I recently attended the World Business Forum in Sydney.
From the WBF website: “For twelve years, the World Business Forum has been a global source of inspiration, learning and transformation for leaders looking to build better businesses and a better world. In cities around the world we gather business icons, global leaders, brilliant minds and legendary CEOs to discuss the issues and trends that are shaping the future of business. Our program offers an incredible breadth of content, bringing you world-class speakers from diverse fields, all of whom have one objective in mind: To help you lead more effectively so as to meet the challenges of today’s global business environment.”
The World Business Forum Sydney 2017 highlighted that in a world where new technologies emerge at pace, those who anticipate change and are quickly able to adapt will flourish. “Organisations and individuals alike must reinvent themselves constantly; experiment and learn; identify new opportunities, exploit them fast, and move on. In this world it is the entrepreneur, the experimenter, the risk taker who will thrive.”
As such, it is essential to live in a state of permanent BETA.
Centered around the theme, ‘Be Beta’, the forum featured companies defined by their progressive cultures and dynamic strategies, individuals who’ve demonstrated a willingness to risk, fail, and risk again, and thought leaders who offered insights into what it takes to succeed in a Beta world.
For those of you who weren’t able to attend, not to worry. In this special edition blog, which will be the first in a new and ongoing series called ‘Quotes From’, we share a number of insights from those who spoke at the Forum.
Ken Segall – Former Creative Director at Apple:
“There is a difference between giving people infinite choice and giving them the right choices.”
“Keep your strategy brief, so people can understand it and act on it. If you can fit it on a page, you don’t understand it yourself.”
Rosabeth Moss Kanter – Harvard Business School Professor and leading expert on strategy, innovation and leadership
“Strategy can’t be a careful plan, it must be more opportunistic, taking advantage of serendipitous encounters.”
“Start-up mentality is sweeping the world.”
“Think outside the building – health is not the hospital, education is not the school.”
“To get anything done, it takes more than a village, it takes an ecosystem.”
“Kanter’s Law – everything can look like a failure in the middle.”
Mohanbir Sawhney – Professor at the Kellog School of Management
“Customers are not the passive recipients of innovation, they are the co-creators of innovation.”
“The best people don’t work for you, they are outside.”
Arianna Huffington – Founder of the Huffington Post and Thrive Global
“We watch our smartphone battery life, but not our own battery life. Tired and stressed is the global way of living.”
“Working 24/7 is the cognitive equivalent of coming to work drunk. We don’t congratulate employees for coming to work drunk.”
“Thriving is our wellbeing, our connection to wisdom, our wonder at the mystery of life and our capacity to give back.”
“How you make people feel, your values, become your legacy.”
Daniel Goleman – Leading authority on Emotional Intelligence
“Genius – someone who hits the target no one else can see.”
“Our amygdala reacts to being condescended to, not appreciated, not heard, being treated unfairly and feeling blamed.”
Ian Williamson – Chair of Leadership for Social Impact at the Melbourne Business School
“Organisational success at implementing competitive actions is shaped by 3 leadership factors: Awareness, Motivation and Capability.”
“Diversity allows you to do more things for more people.”
“The war for talent is over, and talent won.”
Randi Zuckerberg – Former Director of Marketing at Facebook
“You are only as good as your talent.”
“Give up control to gain control – build a community”.
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We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of our new ongoing ‘Quotes From’ series. Check back regularly as we continue to feature new quotes from industry experts and leading names across a vast array of industries.