Helen Keller – Myth of Security
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
Helen Keller
June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968
FOR YOUR EDIFICATION, ENLIGHTENMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT
Helen Keller, Entrepreneur
Queen Mary’s Annual Visit
Will You Die Soon Enough?
An Exponential Threat
Econ Recon: Seven Big Trends; Spotting a Recession
Helen Keller, Entrepreneur
We rightly celebrate those who overcome daunting odds to achieve great things, and many do so despite some signficant mental or physical disadvantage. Meet a woman who despite losing her sight and hearing due to a childhood disease went on to inspire millions with her speeches and writings and found or co-found organizations that still thrive today: Helen Keller.
As Vistage Speaker Dr. Andrea Simon tells us “During her lifetime, Keller became a well-known speaker and celebrity, sharing her experiences and working on behalf of others with disabilities. But that was not enough. She campaigned for women’s suffrage, pacifism and birth control, and testified before Congress to advocate for blind people.” A hit Broadway play and film were made about Keller’s life.
Dr. Simon offers a quick overview of Helen Keller’s challenges and contributions in a recent blog posting; most notably launching organizations that advocate for the handicapped and cofounding the ACLU. Keller died fifty years ago and too many young people have never heard of her.
Share Dr. Simon’s blog post about Helen Keller, “Triumph Over Your Obstacles and See with a Fresh Lens” with the young people in your life.
Queen Mary’s Annual Visit
If it’s early summer, it’s time for Mary Meeker’s (aka “Queen of the Internet”) annual report on internet trends. Meeker is a partner at VC firm Kleiner Perkins and was named one the “The Ten Smartest People in Tech” by Fortune Magazine. Her annual report on the internet is eagerly awaited annually by decision makers in every industry. Click here for her 30 minute video presenting her findings, then scroll down on the same page to download the entire 333 slide deck to review at your leisure.
Find out what she has to say about your industry or sector. Be sure to share with your marketing and sales teams.
Will You Die Soon Enough?
The issue of Baby Boomers facing retirement income shortfalls has been mentioned in this space before. Here are some numbers and additional research. Many retirees, even if they diligently planned for retirement are going to outlive their money through a combination of a longer life than expected (and therefore higher health care costs) and retiring too soon. New research suggests that the worldwide retirement savings shortfall could be $400 trillion (with a “t”) and millions of retirees will run out of money a decade before they die.
For CEOs, this is not only a personal issue, but impacts hiring and talent strategies as many senior teams members will feel they cannot retire when planned, delaying the career progression of Millennials and Gen Z workers who may look for upward mobility elsewhere if their path upward is blocked, which in turn will leave many CEOs delaying their own retirement and succession.
This short article from Bloomberg explains why “Retirees Might Run Out of Money 10 Years Before They Die.” (Think twice before quitting your day job).
An Exponential Threat
Many business people comfort themselves regarding the threat of China with the belief that no one can out-innovate Americans.
That may be changing….especially in terms of what many regard as the next big thing: “Artificial Intelligence (AI).”
This short article from Pete Diamandis’ blog (founder of the X-Prize) summarizes China’s progress in AI and quotes former Google CEO Eric Schmidt who warns ““it’s pretty simple. By 2020, they will have caught up. By 2025, they will be better than us. By 2030, they will dominate the industries of AI.”
Diamandis’ article, “Exponential China-Something You Can’t Ignore” provides a great summary for non-technical execs of the AI story in what he calls the Four Waves of AI Applications which explores why China is gaining a competitive advantage in this world changing technology.
Econ Recon
Seven Big Trends: Peter Drucker once said that “The CEO is the link between the Inside that is ‘the organization,’ and the Outside of society, economy, technology, markets, and customers. Inside there are only costs. Results are only on the outside.” For a good look at the coming economic ‘outside” check out this seven minute “Trends Talk with ITR Economics” podcast with ITR CEO Brian Beaulieu who talks about three of “The Seven Big Trends in the Economy-Part 1” Then check out the ITR Blog for some additional insights and webinars.
Spotting a recession: Economic downturns are obvious in hindsight. Increase your Econ IQ with this short article on spotting a recession before it becomes official.