Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: "The blockchain does one thing: It replaces third-party trust with mathematical proof that something happened" (Adam Draper). Yes. Blockchain is redefining how we transact in the digital world where digitized trust is required. According to WEF research, 58% of tech execs expect 10% of global GDP ($5.3t) to be stored on the blockchain by 2025. Are you on board? The experts speak. Drew Hingorani, Ai-BlockChain: "Behind every cloud is another cloud" (Judy Garland). Peter Ebert, CryptoWork: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" (Leonardo da Vinci). Andreas Fichter, SAP: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (Sir Arthur C. Clarke). Jonathan Bourgeois, Ai-BlockChain: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark" (Michelangelo). Join us for Blockchain, Trust and Startups – Part 2.

The buzz: "…We are all looking for the magic formula. Well, here you go: Creativity + Iterative Development = Innovation" (James Dyson, 2005). Welcome to the Digital Era, where new technology terminology, hype and interpretations bombard us daily at work and at home. What do IoT, ML, Big Data, and Blockchain really mean? How will they impact your organization, customers, business partners, and lifestyle? The experts speak. Tom Raftery, SAP: "I want to die on Mars – just not on impact" (Elon Musk). Dion Hinchcliffe, Constellation Research: "Everything flows and nothing abides, everything gives way and nothing stays fixed" (Heraclitus). Tamara McCleary, Thulium: "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep" (Scott Adams). Join us for The State of Innovation 2018: Fluff vs. Fact – Part 2.

The buzz: "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life" (Confucius). Few things impact employee productivity, engagement, and well-being as compensation. But as definitions of work and workforce change–diversity, telecommuting, contingent labor–traditional pay-for-performance formulas could cost you the ability to engage top talent. The experts speak. Dr. Gabby Burlacu, SAP SuccessFactors: "I think the definition of a book is changing" (Jeff Bezos). Lauren Pytel, SAP SuccessFactors: "After a certain point, money is meaningless…The game is what counts" (Aristotle Onassis). John Weldon, Baylor University: "You must be ready to give up even the most attractive ideas when experiment shows them to be wrong" (Alessandro Volta). Chris Seifert, Baylor University: 'People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity…" (Andrew Carnegie). Join us for Getting Serious About Getting Paid: Your Company's Compensation.

The buzz: "The golden rule for every business man is this: 'Put yourself in your customer's place" [Orison S. Marden]. Yes, the rule still applies in our Age of Social Selling. Do you stalk prospects to get in their Facebook newsfeed vs. being a patient buying journey advisor? Tune in for our ongoing discussion of social behavior do's and don'ts. The experts speak. Viveka von Rosen, Vengreso: 'Leadership is not about men in suits. It is a way of life for those who know who they are and are willing to be their best to create the life they want to live" (K. Schafer) Barbara Giamanco, Social Centered Selling: "Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image" (Johann W. von Goethe). Charrele Robinson-Brown, SAP: "A brand is the set of expectations, stories, memories and relationships, that taken together account for a customer's decision to choose one product or service over another" (S. Godin). Join us for Mind Your Manners: Social Selling Etiquette and The Golden Rule–Part 4.

The buzz: "The human spirit is like an elastic band. The more you stretch, the greater your capacity" (Bidemi Mark-Mordi). Career stretch opportunities–temporary assignments requiring expertise outside an employee's regular job duties–are embraced by companies as well as their workers who are eager to showcase new skills and passions. What does this mean for you? Our panel will share insights on how to accept and negotiate stretch assignments on your own terms, and on a Be Leaderly report about how each gender decides their readiness to stretch. The experts speak. Selena Rezvani, Be Leaderly: "You will never climb Career Mountain and get to the top and shout, 'I made it!'" (Amy Poehler). Robert F. Solomon, Jr., Network of Executive Women (NEW): "The world is not changed by people who sort of care (Sally Hogshead). Schuchi Sharma, SAP: "The greatest contribution of a leader is to make other leaders" (Simon Sinek). Join us for Career Stretch and Readiness: Gender Lens Differences?

The buzz: "Just as salespeople are moving into the future, the buyers are already ahead of us" (K.Sexton). Your staff may be excited about social selling training and enablement. But will they put those lessons into practice in their day-to-day jobs? The gauges of your social selling success should reflect how well and how consistently your staff executes their lessons – and how well you monitor them in the real business world. Tune in for best practices to encourage social selling adoption, maintain momentum, and monitor execution. The experts speak. Mic Adam, Vanguard Leadership: "...People will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust" (Bob Burg). Loic Simon, PartnerWin: "It's not about the shoes, it's about what you do in them (Michael Jordan). Marco Cai, SAP: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving" (Einstein). Join us for Social Selling Post-Training Momentum: Strategies and Best Practices – Part 2.

The buzz: "No one in the world needs a Rhino horn but a Rhino" (Paul Oxton). Africa's wildlife threat levels are growing at alarming rates – particularly from increasing poaching of elephants and rhinos. Traditional conservation methods fall short due to lack funding and people-power. Enter a creative solution: technology with purpose involving drones and GPS, sparking a new definition of ERP: Elephants, Rhinos and People. The experts speak. Quintin Smith, EPI-USE: "I guess it comes down a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying" (Shawshank Redemption). David Allen, EPI-USE: "There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problems of staying alive.=" (Sir David Attenborough). Ashley Tully, SAP: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how" (Friedrich Nietzsche). Join us for ERP, Technology and Purpose in the Wild: Elephants, Rhinos, People

The buzz: "By 2030…8.3 billion people with an urban proportion of about 51%. So out of necessity, smart cities are needed …" (Dr Gráinne Watson, Fujitsu) In our mobile-first, digitally connected world, consumers expect to access digital services whenever and wherever they want. Citizens expect the same personalized communications with their city governments. Is this possible? The smart future city will put the citizen at the center of service delivery models. Is your city there yet? The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: "All politics is local" (Tip O'Neill). Kirk Talbott, City of Atlanta: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog … build a wall…pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects" (Robert A Heinlein). Mike Eberhardt, SAP: "Walk a mile in my shoes" (Joe South, 1970). Join us for Smart Cities Citizen Engagement: Mobile, Connected and Digital – Part 2.

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. Outreach to today's buyer is more difficult using traditional sales methodologies. Where to turn? Hint: The world of digital leaves data point breadcrumbs of a buyer's behavior. The world of AI never gives up, sleeps, or misses opportunities. When these worlds collide, can their synergy boost your sales? The experts speak. Mario Martinez, Jr., Vengreso: "Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best (1897). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: "The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity" (Amelia Earhart). Paul Teshima, Nudge.ai: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" (Friday Night Lights). Alex Terry, Conversica: "The best way to predict the future is to create it" (Peter Drucker). Join us for Digital Sales Meets AI: Two Worlds Colliding.

The buzz: "UI is the saddle, the stirrups, and the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse, and rope your cattle" (Dain Miller). Remember your anticipation when you got your first smartphone? Your curiosity the first time you typed "@" online? As the world gets increasingly digital, we expect great experiences in every interaction with every organization. Do UX designers ever sleep? The experts speak. Matt Grajcar, Google: "The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built (F.L. Wright). RJ Owen, CreativeMornings: "People ignore design that ignores people" (Frank Chimero). Shaun Syvertsen, Convergent IS: "Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again" (R. Branson). Maricel Cabahug, SAP: "If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going" (Prof. Irwin Corey). Join us for UX 2018: User Experiences for a New Generation – Part 2.