Nicholas Webb is no stranger when it comes to speaking to audience of technology lovers so he won’t be entirely in unfamiliar territory when he talks to 300 NSCA members at the Business and Leadership Conference in Dallas.
Webb, a world-renowned business futurist and innovation thought leader, is a management consultant who has done work for Cisco, Intel and other high-profile brands during his 25-year career. He’s worked with well-heeled clients in the healthcare, banking and energy industries, among many others.
But, while he always starts essentially from scratch when doing his almost-70 presentations every year, Webb knows there are some pieces that carry from industry to industry.
“Audience and clients are trying to understand how to take the changes they’re seeing and turn them into future trends,” he says. Webb’s presentations focus largely on three key disruptors.
The first is disruptive innovation, which looks at changes that are dramatic and not incremental. Among the recent successful examples of disruptive innovation is Uber but “we’re seeing it in virtually every business you can think of.”
The big problem comes for companies who try to stand still and do the same thing they’ve always done when major changes are happening around them, says Webb. That’s called disruption denial and it’s more prevalent than many would like to admit, he says.
The second key disruptor is consumerization.
“Customers today have unlimited options and unlimited information about their options,” says Webb. “Companies have to create a consumerized experience for their customers.” Among the most successful companies in consumerization is Apple.
Companies must create consumerized nodes, micro-mobile moments and client engagement, including support programs, freebies and other enhancements that provide them comfort, says Webb.
The third key disruptor is connection architecture, which Webb calls “a really big part in delivering more relevant information and solutions.”
Webb knows BLC attendees are setting aside time from their families and businesses to attend the event and doesn’t want to waste their time.
“There people want me to give them some actionable takeaways,” he says. “I take that very, very, very seriously. The things we talk about can have some real financial impact on these businesses. As turbid as things are, people are trying to learn something that can help them.”
