The Future Of Business – To The Cloud And Beyond!
We have to face the fact that the Cloud is where we will store our publicness, our legacy is going to live on forever, not through people, but through Kilobytes cached on servers all over the world. The Cloud is a fact of life, it is only going to grow up and be another reservoir of data, a deep well of information, unlike anything we’ve know to date. You think Wikipedia is awesome, wait till the Cloud matures. The Cloud is not connected computers in a closed network, they are outside, and can connect to any computing device.
Microsoft offers 25GB on Windows LIVE SkyDrive, Online Storage, Google allows you to run your entire business on their servers and with their services. I shared that this was going to happen in 2001 at a conference, I spoke to 500 I.T. Leaders, and they all said I was crazy, it will never happen. Businesses won’t stand for it, people won’t use it! As you can see they didn’t have the foresight an I.T. leader should have, they were closed minded executives, imagine that.
Everything is moving to the cloud for many, many reasons. Business is becoming more social and mobile, and the requires the cloud for that kind of environment to work properly. Location-based services are a perfect fit for the cloud, so going mobile means going to the cloud.
In a previous post I talked about the shift, we’re going from pages to streams, from PCs to the Cloud, Today to NOW, from Me to We, and Items to Data. Where everything will generate a stream everywhere. The cloud is full of storage, full of streams, and filled with the new oil, DATA!
The best way to take advantage of the cloud is to make everything in your business mobile, the cloud lets you access your data and the rest of the worlds data on the fly. Every business will become a platform to use, not unlike Google or Microsoft, people always come back to places they find useful. You can even build your own cloud, well sort of, you can connect an external drive to your router that is accessible from anywhere in the world. That in essence is a cloud, your external drive is where you store everything, so no matter where you are, you can reach your data, but the other options are better.
Almost all major technology corps are offering some form of cloud computing, even though the question of security is still on the table. Security is always going to be a problem, as long as there is humans on this planet, security will be paramount. Having said that, many are clamoring to put their data on the cloud, it just makes good sense for those who work from home / travel most of the time.
The jury is still out on who offers the best solution and I’m not sure it will matter if there is some kind of standard in this environment. Considering the security issue, will you put your data out there, Google has most if not all that you do on the NET anyway. The Cloud opens up new business models based on access, more so than today.
On a different perspective, when clicking the Like Button or Follow, to get access, the dollar value assigned to Likes & Follows will create a whole new metric to measure, one more thing to track, will all cloud environments or storage devices require engagement or just a Like or a Follow.
How will your business use the cloud?
The Future of Business – The Leader of Tomorrow
You don’t have to look far to find a book, a seminar or a website on how to be a leader, what a leader is, and what they even look like. The truth is, the list of characteristics of a leader in the future is actually quite short. As business becomes more and more human, so is the leader believe it or not.
I’m willing to bet that special person in your life, that person that influences you or gets your respect is not your boss. Most bosses have a problem with power and authority, they don’t know how to use it, they are truly bad at valuing people. They typically have a superiority complex, they are authorities on everything, it’s their way or the highway, there’s no compromise. I know you have a boss like that or you know someone like I just mentioned. There is good news though, business leaders are changing, if not today, they will be in the near future.
The leader of the future listens to whats going on, they realize it’s not about them, the also understand the Internet is not an echo chamber. They know the value of people, the conversation, they understand it’s first the fan (follower), then the customer, they know how to grow bigger ears. They have a good idea where the world is going, they understand brands have to be likeable and loveable in order to win in the digital marketplace. They also understand brands need to be human.
Making business human is the strong suit of the leader in the future, they know a brand is is a voice, a product is a souvenier, and that everyone brings value to the table, that the voice of the follower, the fan, and every person that visits their business is precious. The leader of the future knows that Social Media networks are the 1st listening platform to invest time in. That today online and offline are no longer different places, everything is being integrated to be social and mobile.
But the genuine authentic leader has 4 qualities:
1.) They Care on every level.
2.) They Believe in you – they want to be with dream makers, not dream killers.
3.) They are Fair, and they don’t play favorites.
4.) They expect Excellence at all time.
What are your 4 qualities the leader of tomorrow should have, what does your list look like?
If you had the opportunity to talk at TED, what would your speech be about and why?
In a group called TED Ideas Worth Spreading, a discussion on LinkedIn with Andrew Oduro Ayim, he asked an interesting question, If you had the opportunity to talk at TED, what would your speech be about and why?
I responded as short as I could:
I would share my passion as often as I can, for as long as I can, and I’m sharing that passion at The World Futurist Society Conference in July 2011 on The Future of Business – The Open & Free Business Model. It’s not what we do, it’s not a skill-set, it’s about how we think, it’s how business really is in our world. A world where Access trumps Ownership, a world where generations yet to come will and do not value ownership of home, ownership of car, they value life-style not a work-style.
