"The secret to predicting the future is to get better at understanding the present."
—Rohit Bhargava, Non-Obvious 2018 Edition: How to Predict Trends and Win the Future
I've always been fascinated by futurists and trend spotters (turns out the latter is a myth). How do they see trends coming before the rest of us? What are they doing to sift through the noise to extrapolate a clear signal of where things are heading? Turns out, true to the Pivot Method, that the key to predicting the future lies right under our feet: we just need to get better at understanding how to spot ideas, capture them effectively, and sift through them.
Enter this week's guest, trend curator (What's that, you ask? You'll find out!) Rohit Bhargava. I'm super excited to help us all get a jump on the new year with a conversation about how we can all become better trend curators and apply Rohit's Haystack Method: gather idea hay first, then sit down to find the needles or key themes. We also had fun diving into 7 of his 15 trends for 2018 more closely; our combined list includes: lightspeed learning, approachable luxury, human mode, touchworthy, truthing, enlightened consumption, and manufactured outrage.
More About Rohit Bhargava
Rohit Bhargava is a marketing expert and trend curator dedicated to inspiring more humanity in business. He is the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of five books on topics as wide ranging as the future of business, how to build a brand with personality, and why leaders always eat left handed.
Prior to leaving the corporate world to become an entrepreneur, he spent 15 years as a brand strategist at two of the largest agencies in the world (Ogilvy & Leo Burnett) while living in the US, Australia and the Philippines. He is the founder of three successful companies, advises multiple startups, and teaches marketing and storytelling at Georgetown University.
Topics We Cover
What it means to be a trend curator
The difference between idea spotting and trend curating (and why trend spotting is a myth)
Can anyone become a trend curator? How to strengthen your skillset
Ways to organize ideas for harvesting
The Haystack Method: gather all your idea hay first, then refine and seek themes
Near-futurist: the secret to predicting the future is to get better at understanding what trends are accelerating in the present
How to not lose your best ideas throughout the year
How to get better at taking notes and organizing them
7 trends we highlight for 2018: lightspeed learning, approachable luxury, human mode, touchworthy, truthing, enlightened consumption, and manufactured outrage
One thing we can all do today that will help us shift our perspective and spark new ideas
Resources Mentioned
Rohit's Weekly Non-Obvious Insights
Lightspeed learning: Buzzfeed's Tasty series
Tim Ferriss video: How To Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs Without Peeling
Rohit's Books:
Non-Obvious 2018 Edition: How to Predict Trends and Win the Future
Always Eat Left Handed: 15 Surprising Secrets For Killing It At Work And In Real Life
Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action
Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back
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