
Building Your Capacity for Transformation
While still operating in the hierarchical order of the Industrial Age, today’s leaders must also build bridges to an increasingly networked and autonomous economy. They’re charged with cultivating a tolerance for change and uncertainty in the organization on the one hand, and maintaining its stability on the other.
To create balance within these tensions, leaders must first do this for themselves. Cecily explores how individuals can expand their personal perspectives and replace best practices with wise practices. She’ll tackle:
- What it means to be human-first in an AI-first world.
- Why leaders need to model inner agility to meet the demands of change in their organizations and their markets.
- Detecting change at the margins — in your environment, and in yourself.
- How leaders can manage shoulds and shame and facing imperfection daily.
“But …” Busters
The biggest barrier to change is a statement that begins “But…” No matter how they’re delivered, ‘buts’ undermine your commitments, keep you playing small and, worst, let you off the hook for doing so.
This talk offers fun, winning strategies for conquering six energy-robbing evils: blame, denial, fear, busyness, resignation, and whining. These powerful But-Busting practices will make you a resistance-resolving superhero in meetings, deal negotiations, and even around the dinner table.
- Recognize and avert the “But…” before it gets in the way.
- Transform what’s wrong into what’s right.
- Overcome resignation, frustration, and defensiveness in yourself and others.
- Find wisdom in the whine.
