We’re continuing to study megatrends emerging right now and today are naming the fifth one in our ongoing research into what’s creating major impacts.
We consider something to be a megatrend when there’s a major shift in policies and/or activity across a wide spectrum of organizations and cultures, enough to rewrite our shared stories on a global scale. The most talked-about megatrends are usually the ones seen as global threats, but we focus on solution-focused trends that show great promise of doing good, solving key societal issues, and advancing future generations. These aren’t ‘weak signals’ on the horizon but enormous emergent shifts that show up in our everyday worlds of work and family.

According to research, the world’s coaching industry is expected to reach a value of $20 billion in 2023, and in the United States alone, the industry is worth $14 billion.  To support these numbers, 99% of individuals and organizations that have received coaching state they are satisfied or very satisfied with the outcomes.

There we were … sitting in a crowded restaurant in downtown Banner Elk, NC, waiting for someone to come take our order. As we waited, we did what any two organizational development consultants tend to do, we observed people going about their work. We are always observing what leaders, teams and organizations are doing well and what could be improved, even when we go out to dinner.
How were people doing their jobs? Were they happy, proactive, supportive of each other? Well-trained? What was the customer experience like?

I have to admit, I love retreats.

Our first company, RETREATS INC, was designed around them. RETREATS was an acronym that stood for Reaching Excellence Through Recreation, Education and Adventure Training Strategies. Yes, it took an all-nighter to come up with that! We were one of the first companies to take corporate groups onto ropes courses or use catamarans and kayaks to teach about change. ‘Trust fall’ anyone?

However, over time we began to hear …

TOOLS FOR COMPANIES DEALING WITH THE UNKNOWN

As part of our series on the megatrends we see emerging globally and locally, today’s focus—within the megatrend of Regen—is on the importance of regenerative systems and design into the future.

The climate is changing, requiring fundamental shifts of focus and mindset at all levels of society. The science and approaches to planetary healing continue to emerge as does the language to talk about it, making it difficult to wrap our arms around what’s needed. We can get lost in the terminology. We hear about green and sustainable businesses that consider a wide array of environmental, economic, and social factors when making business decisions, including the triple bottom line and corporate social responsibility. Is there farther to go? Leading from the edge, offering the most innovative solutions means we must go beyond sustainability and begin to understand the importance of the regenerative.

started the Let’s Choose Love [LCL] movement at the beginning of the pandemic. One of the goals was to bring encouragement and new ideas to others in hopes of inspiring positive action. The invitation was for people to leverage their gifts and talents to bring solutions that addressed challenges they were passionate about. 

A megatrend is something that has current or potential impact on a global scale. The most talked-about megatrends are usually the ones seen as global threats, but we are choosing to focus on huge solution-focused trends that show great promise of doing good, solving a key societal issue, advancing future generations. These aren’t ‘weak signals’ on the horizon but real, enormous, emergent shifts that show up in our everyday world of work and family.

Sometimes, an unexpected gift brings more than we would have dreamed of. Continuum has received such a gift from longtime friend, colleague, and mentor, Steven Vannoy.

The News:
Steve surprised us by asking Continuum to steward his beloved 10 Greatest Gifts Project (10GG), a 501c3 created on the belief that strong, resilient families are the foundation of our collective healthy future. 

The 10GG Project is based on Steve’s bestselling book, The 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Children, written thirty years ago and still published today by Simon and Schuster. It’s filled with simple common-sense tools for parents, grandparents, teachers and caregivers to use with children and families to lift them up.

As we wrap up February and the month of love, we’re seeing the word ‘love’ emerge everywhere, even in workplace contexts, and no, we’re not talking about dating!
Historically, you didn’t often hear love and workplace in the same sentence; but, as the pandemic continues its impact, we’re seeing articles with ‘love vocabulary’ pop up in such business publications as Forbes, HBR, McKinsey and Fast Company, among others. Korn-Ferry’s just-released Future of Work Trends 2022: A New Era of Humanity gets right to the point:

A favorite pastime of mine during the pandemic has been to strap on my boots, pick up my hiking stick and head out into the Blue Ridge mountains with my puppy, Shanti. One of the benefits of living in Asheville, NC, is that the mountains, along with the many rivers and streams, form my extended backyard playground.

The Shope Creek trails can be accessed just up the road from me. Soon after turning onto the path, you come to a 15-foot-wide creek that must be crossed to reach the rest of the trail system. Clear water pours over rocks of all sizes there, and the stepping-stone path to the other side shifts a little with each rainfall. I let Shanti off leash to splash her way over, which she joyfully does every time. I, on the other hand, take extra time, using the stick to stabilize myself, gingerly testing each rock before taking a step.

Lisa: People were saying things would be back to normal in a few weeks, but we thought ’not so fast’. We wanted to serve our clients in being able to change and adapt, knowing the journey brought on by COVID could last months, or years.

Wendy: We could see that this time would have to be one of extraordinary innovation--planning for the future in new ways. There was a need for new competencies, client services and programs that were just-in-time to better support people. So, we put on our ‘futurist’ hats.  How might we be of service in staying ahead of what was unfolding? What would our clients need to lead in current time, right now?

Gratitude conducts us unfailingly and unflinchingly to the latitude of love, which is, by all accounts of those who know about these things, the mover and shaker of the universe. It’s a great address.  We should all keep a home there. Why is developing our gratitude skill set so important?

It is with pleasure we announce that Continuum Consulting has acquired P4 Consulting. The fit between the two companies in terms of focus, culture, management, and curriculum is both similar and complementary. Having already collaborated for so many years, it makes sense to combine the capabilities and assets of the two companies. We are excited about the expanded offerings available to our clients and the fun of two teams now working as one.

A year was up, and it was time to get my VW into the shop for the annual oil change and tire rotation. Waiting for someone to check me in at the dealership, I noticed an all-too-familiar look on the guy’s face who had come in just before I did. You know what I mean: the expectant looking around hoping someone will come to assist soon, the frequent glance down at his watch, and the tension on his face rising with every minute that passed. My assumption was confirmed when the attendant came in, and the man explained about his conference call that was about to start at 2:00.

Mind Your Focus and Focus Your Mind: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous and Back

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, the kind that makes me itchy to close the computer, grab my puppy (Shanti), and hop into my vintage red BMW convertible for an adventure! It had been a really great week business-wise, and I was ready to celebrate.

Resilience. It has been the buzzword of the pandemic - the biggest test of resilience in our lifetimes for many of us. Times of ambiguity are one of the largest contributing factors to stress, and there is no more ambiguous time than right now. Not only have organizations had to exhibit extreme agility to adapt to environmental circumstances, but every individual contributor has experienced their own enormous shifts in the way they work as they seek to navigate the further blurred lines between work and life. 

In our last onboarding post, we said that great onboarding programs work to make new employees feel prepared for, welcomed, informed, accompanied, safe, and valued — to feel that they belong.

So leaders, in your experience:
What makes a difference in getting new hires up to speed?
What matters most in employee attraction and retention?  
What kind of culture are you growing, day by day?

Ultimately, whose job is it within the organization to make sure that the above happens in your onboarding program?