Futurist, strategist, best-selling author and academic, Graeme Codrington, addressed the Western Cape Chapter of the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) on Leading in a Changing World'. Attended by a host of Cape-based industry professionals, the Primedia Unlimited Malls-sponsored event offered insights into the not-too-distant-future. The future is near, Codrington proclaimed, and individuals, brands and corporates need to constantly evolve to keep up with change.

Graeme Codrington

Autonomous vehicles reduce road risks by up to 90%, which means that insurance companies will be impacted because if there are less accidents on our roads, how will they make profits? Shopping and retail will change because this takes online shopping to a completely new level. Autonomous vehicles will be used for instant deliveries - people order online and then an autonomous car will be dispatched with orders.

"Furthermore, autonomous cars will not need to park in the traditional sense, so shopping centres can reclaim parking bays that make up to 15% of the property. Now retail can expand or use the space for entertainment. We need to be more proactive and less reactive. The world is changing and we need to be ahead of it.

1. Switch on your radar Read, research and keep yourself informed about what aspects of the world are changing. Be informed about new technology, new forms of energy and new ways of streamlining ways of doing things. Also, change your sources of information and surround yourself with forward thinkers. Stay away from fake news.

2. Be curious Ask better questions and do not be afraid to ask these questions.

3. Experiment more If you are in a position to make key decisions then experiment a little. Try new ways of attracting new business through trial and error. You have nothing to lose.

4. Embrace difference The world is changing. Do not be afraid to change, it forms part of our evolution.

5. Confront your limiting orthodoxies Do not limit yourself. Confront your inhibitions.

"On the other hand, consumers too, need to switch on their radars'. They need to be careful not to be taken for a ride. Do not run for every new toy that comes up. The latest gadget, the latest version of your phones and you stand in line for three days to make sure you get it, I see it as a trap there. Consumers need to become more purposeful and more deliberate in how we live our lives, he concluded.

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Futurist Graeme Codrington on leading in a changing world - Bizcommunity.com