Business owners still don’t even know what Social Media can do for them in my area, we are in for a world of hurt, the paradigm shift from closed to open is too painful.
What would you talk about?
Abbotsford’s Canuck Place Children’s Hospice To Be Named Dave Lede House
Every once and a while, something very special happens in my community, I don’t normally write about local events, but I just had to share this one with you. History was in the making this morning in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada, I had the opportunity to arrive early and take some snaps of the site where the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice will take residence. It’s on the west side of the Campus of Care where the recently opened Abbotsford Regional Hospital is located, another milestone achievement I might add.
The Canuck Place Children’s Hospice was named Dave Lede House by Canuck Place officials during this mornings media event, which was held at the foot of the construction site, it was a perfect day, the Sun was shining bright, the skies were almost cloudless, and the turnout was simply amazing. It was an honor for me to be there.
To date, 9.8 Million has been raised towards the second phase target of 13 million. It should also be noted that The Dave Lede Foundation donated 2.5 million this morning, Dave also heads The Ledcor Group of Companies which is building Canuck Place in Abbotsford.
The official Press Release is at the end of this post.
Here’s how to contact Canuck Place:
Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
102-33255 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC, Canada V2S 2B2
T 604.504.1913
F 604.504.1915
Email: cpabbotsford@canuckplace.org
Website: http://www.canuckplace.org
Here are a few pictures taken from my Android Galaxy S smartphone, I’m not going say much here, but simply letting the pictures speak for themselves:
Picture By Rick Rake of The Fraser Valley Twitter News Network (TNN)
The Beginning of Canuck Place
Part Two of The Beginning of Canuck Place
Dave Lede With Son Richard
The Dave Lede Foundation Donates 2.5 Million
Abbotsford City Manager Frank Pizzuto & Mayor George Peary
The Incredible Rick Rake (TNN)
Diane Delves of Quantum Properties Inc.
This was a very special day for Abbotsford, there were many, many more dignitaries on hand, and even more from the community supporting the efforts put forth here this day. It was simply a special time in Abbotsford this morning, you would be proud.
Here is the official press release:
DAVE LEDE FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION DONATES
$2.5 MILLION TO CANUCK PLACE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE
New Abbotsford Canuck Place Children’s Hospice to be named – Dave Lede House
ABBOTSFORD, BC – March 7, 2011 – Dave Lede announced today that he will be donating $2.5 million towards the Capital Campaign to build a new Canuck Place Children’s Hospice in Abbotsford. In recognition of the generous donation, made through the Dave Lede Family Charitable Foundation, the new Abbotsford Canuck Place Children’s Hospice will be named – Dave Lede House.
“The Dave Lede Family Charitable Foundation have a long history of supporting paediatric initiatives across North America,” said Dave Lede. “Our corporate culture at the Ledcor Group of Companies reflects that of my family foundation and it involves supporting the communities in which we operate, and through our gift to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, we are able to reach children and families across BC.”
“We are so grateful for the generosity and support of Mr. Lede,” said Filomena Nalewajek, Chief Executive Officer of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. “His ongoing support of our program and his leadership on this project are invaluable to out efforts of reaching all children and families that need our care.”
The Canuck Place expansion will help meet the growing need for pediatric palliative services in the province, and particularly in the Fraser Health region where 46% of families currently served by Canuck Place reside. The new hospice will more than double the physical capacity of Canuck Place from the existing nine beds and four family suites to include a 10-bed, 2,800-square-metre (30,000-square-foot) facility, with suites for five families. By locating the hospice in Abbotsford, the program will be available closer to home for many families in the Fraser Valley and the Interior of B.C., lessening their need for travel.
Canuck Place offers a comprehensive continuum of care to over 400 children with life-threatening illnesses and their families throughout British Columbia. The program is unique offering world-class health care within a home-like environment. With comfortable surroundings, personalized programs, caring professional staff and dedicated volunteers, it is a place for children and families to come in their time of need.
Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
102-33255 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC, Canada V2S 2B2
T 604.504.1913 F 604.504.1915
EMail: cpabbotsford@canuckplace.org
Website: http://www.canuckplace.org
I Invite You To Celebrate With Me!
Hi,
I am writing to share and to invite you, invite you to celebrate with me on this date, March 4th, 2001 – it was on this date, I suffered a heart attack, and I am still here ten years later to tell the story. I admit to being a little sensitive today (misty) only because there is still so much to do, and I am still around to do what needs to be done. But most of all, I have you in my life, and that trumps everything else.
So I want you to celebrate with me via digital means, a digital party so to speak, to celebrate that God is not done with me here on this earth, praise the Lord.
Many Blessings, I love you, and I thank you for considering this party on this day.
Owen Greaves