The newsletters of Adam Hartung.

Keynote Speaker, Managing Partner, Author on Trends

Happy Holidays!

Over the last few months I have had a number of international meetings in Hong Kong, Bali, Rome, Madrid and Marrakesh.  Companies and associations in many countries have increased their focus on innovation in products, marketing and sales as a defense against marketplace disruptions. Senior execs recognize the need to identify and sidestep the status quo lock-ins in their companies as a first step to generate more internal ideas and absorb trends from the marketplace.

Innovation is uncomfortable for most companies because it runs counter to the lock-ins, but it is key to growth.  Lock-ins are the practices, biases or beliefs the firm has developed to maintain business model.  They function well to ensure efficiency for existing business lines, but can strangle innovation. Top on the holiday wishlist for executives is to recognize their key lock-ins so they can take action in 2016.  (My “Status Quo Playbook” can help.)

In my January newsletter, I’ll discuss a process to identify and incorporate market and competitive trends to help address the lock-ins and identify potential marketplace disruptions.

I’m very happy that my book was chosen as one of the “Ten Must Read Books for Modern Marketers 2015.”  The article features my book, “Create Marketplace Disruption, How to Stay Ahead of the Competition”

Actions you can take

Don’t hesitate to ask for help in making your organization more adaptable, and your strategy embedded with options to change based on market shifts and trends. You could start with an underperforming product or brand.  Forecasting those key trends will give you information on the development and innovation activities that will support continued growth.

How we can help

We are your experts at identifying trends, creating scenarios and building external, market monitoring systems.  We’ve done this kind of work for over 20 years, and bring a wealth of experience, and tools, to the task.  You don’t have to go into scenario planning alone; we can be your coach and mentor to speed learning, and success.

For more on how to include trends in your planning, I’ve created a “how-to” that you can adapt for your team.  See my Status Quo Risk Management Playbook.

Adam is a Forbes columnist, CIO Magazine columnist, Editor International Journal of Innovation Science, Board of Directors advisor, business consultant, panelist, and keynote speaker.  Past engagements have included leading workshops, keynote speeches, and consulting project work on innovation, using trends and “white space”.

Give us a call today, or send an email, so we can talk about how you can be a leader, rather than follower, in 2017 and beyond.  Or check out the rest of the website to read up on what we do so we can create the right level of engagement for you.

Hartung Posts on Forbes:  Spotlight on Yahoo!

• March  2013   Why Yahoo Investors Should Worry about Marissa Mayer
• January 2015  Yahoo –Another Disappearing Giant Has Nowhere To Hide
• Dec 6, 2015  Is Yahoo Doomed? Probably

Dec 14, 2015 Business Insider published this article:   “Why Yahoo needs to fire Marissa Mayer”