Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

Truth time: Do you stalk prospects to get into their Facebook newsfeed? Or are you a patient advisor in their buying journey? We continue our discussion about the do's and don'ts of Social Selling, and how you and your team "should" vs. "should not" behave in the digital world. Yes, the Golden Rule still applies. The experts speak. Barbara Giamanco, Social Centered Selling: "Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own" (Carole Burnett). Viveka von Rosen, Vengreso: "You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages" (Michelle Obama). Charrele Robinson-Brown, SAP: "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles that he has had to overcome ..." (Booker T. Washington). Join us for Mind Your Manners: Social Selling Etiquette and The Golden Rule – Part 5.

The buzz: "The strategic and financial importance of Corporate Real Estate is growing" (www.pwc.de) $10+T of the $25T in U.S. real estate assets is owned by non-real estate companies, municipalities, and institutions. Corporate real estate is often their second largest balance sheet item and operating cost. But it is not getting the respect it deserves in the C-Suite as enterprises overlook the earnings and optimization potential of capital dedicated to real estate. The experts speak. David Wilk, Colliers: "When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock … without as much as a crack showing..." (Jacob Riis). Kay Sargent, HOK: "It's important to live it, to experience things and to see things from a different perspective...also important that we move…" (John Le Carre). John Chapman, SAP: "When did Noah build the Ark? Before the rain, before the rain" (Spy Game, 2001 film). Join us for Real Estate and Your Workforce: Optimizing Space Management.

The buzz: "Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge." (Lao Tzu) Given the uncertainty, pace, and unexpected nature of today's world, there are too many unknowns for us to effectively predict the future. Reality check: A convergence across science, technology, politics, society, economics, the environment, and growing ethics discussion, has created a complex web that requires the type of system thinking that may exceed our human capacity. Do machines hold the answer? Can they predict the path of an overwhelming number of possible futures? The experts speak. Frank Diana, TCS: "We have a duty to think hard about what may be, so as to better prepare society for the changes that may come" (Richard Baldwin). Gray Scott, Futurist: "Prediction is not just one of the things your brain does. It is the primary function of the neo-cortex, and the foundation of intelligence" (Jeff Hawkins). Join us for Tech Magic or Hype: Can We Teach Machines to Predict?

The buzz: "The era of diversity as a "check the box" initiative owned by HR is over. CEOs must take ownership and drive accountability among leaders at all levels to close the gap between what is said and actual impact" (Deloitte). Diversity is an X-factor that overcomes the trappings of bias, but there needs to be a second ingredient that overcomes the tenacity of bias. Enter data. Diversity plus data empowers women beyond reactive leadership to be strong transformational leaders, anticipate and plan for change, and open new competitive doors for business. The experts speak. Shannon Platz, SAP: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so" (Mark Twain). Rita Sallam, Gartner: "Having courage does not mean we are unafraid (Maya Angelou). Cindi Howson, Gartner: "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you" (Maya Angelou). Join us for The X Factor: STEM, Diversity, Bias and The Competitive Business.

The buzz: "We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it" (Travis Rice). Career stretch opportunities – temporary work assignments for expertise outside regular job duties – are embraced by companies and by their workers eager to showcase new skills and passions. Is this the right thing for you? Hear more insights on how each gender can accept and negotiate stretch assignments on your own terms. The experts speak. Selena Rezvani, Be Leaderly: "Never think of yourself as 'finished'; otherwise you really will be finished" (Thomas L. Friedman). Robert Solomon, NEW: "…criticism without a viable solution is nothing more than an arrogant show of words laced with barren self-importance (Stanley Tookie Williams). Shuchi Sharma, SAP: "Work hard to seem infallible and others will work to find our flaws. Admit our shortcomings and others will work to help us be infallible" (Simon Sinek). Join us for Career Stretch and Readiness: Gender Lens Differences? – Part 2.

