Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2013 - (Page 51)

cLOsing arguMenTs | TiM SoSBe “mAKe no smAll plAns. They hAVe no power To sTIr men’s souls.” ChICAgo ArChITeCT — dAnIel burnhAm The TrendIng Trends ssuming you’re reading this magazine in a linear fashion (thinking inside the box), you’ve come to the end of a uniquely themed issue, with a focus on some of the hottest trends in the industry. We’ve told you what trends we see coming down the road, spotlighted some current trends that haven’t yet peaked and shared some best practices that will help current trends grow into future actions. So now, at the end of the journey, let me ask a foundational question: Why? Why do we spot, chart and track trends? Why do we focus so much on what’s popular? Why do we care? OK, the answers to those questions are, of course, obvious. We spot trends as a method of preparation. We ride the waves of trends as a way to stay current and connected with customers and colleagues. We predict future trends as a survival mechanism … those who don’t learn from the past are condemned to repeat it. “I don’t set trends,” the late Dick Clark said. “I just find out what they are and exploit them.” Dick’s being a little tough on himself there. As with so many things, from Bandstand afternoons to New Year’s Eve, he was in the right place with the right words on the right subject. Spotting trends is business intelligence, pure and not-quite simple, and forewarned is indeed forearmed. And wow, is exploit the right word. OK, on the surface, to exploit something has a negative connotation, images of advantages taken. But exploit also means to make use of, and it’s in that context that we monitor trends and look for ways to bring them into our professional realms. Then, of course, the question becomes where do we go from here? Dick Clark didn’t just create an after-school music program, he foresaw popularity, nurtured acts, followed (and led) crazes and gently guided the direction of an entire industry. You don’t need a guitar or microphone to learn the lesson from that tale. When it comes to trends, there are two types of people: The trendsetter and the trend follower. There are advantages to both of course. The trendsetter often becomes the front-runner, the vaunted visionary (I’m looking at you, Mark Zuckerberg) who leads the way. But people blazing new trails sometimes fall off cliffs or encounter all manner of frightening obstacles. A The trend follower, however, has the advantage of history and perspective. By monitoring trends, they can more clearly see the landscape ahead, and map the best path to the ultimate destination. Following trends is not the same as blindly following a leader … it’s taking hard-earned information, analyzing and understanding its implications, and growing wisely from there. Does that sound safer? Just try being a follower in a marketplace that celebrates leaders. “Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion,” Jack Kerouac said. Dick’s self-effacing words aside, he’s right: The business world rarely allows followers to excel. They tread water, hold ground, stay the course … but they hardly ever pull ahead of the pack. So even those who follow trends have to adapt those trends to their own needs, and once you adapt a trend, you’ve smoothly transitioned from follower to leader. See how thin the line between trend-setting and trend-following really is? So in a sense, if we’re putting any effort into our careers at all (and this industry is all about putting in the effort), we’re all trend-setters and trend-followers. We arm ourselves with information so we can make wise choices, we determine action plans based on that information and we alter our course along the way as reality dictates. We end up in amazing places that way, and we bring our businesses and our learners with us. Of course not every trend is worth following and not every trend has been discovered. A year from now we might all be talking about something we haven’t even conceived of yet, and we’ll wonder how that blindness was even possible. Tomorrow’s trend might be something we’ve spotted and exploited, or it might be a wave we generated and mastered. So we look at trends for inspiration, for support, for opportunity and for enlightenment. And, like Hillary’s famous Mount Everest statement, we look for the magic trend, “because it’s there.” If not now, it soon will be.. Tim Sosbe is editorial director of Training Industry Quarterly and general manager of TrainingIndustry.com webinars. Email Tim. 51 Training Industry Quarterly, Winter 2013 / A Training Industry, Inc. magazine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.TrainingIndustry.com http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2013

Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2013
Tracking Trends: A Thought on Trends
Table of Contents
Ad Index
Guest Editor: Learning Enables High Performance
The Power of Reflection
An Equation for Success in Any Economy
4 Generations: Managing the Mix
The New Role of 21st Century Training
Don't Let Training Be a Waste of Time
Key Trends for 2013: Sustainability & the Changing Role of the Learning Leader
Collaborative Leadership for Building Trust & Driving Business Results
Delivering on the Promise of Social Learning
Three Emerging Trends in Sales Training
Building Strategic Learning Linkages: Mapping & Measuring Your Learning Strategy
High-Definition Learning: A New Competitive Advantage
Casebook: Wells Fargo Advisors: 5 Best Practices for Merger Training Programs
Tweet Suite
Company News
Closing Arguments: Must-See Technology

Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2013