Five Predictions For What Coronavirus Means For Innovation Leaders
Just as you won’t find many atheists in fox holes, you won’t encounter many pessimists in innovation centers.
A belief in the possibility of a good outcome, no matter what, is one of the most powerful forces in existence. As innovation professionals, as entrepreneurs, as creative people, it drives us.
Thanks to COVID-19, the world is in a metaphorical foxhole right now. I believe we’ll make it through, and fortunately so does practically everyone in our professional community.
What follows are five predictions about what this crisis will mean for us as innovation leaders in the future. And yes, a sprinkling of optimism.
1. Hyper Collaboration. I’m all for competitiveness but remember, any party that is a competitor can by definition also be an ally. And these days, perhaps should be an ally. I have loved the reports of scientists from around the world working together— sharing information freely— to figure out how to treat and prevent COVID-19. They will get to a better solution, much faster, than if they worked in silos. There could be a hugely net positive impact on people if corporate innovation leaders more widely adopted similar practices, no matter the vertical. While there are a few isolated examples already, I’d like to see “competitive collaboration” become more of a rule, not exception.
2. Kindness Will Be King. This is a time marked by enormous anxiety. To help us cope and recover, we will all need to be nice to each other, darn it. I expect a wave of new products, services, and content designed to encourage positive interactions and collegiality, bringing us together as humans. Then there is the real risk of a huge spike in unemployment because of this mess; the kind (and also smart) thing to do will be to rally to find new ways to utilize people’s time and skills. Finally, humor is also a form of kindness, as it is good for the soul and helps us heal ourselves. I have already seen some wonderfully entertaining and clever memes, product ideas, and other kinds of creative expressions bubbling up. My favorite so far is the new official cocktail of 2020: the QUARANTINI. Cheers.
3. Next Level Germ Fighting. One of my concerns is that this pandemic is going to create a billion hypochondriac clean freaks. Personally, I was already slightly obsessive about germ management; the specter of coronavirus is, shall we say, “not helping.” Get ready for a huge influx of new products and services designed to help people keep things clean: surfaces, hands, everything. Marketers absolutely must be responsible and ethical about this; there is already a bunch of snake oil out there, the darker side of opportunity-chasing. By the way: germ busters generally don’t discriminate, so one positive outcome may also be fewer colds, less flu, and so on. We will all be more productive.
4. IRL 2.0. What does this crisis mean for “In Real Life” experiences? “Social distancing” is causing a terrible shock to so many industries, from entertainment to hospitality to travel and beyond. For sure, we will see more technologies that create virtual means for human interaction. That said, it is never a good idea to bet against human nature, and it is human nature to congregate. Live experiences will return. They will just be… different. I don’t think you’ll see many people signing up to be dunked with others into a pool of tapioca, which is precisely what aired on last night’s new episode of Ellen Degeneres’ Game of Games (clearly recorded in the “P.C.” era: Pre-Coronavirus). Per (3) above, perhaps new approaches to sanitation can help.
5. New Story Arcs and Characters. Existential global crises tend to spark the imagination of storytellers and their audiences. Many believe that the growing menace of Nazism in the 1930s contributed to the creation of Superman as a hero to save the world. The postwar era in Japan is vital context for the creation of the radioactive monster Godzilla, a marauding reminder of the tragedy of atomic weaponry. We will for sure see powerful narratives and heroes emerge. (Introducing: Purell-Man! Nah…)
Help wanted: modern day Superman
On a serious note regarding stories, let’s have this be ours: Togetherness. Resilience. Ingenuity. COMEBACK. And the heroes will be all of us, as one.
Several years ago, my old math teacher at Noble & Greenough School published a wonderful editorial for students and alumni entitled Our Hope Lies Within. It was prescient in its lessons then, and is especially important now. “How do we prepare you to cope with uncertain times you may face in your life?” he asked. “It is simply this: While the events around you may be discontinuous, you are not.”
That’s (expletive deleted) right.
We will find a way to survive this crisis, and write great new chapters of innovation and progress together in the future. The work has already begun. Onward.