The buzz: "It's easy to forget that for centuries – for millennia – the 'workforce' was all of us" (Peter Diamandis). Businesses today are drawing on multiple talent sources – full-time employees, contingent workers, SOW-based consultants, freelancers, contractors, gig workers – to get work done. This new employment model reality, influenced by new technologies and changing consumer preferences, requires developing strategies to shape new talent and create a culture that reimagines, enables and motivates the total workforce of tomorrow. Are you ready? The experts speak. Nicholas Whittall, Accenture: "Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward" (Nelson Mandela). Dr. Autumn Krauss, SAP SuccessFactors: "Who is wise? He that learns from everyone…." (Benjamin Franklin). Jim Brozny, SAP Fieldglass: "The meaning of life is just to be alive..." (Alan Watts). Join us for Total Workforce Management: The Good, The Bad and The Possible.

The buzz: "Robots have already taken over Wall Street, as hundreds of financial analysts are being replaced with software or robo-advisors" (theconversation.com). Machines are beginning to do the work of Finance professionals, using AI and ML technologies. Beyond automating transactional processes, they are beginning to augment value-based activities like analytics, forecasting and performance management. As AI and ML use grow, they may eliminate some human roles and create entirely new jobs.The experts speak. Nilly Essaides, The Hackett Group: "We've been merging with tools since the beginning of human revolution, and arguably that's one of the things that makes us human" (Franklin Foer). Anders Liu-Lindberg, Maersk: "Fail fast to succeed sooner" (David Kelley). Vanessa Keating, The Hackett Group: "…the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do" (Rob Siltanen). Join us for Finance Talent in the Machine Age: Human or Bot?

The buzz: "While upgrading all 160,000 streetlights in Los Angeles with remote monitoring and smart controls will cost about $14 million, the city is saving $8 million per year by switching to more energy-efficient LED bulbs (CNN Money). Digital communications and energy-efficient LED lighting are revolutionizing and transforming urban lighting infrastructures into information pathways with the capacity to collect and share data and offer insights that enable and drive the smart city. Is your city "bright" enough yet (pun intended)? The experts speak. Susanne Seitinger, Philips Lighting: "You can't think seriously about thinking without thinking about thinking about something" (Seymour Papert). David Graham, City of San Diego: "This is an adventure" (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). Marlyn Zelkowitz, SAP: "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle" (James Keller). Join us for You Light Up My Life: Smart Cities, Smart Lighting – Part 4.

The buzz: "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date" (White Rabbit). Don't like sitting in traffic? No one does. More drivers around the world are enduring traffic delays due to soaring economic growth, residential housing closer to the urban core, and infrastructure that can't keep up with demand. Cities are looking at the costs: commuter stress, impacts on family and business, housing prices, demand for city services. Can smart citizens engage with governments and technology to get anywhere on time? The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: "We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us" (John M. Culkin). Jesse Samberg, IBM: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try some times, you just might find, you get what you need." (Rolling Stones) Mike Eberhardt, SAP: "If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools" (Plato). Join us for Smart Citizen Engagement and Transportation: Get Me There On Time!

The buzz: "…it's clear that AI (and robotics) will change the face of sales" (www.i-scoop.eu/). Reality check: Buying and selling have changed dramatically in the Digital Age. Traditional sales methodologies will not work the way they used to. How to solve this selling dilemma? Picture this: The world of digital leaves data-point breadcrumbs of a buyer's behavior. The world of AI never gives up, never sleeps, never errs, never misses opportunities. When these worlds collide, their synergy could solve your challenges. The experts speak. Mario Martinez, Jr., Vengreso: "Don't persuade, defend or interrupt. Be curious, be conversational, be real. And listen (Elizabeth Lesser). Paul Teshima, Nudge.ai: "No stop signs, speed limit, nobody's going to slow me down" (AC/DC). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible" (Francis of Assisi). Join us for Digital Sales Meets AI: Two Worlds Colliding – Part 2.