Whether it is a global pandemic or everyday disruptions, most of us default to reaction and agility when faced with a crisis.

For many, reactionary behavior is all they know; the only option in dealing with disruption is to find the nearest metaphorical fire extinguisher and cauterize the problem immediately. However, in our current COVID-19 world, agility and reactionary behavior is even less productive than it was before.

While there is a “generational war” between the young and the old in the workplace created by the younger generation’s familiarity with technology and the older generation’s aversion to it, a multigenerational concern that plagues all age groups is that technology will outpace humans, leaving many unemployed.

It is an understandable fear, especially if you consider my Hard Trend Methodology. Hard Trends are future certainties that will happen, and digital disruption, which includes and is certainly not limited to artificial intelligence (A.I.), is without question a Hard Trend, further authenticating the fear of losing your job to technology.

However, there…

From virtual museum tours to five-star curbside pickup of a steak and lobster dinner, some tremendously innovative ideas emerged out of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

With the help of application development, ordinarily in-person business operations quickly pivoted during March 2020 to combat the tremendous loss they were facing as the world shut down in response to COVID-19 While some companies are moving into the “New Normal,” or “Next Normal” as some prefer, just as many companies are are hoping to return to their pre-pandemic status quo.

However, the reality is that our world is forever changed. The pre-coronavirus world…

Undoubtedly, you have heard of smartphones. More likely than not, you have one in your pocket as you read this.

Additionally, smart homes and smart home features are likely part of your vocabulary in today’s world, including the likes of Ring Doorbells, Nest to remotely handle things like your thermostat, or any number of artificial intelligence (A.I.)-based devices, such as Amazon’s Alexa.

But have you yet heard of a “Smart City?”

Despite having the aforementioned technologies, does the concept of Smart City still sound like something out of a sci-fi movie or Netflix series? …

Artificial intelligence (A.I.), one of the 20 core technologies I identified back in 1983 as the drivers of exponential economic value creation, has started out simple. From Amazon’s Alexa, Siri on your iPhone, or proclaiming “hey, Google…” in your home, there are several small but impactful applications of A.I. that have become fully integrated in our world today.

Now, following a historic moment in contemporary history dominated by a global pandemic, A.I. advancements have been turbocharged like never before.

The coronavirus pandemic has proven to be one of the most disruptive occurrences to happen in modern history. Starting in mid-March of 2020, something happened that would have been considered unheard of on January 1: Everyone was forced to change in some way — and with so many business closing their doors, and large numbers of employees globally sheltering in place and working from home, we turned to digital solutions like never before.

From a business perspective, you were either shut down, like bars and restaurants, or you were booming, like grocery stores and pharmacies. And with no clear end…

These days, data has become more valuable in our economy than oil. There have been many discussions about the individual value of your personal data, how to protect it and even who owns it.

But what about your intellectual property as an entrepreneur or business leader within an organization? How do you protect something digital?

Time and again throughout American history, ideas have been stolen or “borrowed,” whether it be the historic squabble between Apple founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and if Gates stole the idea of the Graphical User Interface from Jobs, or the more recent…

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, exponential digital transformation was the biggest disruption many organizations and leaders within those organizations concerned themselves with. Will artificial intelligence (A.I.) take my job? Will machine learning make our entire operation irrelevant? Is there something on the horizon that will change our industry, and how can we be the ones to discover it?

Even given the increase in the rate of exponential transformation of business practices thanks to those aforementioned digital disruptors, it astounded me how many of those same organizations feebly considered what would happen if digital technology truly disrupted them or…