Preparing For The Future Of Work: John Hartigan of Domain-U On The Top Five Trends To Watch In The Future Of Work
An Interview With Savio P. Clemente
I believe that the hybrid workforce is really interesting. It’s very broad right now, but it’s very interesting. AI and machine learning, and where is that going to go and what that is going to do. I believe that there’s a lot of opportunity and jobs being created around AI and machine learning. I believe that blockchain, though it has a bad rap right now with crypto is poised to make a big splash regarding what we call digital verifiable credentials, which we’re part of the Velocity Network Foundation which has to do with this hybrid workforce, the gig economy and individuals being able to store, manage and share their own personal employment documents on a digital wallet on their phone with any other employer, etc.
As part of this interview series called “ Top 5 Trends To Watch In the Future of Work”, we had the pleasure to interview John Hartigan, Chief Executive Officer of Domain-U.
John Hartigan has founded and led multiple startups and early growth projects to successful exits by identifying market value gaps, and by matching innovation technology solutions. Early in the ATM technology curve he started Hartigan ATM and built a network of ATMs across California and Arizona, later selling Hartigan ATM to Marathon ATM/ Cord Financial. He then launched Mobile Cloth®, a CPG brand leveraging the touch screen device growth explosion, distributing to over 30 countries, and later selling to The Clouser Group.
Over the past seven years, he has focused on learning technologies and practical business applications of blockchain. As CEO of Intiva Health he launched “Ready Doc” the first decentralized (blockchain) application for healthcare provider credentialing. John has served in C-level roles in private and public companies and is frequently invited to speak around the world to share and discuss the practical impact of information technologies. John sits on the board of the Round Rock Area Serving Center, a community-based food pantry and financial assistance organization serving over 60,000 individuals every year. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California Polytechnic University, Pomona and currently resides in the greater Austin area, Texas.
Thank you so much for doing this with us, John! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
I am what people call a serial entrepreneur. I’ve been launching businesses since my early twenties. I’m not going to tell you how old I am, but I’m going into 25 plus years. The last five years, I’ve been really focused primarily on new technologies in blockchain and blockchain verification of digital assets and documents. Some people call them NFTs, and also online training and education systems which is how I ended up doing what I’m doing now.
What do you expect to be the major disruptions for employers in the next 10–15 years? How should employers pivot to adapt to these disruptions?
The most obvious one that we’re seeing playing out right now is the shift in the labor force, and this is actually the thesis of what my current company is built on. What we’re seeing is that the attitudes, behaviors, and expectations of workers have changed dramatically since Covid, and it’s hitting every facet of our lives, including old legacy companies, traditional, Wall Street, and banks. That trend is affecting every aspect of how people work, what systems they use, what their expectations are from flexibility of work to time off, to location travel. A really big one that we’ve discovered recently is the process of buying and selling in the marketplace changed dramatically.
How do you see job seekers having to change their approaches to finding not only employment, but employment that fits their talents and interests?
The workers in general will have to become more entrepreneurial minded and what I mean by that is they are going to have to seek out opportunities where they can clearly define and show their return on investment and be able to clearly communicate how they’re going to fit that job or that role or position and add value. We are in a hiring push right now and are seeing more and more potential employees having that clear communication about here’s what I know how to do and here’s what I can do for you, and here’s what I think I can do for the future, where in the past it was more like, okay, you have ABC skill and we can plug you in ABC job. Employees are getting more creative, especially for these top tier jobs because even though there’s a lot of jobs out there, the top tier jobs are still competitive.
How should people plan their careers such that they can hedge their bets against being replaced by automation or robots?
