As an executive or leader in your organization, you’re managing many things: the company’s image, numerous projects, and a talented group of people.

But you’re also managing many other important things, including disruptions from both inside and outside of your industry, how others perceive your company as you manage or even leverage those disruptions, and several other things you may not even be aware of. For many people, these “other” things are just part of the job, how things have always been done, and the expected stressors of business.

But do they have to be that way?

Disruptions Are Distractions to Manage

To start, executives and leaders at organizations must become better at managing disruptions. In today’s marketplace, change is coming at us fast, and it is only getting faster every day. …

In a year like 2020, it is likely we have become professional reactors. Between COVID-19 and the uncertainties of the election, leaders and managers have jumped from fire to fire, putting out the blaze that has been this year. In response to that level of crisis management, organizations large and small have now learned the true meaning behind being lean and agile.

However, despite these skills, we must not forget to learn from the cards that were dealt to us in 2020. …

For some, the post-coronavirus “new normal” is a frightening concept that rattles their status quo, while others are taking this moment to seize new opportunities afforded to us by a global disruption, as COVID-19 has proven to be. The fact of the matter is that aforementioned opportunity is available to all of us, whether our “new normal” is unbearably difficult or extremely simple.

You may be asking yourself: How is that possible?

The key in leveraging this worldwide disruptive and still unpredictable virus to your benefit is to implement my Anticipatory Organization Model, where business leaders identify Hard Trends and Soft Trends, differentiate between the two, and use them to pre-solve the new problems headed our way in the “new normal.” …

It is no secret that children are attracted to video games like moths to light. From Minecraft to Roblox, children of today spend hours in front of screens both large and small, oftentimes much to the dismay of their parents and teachers.

Whether you have children of your own or not, you may believe these kids are using their time idly; however, it is actually quite the contrary. Believe it or not, they are likely learning while playing their favorite game, and furthermore, we as adults can learn a lot about these intuitive young individuals based on what they play.

This concept is part of a trend I first identified in the 1980s that I call gamification. …

Disruptive digital technology will transform every industry in one way or another. The manufacturing sector is absolutely no exception, having spent the last decade bouncing back from being affected by a down economy.

Yet despite the coronavirus pandemic throwing a wrench in what was poised to be one of the best economic years in recent history, the manufacturing industry is still steadily rising thanks to a multitude of technological advances, and there is plenty more innovation to come.

Whether you are a leader or an employee in manufacturing, it is imperative you implement my Anticipatory Leader System — which in this case focuses on the Hard Trends affecting the manufacturing sector both inside and out — in order to pre-solve problems that can come with those Hard Trends and turn disruption and change into opportunity and advantage. …

We live in an amazing era of technology-driven transformation that’s redefining how we sell, market, communicate, collaborate, innovate, train, and educate — all in an amazingly short period of time. Because of this, there are worrisome questions for many in a multitude of different industries: What will happen to my job? Will technology disrupt my business to the point of closing it? The good news is it won’t if you don’t let it!

Customers Trust Humans

We must not lose sight of the fact that the future is a human future. When it comes to humans, it’s all about relationships and trust. …

What if I told you there is a way to predict and even pre-solve the problems and challenges your organization will face and plug into the future?

Most people believe such a concept is impossible; a crystal ball as such doesn’t really exist. But in reality, you can solve tomorrow’s problems today using anticipation and trends and leverage disruptive change for opportunity and advantage.

Disruptive technological change is coming at us every day, increasing at an exponential rate. With that change, problems and obstacles will be thrown at your organization equally as fast, disrupting your status quo. …

These days, you can find a slurry of memes and motivational graphics on social media alluding to the concept that you must always beat out your competition in business. But contrary to popular belief, competing with other businesses is actually quite counterproductive, especially in the post-pandemic “new normal” we face — something we never expected to be facing as we entered this new decade.

No matter what your angle for competing — whether it be affordability or uniqueness of goods or services, quality, time of completion, or anything else — the truth of the matter is that when you benchmark against a competitor, you will only ever be as good as the competition. …