What does it truly take for a company to thrive in the digital age? It’s much more than just buying and implementing the latest technology. This is one of our favorite subjects to discuss and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of The Digital Helix, Michael Gale, did not disappoint as we dove deep into this topic.

We explored how companies need to think about innovation (and the first step has nothing to do with technology). We also talked about how innovation doesn’t just help a company do better, it can sometimes even cause a company to entirely pivot. We also discussed generational differences, and what companies need to think about from an innovation perspective as they build their workforce.

If you would love to hear more about Michael, you can visit https://www.inc.digital/learn to download his audiobook or head over to Forbes to listen to his podcast, Futures in Focus.

The Official Episode Breakdown

4:00 - Michael Gale discusses bras? Yes, this is relevant, and we talk about why he decided to do a podcast about it

8:35 - Diving deeper into Michael’s podcast Futures In Focus

12:10 - How can companies learn to focus on the right technology and innovate without innovating strictly for the sake of innovating. Want to buy Michael’s book? Click Here

15:10 - Can technology really transform a company, or what has to happen first for technology to really make a difference?

18:02 - How much are companies losing by buying the wrong technology, and why it’s so important to set the company up to thrive with the new technology.

19:00 - How many companies actually have their processes down that allow them to take advantage of technology

22:20 - Discussing some organizations that took huge pivots because of innovating

23:40 - How should companies treat data, and how high should they prioritize it

25:20 - Stories of how companies can actually transform based on the data they’re collecting

26:40 - The important role of generations and why Gen Xers will soon take over the world (we may have made that last part up)

29:10 - If companies aren’t willing to invest in their workforce how much is it hurting their ability to hire?

31:10 - Did Gen X fail as a generation

33:00 - Are Millennials actually right in their work ethic and how they’re approaching how they accomplish work?

36:20 - When it comes to technology and political races, is technology one of the biggest factors when determining who will win

39:15 - As a society what can we be aware of, and how can we combat the manipulation of data, news, etc

42:20 - Will we become lazy as a society if we’re not seeking out our own data vs sitting back and letting it be fed to us