In general, robots, automated AI, and the premise and the thesis behind those systems is a repeatable process. In essence, a robot or automation is: we love this process. We know all these steps and we can utilize machines to do these things. What the higher paying jobs and employees need to realize is that they’re not being paid to do X, Y, Z, X, Y, Z all the time. What they’re being paid to do is to add creativity and value to whatever role they have. Add additional value, don’t just do what the job is, look towards future research and read. I mean, take the time and see what’s going on in the future. Again, coming back to being more entrepreneurial, realizing that your value lies in your ability to navigate potential opportunities and future trends, and realize if you can find value gaps that you will never ever have to worry about a robot taking your job.
The COVID-19 pandemic helped highlight the inadequate social safety net that many workers at all pay levels have. In your opinion how should this be addressed?
I really believe that’s more in the political spectrum, but from a business perspective, I think the business market has in essence taken care of a lot of that. The capitalistic market is very efficient and very quickly it drove these new opportunities, new jobs, new roles, and it eliminated a lot of redundant work. It was brutal for the workforce, and it was very difficult but I believe that we’re in a period of time, kind of like the industrial revolution, where there is a shifting requirement of workers, skills and talent sets. The market is adjusting and I believe the last stat I just read online was that there are many open jobs right now, good paying jobs, and so the market is trying to create equilibrium on its own. The market is efficient when it comes to how it navigates these kinds of crises.
What is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?
There is so much wonderful technology available at no cost. There is so much information available at no cost. I think that the people who are going to be successful in any venture are those who are going to be able to creatively curate that information, look for what people want, what people need, and what the market is willing to pay for and they are going to build businesses around that. It sounds almost like hyperbole or a cliché answer, but it is a lot more difficult than one thinks.
What I’m seeing is that there’s this whole group of young people coming up right now who are masters of technology. Their challenge is going to be learning how to focus and corral information and technology in such a way that it truly adds value to the market, and not getting lost in all of the noise. I see a lot of bright spots around new ways of communicating, new ways of creating, and exchanging of goods. We talked about blockchain, new ways of verifying digital pieces of information, and new mechanisms for trust between peer to peer. There’s a lot of really exciting things on the horizon.
What are your “Top 5 Trends To Watch In the Future of Work?”
I believe that the hybrid workforce is really interesting. It’s very broad right now, but it’s very interesting. AI and machine learning, and where is that going to go and what that is going to do. I believe that there’s a lot of opportunity and jobs being created around AI and machine learning. I believe that blockchain, though it has a bad rap right now with crypto is poised to make a big splash regarding what we call digital verifiable credentials, which we’re part of the Velocity Network Foundation which has to do with this hybrid workforce, the gig economy and individuals being able to store, manage and share their own personal employment documents on a digital wallet on their phone with any other employer, etc.
Having those verified via blockchain instantaneously changes the HR landscape dramatically. I believe that one of the big trends is corporate training via on-demand interactive systems like ours, domain-U. I think that there is this opportunity with hybrid workforce and it’s going to change the landscape, or it has changed the landscape of how we, live, how we work, whether it be in the city or at home and it’s actually going to start changing the architecture and the landscape physically of cities and towns and where people move to. We saw that big shift right after Covid of people moving out of the city and then they kind of came back. Well, I think this is just the beginning. We’re going to see a lot more people in the Bahamas and all over the place doing really cool stuff. I’m excited to see where that leads us.
I know there’s a lot of doom and gloom and layoffs at the moment, but I truly believe these are temporary situations and that we are actually moving into a massive growth period where there’s going to be a lot of abundance for a lot of people and a lot of great jobs. I’m really excited to see where that goes. So don’t believe all the negative news out there. The future of hybrid work is very bright, so focus on the positive.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?
I’m going to say one from my dad, “know what side your bread is buttered on,” meaning, know where you come from, be humble, be grateful, and be authentic.
Our readers often like to follow our interview subjects’ careers. How can they further follow your work online?
Our company website is domain-u.com. You can find out more about us there. Feel free to Google us. We actually just had a great press release come out and some good articles popping out. We’re doing some podcasts, and would love to talk more about whether it be hybrid workforce or training, or any other topics they find interesting.
Thank you for these fantastic insights, John.
