SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 210,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
How knowledgeable are you about global megatrends?
- Very — We monitor the pace of change, long-term, across all megatrends: 10%
- Somewhat — We stay informed only about megatrends we think directly affect our business: 40%
- Not very — Industry trends are our main focus: 29%
- Not at all — Too busy fighting fires to look beyond our business and the present: 10%
- What’s a megatrend?: 10%
The broader the better. While a slim majority of you are focused on trends beyond your own industry—such as global demographic, economic, political, environmental, societal, and technological trends—there is the possibility of missing out on key insights by being too selective. As this blog post points out, environmental disasters such as the recent earthquake in Japan can affect a wide range of U.S. companies and sectors. Engaging in broader scenario planning could make all the difference in securing a sustainable future for your company.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and the host of the upcoming Executive Insight 16 – a leadership conference being held in New York this November.