https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098R3813W/
Making Sense of the Future looks like a great guide to the ever changing future of business. What type of reader did you write the book for?
I wrote the book for anyone who wants to prepare for the future.
Of course, I have no crustal ball, but there are some significant trends, I call them megatrends, that are happening right now. These trends will also define some major events that will take place in the future. Falling cost of renewable energy, aging baby boomers, increasing bandwidth and processing power — these are examples of megatrends. Imperfect as they may be megatrends define some major events that will take place in the future.
The good news is this: if you know the megatrends, you will be in charge. You will be the one to pre-solve problems. You can be the disruptor. My book explain what megatrends are and how to use them to your advantage.
I wrote this book to show how easy it is to prepare for the future. Nothing more, nothing less.
I wanted to share my knowledge on megatrends for two reasons. One, I know the method works and I want to share with as many as possible. Anyone can learn how to prepare for the future. Second, the world will be a better place if we prepare for what is to come. If you know what is to come, it will be easier to make better decisions. To me this is obvious: you will always want to contribute to improvements for the ones following you. Your kids. The next generations. Preparing for the future is not only about maximizing your own choices. It is as much about doing the things that will benefit the next generation.
I like to think of the book as a hybrid between Hans Rosling, Steven Pinker and Michael Lewis. Making Sense of the Future is a book that combines facts with good stories.
How long did it take you to write Making Sense of the Future?
It took me about a year. I interviewed futurists and experts on the trends that shape the world. I cover lots of trends in the book, and all of them are presented in such a way that anyone would enjoy the book. I spent much time to combine facts with good stories. I wanted to be concrete, so all trends are given a set of recommendations as for how to exploit the trends.
The rise of China and a changing global balance of power. Rapid technology innovation. Climate crisis. Struggling democracies
What will readers get out of your book?
Lots of facts about how the world is changing fast. The reader will earn what thirty-eight global long-term patterns will impact how we live, work, and think over the coming 30 years.
Making Sense of the Future explores such questions: Will the Chinese economy overtake the U.S. and become the world’s largest? Will falling fertility rates lead to the collapse of pension systems? Will robots reduce human employment opportunities? Why is the middle class stagnating in America? How will new technologies affect the social aspects of our lives? And as climate change worsens, how will people cope with rising sea levels and intense drought?
I have also tried to bring out the personal stories of people who have been affected by megatrends. You will hear the personal stories of individuals and how they cope with change. Learn why Indian IT consultant Tanay is so optimistic about the future, while British John is not. And find out why Korean Ye-jun Kim prefers friends and Call of Duty to marriage and kids.
How did you come up with the ideas in Making Sense of the Future?
For the most of my life I have worked as an analyst. And I have loved it. Crunching numbers from big data bases, has in many ways been like Christmas for me. I enjoy gathering critical information from meetings with various stakeholders. I love to produce useful reports for the same stakeholders. The cream of the crop is making presentations to explain difficult concepts. Especially to non-technical users. But there was trouble in paradise.
You see, my impression after those presentations was often one of disappointment. Why were so many managers short-sighted? Why did the longer perspective often seem to lose for short-term benefits? For most, it was always the short-term goals that prevailed. And I mean short time, as in three months. Or a month. It seemed like it was always the next quarterly report that won. A good business case ended in the drawer if it somehow hurt the next quarterly result. Not only business cases, competitor analysis and trend report went into the drawer. Entire company strategies went into the ever-fuller executive drawer.
Nonetheless, I can understand managers. And I can understand why they rank as they do. It is hard to find the time to work on long-term questions when the house is on fire. When investors focus on the next quarterly results, well, then you focus on what is going on right now. I get it. It is hard to find the time to prepare for the long-term when you are running a business. Still, it is not right. And it is definitely not smart.
So, after 20 years an analyst and manager, I left the corporate world. I started my own business. Today I work with managers, trying to help them take advantage of the trends that will shape the future. Together, we analyze what is coming next. We try to understand and prepare for the future. We take a broad view. We dive into the megatrends that influence the company. We investigate the emerging issues, such as geopolitics, climate change, and energy sources. We find the most relevant trends and analyze how they affect the company’s business model. Through workshops, we help managers look ahead to succeed.
As companies learn to work on trends, so can anyone else. A step-by-step method tested on many companies, will show how to prepare for the future. You see, the same principles that companies use, any person can use. The same goes for organizations, municipalities, cities, and even governments.
The book gives the reader the ability to seeing the future – and to prepare for it.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when writing Making Sense of the Future?
That meant a constant updating of figures used in the book.
Well, there was a constant updating of figures used in the book. Many of the trends I cover in the book were accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. I cover 38 megatrends in the book. The book is full of facts and charts. Of course, in a world that is changing rapidly, providing up to date facts is a constant challenge. Like our adaption of digital technology. Or the growth of e-commerce or flexible working. Or the growth of inequality. When the pandemic hit, many megatrends were accelerated.
Can you tell us a little about your background?
I am a finance manager who have spent the who has spent the last 20 years working on analyzing trends in business and technology. I graduated from St Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a major in Political Science. I later took an MBA from HEC in Paris, France. I have lived or studied in 5 countries.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
Visit tomsolstad.com to learn how you can thrive on the trends that others miss. You will be the first to know when coming books on the trends that shape the future are released. And don’t hesitate to send me an email if there are any trends that you would like to know more about!