Deborah Reuben, TomorrowZone® CEO & Founder, hosted a livestream for Monitor as a follow-up to Converge 2024. At Converge, Peter Hinssen introduced the concept of breaking free from the S.O.Y. (Stuff of Yesterday) to focus on not just Today and Tomorrow, but the Day After Tomorrow. Reuben, along with panelists, Mike Jones, President, First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance, Jennifer Bello, Head of Global Strategic Marketing and Digital, DLL, and Brad Peterson, CEO, Channel discussed the practicalities of what this looks like in daily business life.
Jones candidly acknowledged that his company is not just dealing with the stuff of yesterday, but the stuff of last century and Peterson noted that the danger of only looking at tomorrow is you can end up playing a game of “whack-a-mole,” never really moving ahead. The panel discussed the risks of defaulting to simply automating manual processes. It is important to evaluate the process to make sure it should even be brought forward. You don’t want to end up with faster chaos. Always take time to evaluate what processes make sense to automate and identify the real problem to solve.
Bello emphasized fostering an environment of curiosity, where questions and challenges are not only allowed, but encouraged. She emphasized the importance of real transparency, not simply “corporate approved transparency.” When an associate is brave enough to speak up in a meeting, they need to be listened to in that setting and followed-up with afterwards to validate the risk they took. This creates a culture of safety and innovation and empowers team members to think outside the box.
The panel also talked about the importance of diversity of perspective in Day After Tomorrow thinking. Senior leadership can often feel like they need to have all the answers. Jones noted that often, those in the company who are closer to the customer have some of the best ideas. A consistent theme at Converge was the value of a multi-generational approach to innovation. This conversation continued among our panel. Allow younger employees to question processes and legacy systems. Bello noted that at DLL, they ask their interns for feedback about what they wish the company did better or different.
Peterson shared a quote from Mark Twain, “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” Reuben noted that most people don’t wake up wanting to do mediocre work. However, the desire for excellence can turn into perfectionism which stifles innovation. We need to embrace a Progress Over Perfection mindset where we learn from our failures and keep moving forward. Jones emphasized the importance of guiding principles as we move towards Day After Tomorrow thinking. This builds parameters while creating freedom for innovation.
Ready to implement these forward-thinking strategies in your organization? Contact TomorrowZone today for expert guidance on breaking free from the “Stuff of Yesterday” and driving innovation to shape a more awesome future. Contact Us to start your transformation journey with TomorrowZone!
