On the Cusp of ‘Massive Creative Destruction’: Living at a Moment of Monumental Transformation

When I read the news about Twilio’s $3.2 billion acquisition of Segment, a customer data infrastructure company, I thought of New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman’s brilliant observation on the state of modern technology and global economics: “We’re on the cusp of an era of massive creative destruction,” he said in a recent CNBC interview.

Friedman’s interview is definitely worth watching. It dives right into the heart of our current situation, in which we confront a continual and unpredictable series of monumental challenges and opportunities.

Unquestionably, we are experiencing one of history’s “hinge moments,” a time at which the ground suddenly shifts beneath our feet and uncertainty reigns.

The good news, of course, is that we are leaders and pioneers in the world’s greatest industry. Today, for example, Apple will reveal its newest iPhone lineup. Some of the new iPhones will be equipped with 5G, heralding a major step forward in the trajectory of mobile communications.

“This year’s iPhone launch is significant. It is expected to include the first major exterior redesign since 2017, when Apple released the iPhone X with facial recognition,” writes Kif Leswig of CNBC. “Apple is also expected to release four separate iPhones at different screen sizes and prices — a much wider range of devices than in the past.”

At moments such as these, agility and adaptability genuinely matter. The only thing we can be sure about is continuing change at an uncomfortably rapid pace. Organizations that develop the capabilities, habits and attitudes required to innovate quickly and stay ahead of market trends will survive and thrive. Organizations that do not rise to the challenge face an uncertain future. Hopefully, your organization has made a commitment to become a leader in innovation, invention and creative disruption.

As I wrote in yesterday’s HMG Strategy newsletter, speed is the key to survival. Don’t set your sights on seizing the day – strive instead to seize the moment. This is one of the reasons why we’ve asked Christina “CK” Kerley to speak at our upcoming 2020 HMG Live! New Jersey CIO Executive Leadership Summit on October 14th. Christina is an acclaimed author, futurist and strategist who will be sharing why speed is essential for business survival, along with how technology executives must go beyond being business enablers and collaborate closely with the executive team to reimagine and reshape the business to survive and thrive.

Adding Christina to our New Jersey CIO Summit agenda clearly demonstrates how HMG Strategy differentiates the content and agendas for its events that you can’t get anywhere else. I strongly encourage you to register for this fascinating and topical discussion.