"𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴... 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵." 💣
Imagine saying that to executives from leading global #realestate service providers & #technology companies, global consultants, advisors & Fortune 100 occupiers… the very people who are leading the way with the successes they’re delivering in technology & real estate…
That was the theme of the opening keynote I was invited to give at PwC’s 2nd Annual Occupier Summit.
The summit’s overall theme: "𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆", aligned perfectly with my experience & passion given my entire career has been focused on the intersection of the physical & digital worlds.
With the theme of my keynote, I’d be remiss if I didn't admit that, historically, my self-worth would get triggered causing me to become a little defensive (OK, at times maybe a lot) when people would say something similar to me. Being told that in spite of all I & my team had accomplished on a specific initiative, was not enough… That even with a client’s & C-suite execs praising a success, I’d managed aspects of it incorrectly or should have approached something differently.
PwC had promised attendees that we would discuss new ways of "harnessing the power of technology" & that “together we can unlock new opportunities & drive collective success in the real estate industry” & I realized the executives in attendance weren’t taking time out of their extraordinarily busy schedules for a day of ego-stroking (ok, maybe a little bit… we all like to hear our hard work & accomplishments acknowledged).
They wanted to be challenged & inspired… and the summit attendees readily accepted the exhortation to go “on the offensive” rather than becoming defensive. Challenging my assertions, asking questions, sharing experiences & perspectives with people who, even if from other companies or competitors, were like-minded in what is needed for our industry.
In the coming days, I will share why I think that “whatever you’re doing… it’s probably not enough.”
While the summit was focused on the real estate industry, I believe you’ll find that the key points have relevance for every industry & technology initiative to unlock new opportunities and drive more success for your team, your business, your company & yourself.
I was inspired, challenged & humbled by the engaging responses from the summit attendees & I invite them to share their additional perspectives & thoughts.
While these posts reflect my thoughts & views, I would be remiss if I didn’t credit the others who provided the inspiration & #motivation: IFMA’s Executive Summit series was the originating inspiration (more on that in the next post) and PwC’s Occupier Summit provided the motivation to put my proverbial pen to paper.
Next Post: You want a Digital Transformation when you really need a REVOLUTION!
Thanks to Brett Friedman for taking the below photo at the summit.
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1wThank you so much Sarfaraj Khan