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Shane Kempton: change, evolution and opportunity

Irrespective of whether change evokes excitement or fear in you, 2023 is a year that promises to bring massive shifts to the market, technology, industry, economy, environment, and the world. Shane Kempton explains how to leverage these winds of change with a 'CEO' mindset.

If you are looking for a safe bet, a constant you can rely upon, you cannot surpass the fact that this will be another year of massive change.

You can expect changes to the market, technology, our industry, the economy, the environment and the world.

This may evoke feelings of fear in some people or excitement in others.

Regardless of how you feel about change, it’s going to happen.

Change is the only real constant in life.

Resistance is futile and potentially detrimental.

The punchline is that no matter what’s happening externally, the inner game or mindset we have towards change makes us or breaks us. 

With this in mind, it is more beneficial to embrace and leverage the winds of change by adopting what Carol Dweck called a ‘growth mindset’.

More specifically, I would like to suggest a useful way forward through the uncharted territory is to adopt the CEO Mindset.

CEO is an acronym for Change, Evolution and Opportunities.

The CEO Mindset is an attitude and approach to life that involves being open to learning, growing, being flexible (not fixed or having a fixed mindset) and adapting to new situations.

It is about having the courage to take strategic risks, to be curious and try new things, and to embrace change.

It is about being willing to make mistakes and learn from them.

It’s about turning fear into fuel.

The CEO Mindset for change involves recognising that life is constantly evolving and that change is positive.

That it’s an opportunity for growth and adaption to new surroundings.

It is about having the self-awareness to understand what is important to you and to make decisions based on that understanding.

Finally, it is about having the resilience to push through and keep going in the direction that is important to you, even when faced with challenges or setbacks. 

I love the saying, “A challenge well defined is a challenged half solved”.

Knowing what changes you could expect for the rest of the year would be advantageous to your proactive growth.

To help you prepare, I have listed nine areas I feel will continue to shift and evolve that you may want to embrace as opportunities to improve. 

As you reflect on each of the areas, either on your own or with your team, apply the CEO Mindset filter of Change, Evolution and Opportunities by asking yourself the following questions:

  • Is this an area that needs change for my career, business and/or clients? What if I don’t change?
  • Is there an evolution in this area that would result in an even better experience for myself, my team and/or clients? What if I don’t evolve?
  • Are there opportunities in this area to provide a better service, to remain relevant and/or to stand out in the crowd? What if I don’t take this opportunity?

The 9 areas of change

1. Artificial Intelligence and automation: Automation has become increasingly popular in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue into 2023.

AI and automation can improve efficiency and reduce costs, allowing businesses to operate more effectively and focus on creativity and innovation. 

2. Sustainable business practices: As consumers become more conscious of their impact on the planet, businesses are shifting towards more sustainable practices.

Governments, companies, and individuals will focus on creating more sustainable solutions and investing in green technologies.

We can expect a continued move towards sustainable production and consumption and an increased focus on environmental stewardship. 

3. On-demand economy: Our on-demand economy is being fueled by our increasing and ongoing thirst for instant gratification in most areas of our life.

On-demand services (live TV streaming, online shopping, food delivery etc) are becoming increasingly popular, allowing people to get the goods and services they need quickly and conveniently.

Another example is the use of drones for faster delivery of goods.

4. Digitalisation of businesses: The continued advanced digitalisation of businesses post the global pandemic is accelerating.

As a result, this is transforming many industries, with the likelihood of most businesses continuing to move their operations online, adopt cloud technologies, and explore the use of more digital experiences that enable customers to interact with products and services in innovative ways. 

5. Flexible work options: The idea of working several different short-term or freelance jobs rather than one full-time job is expected to grow.

This growth will be fuelled by technological advances, such as remote work and digital payment systems, and the increasing demand for flexible work arrangements. 

6. Social media: The use of social media as a communication and marketing medium around the world is expected to continue to increase.

Companies will use social media to engage customers, create brand identities, boost visibility, and drive sales. 

7. Augmented reality: Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) will become more common and accepted moving forward.

Companies will use these technologies to create immersive experiences, such as virtual tours, gaming, and training simulations. 

8. Smart home and automation: Smart home technology and automation are expected to become more widespread as people increasingly seek ways to make their homes more efficient and convenient.

Connecting devices to the internet and using apps to control them remotely or automate tasks will become more commonplace. 

9. Robotics: The rise of robotics will increase as technology improves and becomes more affordable.

Robots are used for various applications, from the military, manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and customer service. 

By no means is this list above the only areas of change.

I’m sure many others in business and life are evolving and creating growth opportunities.

And that’s the point. Change is happening. You may not be able to control what’s changing, but you can certainly control and adjust your mindset, reaction and attitude towards it. 

Life is an inner game. We can either be passengers or players.

We create our own happiness and unhappiness based on how we interpret events.

Remember, it’s less about what is changing and evolving externally and more about our mindset about the change.

In adopting and applying the CEO Mindset, we are choosing to seek out the possibilities to Change, Evolve and create new Opportunities for growth in every situation. 

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Shane Kempton

Shane Kempton is the CEO of Harcourts WA and the network high performance coach.