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Wish everyone a 2010 filled with prosperity, happiness and love. To close out the year here are some of my thoughts that will shape out 2010. 1) In the midst of 2009 recession, corporations executed harsh measures to restore profit. But today, the layoffs are behind us. Hiring will pick up. Profits are back, mostly because of cost-cutting. Now business must again start to focus on growth. How do you grow a business? With people. You need a strategic plan, of course, but what good is that without the right people to execute it? People alone drive peak performance. Studies like McKinsey’s much-quoted “War for Talent” show the best people are attracted to companies that fulfill the deep, personal need for meaning while making contributions to society—beyond the profit motive. I think the war for talent in 2010 will continue. 2) Another fundamental change that began at the end of 2008 and still quite strong the return of spirituality and religion in North America. I think this will continue and will be strong for the next year. 3) We are at the beginning of conscious capitalism, I think this trend will remain strong for many years to come. We are starting with climate change … and we will slowly change are view on corporate scandals and government cynicism. One point I want to emphasize is that mainstream media is so full of bad news that it makes me angry how unintelligent they think we are. Enough! The world is not going to hell. We are not in the age of Armageddon like some want us to believe. We are not going to be wiped out by global warming. Capitalism is not evil. In fact, we as a society are getting better. Far from ideal, but getting better. 4) Currency prediction other currencies will continue appreciating, the logic is that countries like Russia-China will be looking to diverse their holdings from the US to other countries like Canada, Australia, Brazil, Euro. US dollar will remain weak with their trillion dollar deficits. Another caveat governments all over the world will be increasing the amount of taxes we pay. 5) The web will begin to metamorphose to Web 3.0 will build on both and include multiple dimensions, more database mining, intelligent browsers and search tools. It will be the Web that "knows your name." This is possible because your profile will be available somewhere on the web in machine readable format. When you search, the search engine will know quite a bit about you and use that information to search various databases to find what you need and customize the results. As we know every time we log on to the web you leave an extensive footprint behind. Corporations like Google and ISP providers keep 18 months of your personal search information on their private servers. 6) For individuals looking to start a business here are my three growth areas for 2010: 1) Privacy management consultants(people that help erase your online web information (e.g.:Facebook, other links….) 2) Senior Services (clinics, home care, wellness programs) 3) Green Practices, there is growing attention to being environmentally conscious or “green” with increased implementation of four-day work weeks and telework. Initiatives previously viewed as work-family balance are now being reframed as environmental friendly. The green trend will continue growing.. |