Be a Next-Generation Company!

Twenty years ago, few of us could imagine the world of today. The innovations, internet, platforms, societal changes, economic shifts, and the general speed & scale of new technology adoption have been remarkable.

The same story will be true twenty years from now. There will be a Next-Generation of companies, some may be in their infancy today, that will create the future.

But what does it take to be a Next-Generation company?

It’s a Choice.

First, give yourself permission to embrace the future.

Then your choice is to continue on your current path and risk becoming irrelevant OR you become a Next-Generation company.

Manage To The Future.

Companies that operate in the present spend the vast majority of their time managing the performance of the company for the next 12 months. Of course, the business does need day-to-day management attention; but the question is how much of management’s time is focused on the future? Both explicitly in terms of stated company objectives and in execution as illustrated by the percentage of time senior management is actively working on the 3–5 years in the future? As Jeff Bezos remarked in 2018 “Friends congratulate me after a quarterly-earnings announcement and say, ‘Good job, great quarter,’ And I’ll say, ‘Thank you, but that quarter was baked three years ago.’ I’m working on a quarter that’ll happen in 2021 right now.”

Flatten for Speed and Truth.

Next-Generation companies are flat for speed-to-market and grounded in customer truth. Which is why they leverage technology to make better evidence-based decisions, rather than internal opinions. The underlying need is a new set of skills that many companies don’t have at all. Some others are beginning to learn, but there isn’t not enough of them. And, of course, as we progress forward other skills and platforms will emerge.

Focus on Customer Outcomes.

A Next-Generation company looks to the future, to where customers need to go versus where they are today. Quoting Bezos again, “even when they don’t yet know it, customers want something better, and your desire to delight customers will drive you to invention on their behalf.”

It’s worth remembering that every year in the U.S. approximately four million people turn 18. That’s four million newly minted adults, and potential customers. Over 10 years, this grows into a very sized group of 40 million with values, beliefs, behaviors, expectations meaningfully different from those who have gone before.

Implement A Cadence of Improvement.

Having a mindset and cadence of constant doing things better is a decision. Forward looking companies establish an operating mode where customer-driven improvement is valued and enhancements deployed on a regular cadence.

In an accelerating world, companies need to be both making iterations and re-inventing. Next-Generation companies are in constant forward motion. Operating in quick cycles of learning, testing and deploying — to improve outcomes for customers.

No matter what kind of company you are, YOU CAN be a Next-Generation company.

We are Forge > Outcomes and we’d love to work with you. https://www.forgeoutcomes.com/