The Future Is Now

Coming off of the success of FutureMidwest, this past weekend (April 16 & 17), co-founder Adrian Pittman shares his thoughts about the conference, Detroit and its potential.

My goal for the Module conference last year was to collect and highlight some best practices from the world of new media. It was essentially a launch party for my company’s brand. I expected a small crowd of friends, coworkers and clients who were already involved in that space. But I was wrong. Purely by mistake, I had tapped into a much broader audience that wanted to understand the impact new media could have on their company and brand. I learned metro Detroiters were much more interested than I expected in learning about new technologies. Many were looking for the same answers at the same time. With the Module conference, we had grabbed the attention and focus of a very large audience.

When I met Jordan Wolfe last year after TechNow, I realize there was a piece missing from Module – the entrepreneurial focus. Entrepreneurism is heavily tied into where this region finds itself economically and perceptually right now. Detroit was once the center of the universe, but that rapidly changed. The Midwest never fully came through to the other side as the economy, industries and technology evolved. When the economy flipped, it was obvious that the way our region became accustomed to doing business was no longer working. To survive, we had to change.

Most other conferences were already speaking to those who understood the importance of using the social Web as a new method of communicating and conducting business. But those conferences didn’t speak directly to the entrepreneurs. Jordan’s TechNow conference did. TechNow didn’t draw in the tech geeks, rather people striving to improve their businesses and industries. It felt very much like an event you would find in California, not Michigan.

It was obvious that Jordan and I were telling two sides of the same story, and we needed to bring everything together. As we were doing research to determine if this new conference idea had any legs, we found that blending the entrepreneurial-focused message with the new media educational message from Module created a huge outpouring of support. We put together a team that could make this conference come alive, and FutureMidwest was born.

We’ve been happy to see people from diverse industries in metro Detroit and beyond registering for FutureMidwest. Our audience won’t be comprised of only marketers and tech-savvy people, but also those who have a high-tech need for their business and industry.

What does the road ahead look like? Our goal is to create a melting pot of industries that all come together for this annual conference. We want FutureMidwest to change the way people think about growing their business, building relationships and communicating.

There’s a need for passionate thought leaders in our region who aren’t afraid to take a risk for the sake of business growth.

Originally posted on Time, April 16, 2010.

Corporations: Adjusting to a Transitioning Hiring Pool

Detroit is confronting a significant restructuring in its core business — the manufacturing industry. This fundamental transformation means the industry will be smaller, more cost-conscious and require a different skill set

As Detroit continues to diversify its “business model”, significant changes will occur, not only for employees, but for companies as well. A couple of weeks ago, I commented on the things employees should focus on during their personal transition period. This writing briefly summarizes what might be beneficial to corporations.

During this unprecedented restructuring period, companies will eventually begin to rehire — at what point, only time will tell. While many companies are restructuring and — in quite a few cases — downsizing, the need for top-notch talent will not change. In fact, it becomes acutely important as the regional mindset shifts to a more globally-aware, knowledge-based economy. This transition means organizations will be faced with building a new-style workforce in the wake of sweeping regional changes and the inevitable resource crunch that will occur.

To this end, it is important that organizations:

1. Clearly understand the rapidly evolving business model and assess their talent pool based on these ever-changing needs,
2. Develop a “gap” analysis based on the direction of the organization,
3. Understand the type of talent required on a go-forward basis,
4. Retain those employees who will fill certain gaps,
5. Attract talent consistent with future direction,
6. If necessary, identify an executive search firm who can assist in attracting top-notch talent consistent with the future direction of the organization.

During this restructuring process, it is essential to communicate with employees. The worse thing is not to say anything. This only perpetuates fear, increases anxiety and reduces morale and productivity and right now, it’s critical the lines of communication remain open.

Adapting to Detroit’s Transforming Job Market

As we know, Detroit is confronting a significant restructuring in its core business—the manufacturing industry. This fundamental transformation means the industry will be smaller, more cost efficient and require a different skill set.

As Detroit continues to diversify its “business model”, significant changes will occur, including, but not limited to:

• Job eliminations,
• Different skill sets,
• A shifting from a manufacturing mindset to a new economy, knowledge-based philosophy, and
• A high degree of employee anxiety and uncertainty without knowing what the future holds.

What You Should Do

This transformation has accelerated recently and has resulted in lives being shaken up, careers being turned upside down and people’s comfort zones being pushed aside. To this end, the question is this…how do (ex) employees deal with these changes and what should they do?

1. Stay active: Don’t sit around the house feeling sorry for yourself, but maintain a schedule that includes keeping busy—whether exercising, to reading, to reconnecting with friends—but do not get in the habit of watching TV or staying in front of your PC all day, everyday.
2. Network: Throughout the course of our careers, we have met a lot of people—whether, co-workers, vendors, suppliers, friends, social contacts, et. al. Now is the time to begin to reconnect. You can do this by scheduling lunches, having weekly conversations, meeting in social gatherings or simply picking up the phone to say hello. You will be surprised at how many people are in the same situation as you are. Another tool for networking purposes is the internet. There are professional and personal websites where people have the ability to reconnect with those we may have lost contact.
3. Assess yourself: Think of yourself as a brand. Ask yourself the following questions:
   1. Who am I and what makes me unique?
   2. What are my strengths and weaknesses?
   3. What is my unique selling proposition or point of difference? In other words, what distinguishes me from the “competition”?
   4. What value do I bring? Unique skill sets?
   5. Why would anyone want to do business with me?
   6. Are the skills I have relevant in an ever-changing, global marketplace? If not, how will I address this “gap”
   7. Etc etc etc
4. Market yourself: How would you market yourself? Develop a personal marketing plan including a mission statement, career objectives, potential target audiences/prospective clients; overall strategies and tactical plans enabling you to promote yourself to your desired audiences.
5. Challenge yourself: Is the skillset I have relevant in a changing marketing or is there a “gap”? If so, what will I do to address this gap? Retrain? Back to school? Etc…
6. Be honest: This is an opportunity to “remake” yourself. Was I really happy doing what I was doing or was I “comfortable”. Are there other things I’m passionate about and if so, should I pursue those opportunities. Try not to go back into the comfort zone, but think about this as an opportunity to redefine yourself and your career. While there might be fear, this will rejuvenate you and present you with new and exciting challenges. In other words, open your mind and don’t be afraid of new challenges.