Trendwatching Redux

© Katie Baird

Economic indicators are but one clue to the onset of a trend. Sometimes major events, such as September 11, spawn their own array of trends, although it takes some time and perspective to be able to identify and interpret them.

Potentially very powerful information, trends can affect not only your business spending in areas of advertising and marketing, but they can actually drive HOW and WHERE and WHEN you conduct business. They can even enhance personal development for those who evolve into leaders when unexpected events and subsequent trends land in our collective laps.

When we last addressed the topic of trendwatching, we asked a number of our members about the kinds of trends they track in their particular field. Today, for a broader view, we'll slide through a smattering of trends spotted by others, and you can consider how might impact your business. A fun and compelling subject, there are a number of websites that offer regular trendwatching digests for free (see resources at the end of the article).

Leadership
The Ford Foundation is taking a new look at social change leadership through their project "Leadership for a Changing World." The purpose of this program is to identify ways in which community leaders are tackling tough social problems. Collaboration and client-oriented programs are some of the trends that are beginning to shift our historical view of leaders as simply heroic. As alternative views of leadership emerge as a result of this important undertaking, our future definition of leadership may change substantially.

Possible Implications: As WIN exhibits an increasing commitment to fiscal support of community programs and individuals, you'll have the opportunity to experience and define your own brand of leadership.

Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring as a way to get busy protgs up-to-speed is expected to continue as a strong growth trend, though not without pitfalls: "The mentoring process, with heightened velocity and expectations, forces senior people to reach deep into themselves. This process is easy for those asking, more difficult for those answering. What happens when some senior executives are exhausted and almost threatened by entreating junior colleagues?" (The Herman Group.com)

Possible Implications: Through WIN's new MAPS (Mentoring & Professional Support) program, you have the opportunity to become a mentor in collaboration with S.C.O.R.E. For information on how you can get involved in this project, contact Sue Marceau or Haley Green (see your copy of the WIN directory for contact information). And, for a great article on Women and Mentoring, check out http://www.worldwit.org/fast_times/fasttimes_mentor_031102.html.

Housing
The predicted "baby boomlet" spawned by September 11 will soon affect housing as couples and smaller families begin seeking larger homes. The impact on builders, remodelers, real estate agents, and lenders could be dramatic.

Possible Implications: Finding jobs that pay enough for people who want to trade up into larger housing has been a perennial challenge in our community. Affordable housing initiatives have been explored by our legislators and this is an area on which you can weigh in. Controlled growth is another issue facing our area, which will only be compounded by this baby boomlet, should it materialize. Get informed and consider serving on area boards and commissions which deal with the issue of housing and employment.

Communications
Alternative forms of communication are sure to drive tech decisions made by companies of all sizes. Expected to gain strength are teleconferencing, web conferencing, and other web-based communication. All of these changes will continue to drive the home-based work trend while decreasing the need for so much corporate travel and corporate meeting space.

Possible Implications: Explore the services offered by our members who provide communications tools. Study what might be most cost-effective for your business and share what you learn through our online discussion forum (see the bottom of the first page of http://www.winaz.org to subscribe).

Education
In the spotlight are issues such as changing school year (year round, modified, etc.), mandatory internships prior to beginning employment, business' role in shaping curriculum (How large a role? Should it have a role? How should this role be governed?), standardized and formative testing, and teachers with no actual teaching background entering the classroom, often from a business setting, all have huge implications for students, our workforce of tomorrow.

Possible Implications: WIN's support of continuing education programs such as AWEE and Yavapai College Career Skills Program is ongoing (See WIN Membership Directory for contact information). You can support the efforts of these programs by calling them and asking how your expertise might be utilized. You can help find deserving scholarship recipients by serving on our Scholarship Committee (contact Kim Ewing at Yavapai College).

Careers
Daniel Pink's view of the emerging "Free Agent Nation" was first explored in his book by that title. Though not all of us are functioning as true free agents, it is expected that this work trend will continue, and that it will affect retirement (or "e-tirement") age, taxes, zoning laws, the insurance industry, the housing industry, and politics.

Possible Implications: Dan says it best, "Instead of climbing a prefabricated ladder, rung by rung, in a predetermined order, careers will have much greater variety. People will assemble and reassemble them much as kids pay with Legos. The pieces will be contacts, skills, desires and available opportunity - and people will build impermanent structures with infinite idiosyncratic variations ... finally, watch for women, rather than men, to define and shape the free agent future - perhaps turning the twenty-first century into the Feminine Century."

Resources:
www.hermangroup.com/alert/
www.colettaandcompany.com/public/4_1-digest.cfm
www.freeagentnation.com
www.fastcompany.com
www.americanwaymag.com/business/feature.asp?archive_date=1/1/2002 (
Article entitled "Seven Trends You Can't Ignore This Year," by Andy Dappen, Jan. 2002
Pink, Daniel. Free Agent Nation. Warner Books, 2001, New York, New York.

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by Katie Baird, Loose Ends. You may reach Katie for comment at 928.445.4724 or ktcosmos@looseends.net. Katie welcomes YOUR articles for publication on her website, at www.looseends.net.Owner of Loose Ends (www.looseends.net) Katie is a Certified Virtual Assistant. Her clientele includes corporations, non profits, schools, and individuals. She may be reached at 928-445-4724 or ktcosmos@looseends.net.


This article first appeared in the Networking News, a publication of Women In Networking, and on www.winaz.org, May, 2002. A forerunner of this piece, published October, 2001 appears here.