"Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that a 'new cold war' could turn hot, and must be avoided, in a speech on Monday at World Economic Forum’s virtual 'Davos Agenda' conference.'" - Dave Lawler, Axios, January 25, 2021.
Because of its one-time ethos of power, the World Economic Forum annual conference in Davos had been a media event. My clients would bring along their media staff to Davos. That allowed them to get press exposure for not only themselves. They could also network by offers to "lend out" their media team to those attending the conference who didn't have such a sophisticated media outreach.'
That was then. Now, Axios is among the few focusing on the goings-on at Davos. Way back in 2018, even before COVID-19 dominated the headlines, there had been opining that Davos was less relevant. Youth was shrugging it off. After all, every generation represents a possible power shift.
In November 2020, William Cohan published an article in Vanity Fair on how the old-guard is fighting to have what goes on at Davos still matter.
But the odds are against it. Not only is power viewed differently in 2021. The BigMan behind Davos - Klaus Schwab - can almost be classified as a global "public nuisance." His concept of power and influence seems to be 20th century. Isn't that getting in the way of urgent problem-solving? Hey, how are we going to prevent civil war in America? How will the Future of Work play out in terms of manpower demand? Should Universal Basic Income become standard globally? It worked well in Canada's New Leaf Project.
The lesson here for organizations and individual professionals is this: Everything changes. The smart keep surveying the horizon for signs of emerging trends. That's where the opportunity is.
In this perilous time for operating a business to make a profit and to get, hold and move on to better work, that proactive mindset is a must. Trend-spotting is no longer for the experts. It's part of the economic survival plan for any entity and any human being who is determined to navigate the fresh risk factors of 2021. They include the virus variants resistant to current vaccines, caution in consumer spending and exploding government debt.
Takeaway: Figure out what is happening. Don't wait for an official report or media coverage.
The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)
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