Finding a Future of Work Speaker

What is the future of work?

In many ways, the future of work is already here. With the growing adoption of automation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and mobile technology, it is clear that transformation in the workplace, the workforce, and the nature of work itself is happening rapidly and that total disruption is inevitable.  

It is predicted that the workplace will continue to transform in the coming years, with trends including a more decentralized, mobile workforce, increased fluidity of organizational structure shifting more towards project-based teams, and different motivational forces like purposeful work and personal development.

How can we prepare for this evolution? We’ve put together lists of speakers whose expertise reflect the different forces that are shaping the future of work and can prepare audiences with the trends and tactics to adjust to the shifting landscape.

1. Technology and Automation Speakers
2. Demographics and Generational Shifts Speakers
3. Employee Engagement and High-Performance Culture Speakers
4. Future Business Trends Speakers

THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY AND AUTOMATION IN THE WORKPLACE

According to a McKinsey Global Institute report, at least 30% of the activities associated with the majority of occupations in the United States could be automated. This division of labor is shifting quickly and by 2025, it is expected to shift to 48% human, 52% machine or algorithm.

Here are a few speakers who are able to expertly outline the challenges, opportunities, and likely scenarios presented by job automation and technological disruption:

• Michael Steep: Drawing on decades of experience leading operations at companies including Apple and Microsoft, Mike is the executive director of Stanford’s Engineering Center for Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities who helps audiences get ahead of disruption with practical tips for fueling innovative ideas powered by new technology.

• Poppy Crum A Stanford University adjunct professor, chief scientist at Dolby Laboratories, neuroscientist, and technologist, Dr. Crum shares an optimistic and inspiring view of a technology-enabled future where human capacity and performance is turbo-charged, and how organizations can embrace this change.

• Sec. Anthony Foxx: Sec. Foxx was the former Secretary of Transportation from 2013-2017 and a digital cities visionary. Having worked with companies like Tesla and Uber on developing guidelines for autonomous cars, he is able to speak to the ways our businesses and workforce will change as a result of AI and robotics.

• Vivek Wadhwa: Named one of the “40 Most Influential Minds in Tech” by TIME magazine, Vivek is an emerging technologies expert. He’s worked at Duke, Stanford, Harvard, and Singularity, and writes for the Washington Post.

• Kate Darling: Recognized as one of the “biggest names in science” by NBC News, Kate is a leading expert in social robotics and MIT Media Lab research specialists who shares incredible insights on human-robot interaction, robot ethics, and the ways robots will impact society and the workplace.

• Neil Jacobstein: Neil chairs the AI and Robotics track at Singularity University. He’s served as a consultant on AI research for NASA, Boeing, and the U.S. Air Force. He’s able to speak to the many ways AI will disrupt tasks across industries, plus how companies will shave billions off of bottom-lines by tapping into data.

• Ambassador Michael Froman: Former U.S. Trade Representative Froman sits at the intersection of business and the economy. In speeches, he looks at the impact of automation on labor, the digital economy, and finance, examining how we do business domestically and globally now and the ways it will change.

Click here for a full list of speakers on technology.

DEMOGRAPHIC AND GENERATIONAL SHIFTS IN THE WORKFORCE

The number of Millennial and Gen Z employees is expected to surpass Baby Boomers (individuals in their late 50's and older) by the end of 2019 and they are estimated to comprise nearly half of the total working population by 2020.

Understanding how to engage the entire workforce is fundamental to an organization’s success. Check out these experts who speak on the differences across generations and demographics and techniques to effectively train and empower your talent:

• Lindsey Pollak: Dubbed as the translator among generations, Lindsey is a force for inter-generational understanding. With practical and easily implementable tactics, Lindsey can lead your team to better recruiting, retaining, and engagement among your workforce. Named to Thinkers50 Radar List, Lindsey is a leading voice on the future of the labor workforce. 

• Michael Parrish DuDell: Named “one of the nation’s leading voices on millennials” by IBM, Michael is the best-selling author of the official business books from ABC’s Shark Tank and a specialist on the millennial workforce, helping business leaders build future-focused organizations that connect with the growing generation.

• Neil Howe: Originator of the term “Millennial Generation,” Neil is a renowned generation authority, demographer, and best-selling author who provides insights into today’s generations in the workplace and tactics to unleash the power of each to foster productive relationships.

• Seth Mattison: Workforce trends and generational dynamics expert, Seth Mattison, advises top brands on talent management and provides a roadmap for building organizations in the face of demographic and technological challenges.

• Lynne Lancaster: An authority on generational issues in the workplace and co-founder of BridgeWorks, Lynne advises leaders, managers, and employees on how to conduct business more successfully by bridging generation gaps at work.

• Cam Marston: A consultant for top companies like Coca-Cola and ESPN, Cam is a generations expert who teaches how each generation developed its core values, how that manifests in the workplace today, and how they can operate alongside each other with extraordinary success.

• David Stillman: A generational guru, David’s research has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and the Today Show. He breaks down the implications of GenZ’s entrance into the workforce and even works with his son, Jonah, to deliver cross-generational insights.

Click here for a full list of speakers on generations and demographics.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND CREATING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURE

It’s reported that organizations with high employee engagement outperform those with low employee engagement by 202%, and companies with engaged employees pull in 2.5x more revenue compared to competitors with low engagement levels. As more and more employees are working remotely, employee engagement remains vital to the retention of current workforces. Another inconsistency facing many employers is the fight for a more diverse and inclusive cultures. For the remainder of this year and years to come, these trends will be driving the factors in employee engagement and high-performing teams. 

Employees who experience meaningfulness in their work are more likely to be engaged in their jobs, and therefore more likely to become high-performing. These speakers share their expertise on engaging employees and provide tools to create a high-performing culture:

• Sarah Robb O’Hagan: Former CEO of Flywheel Sports, former global president of Gatorade, and former marketing director at Nike, Sarah is a legendary business leader who combines lessons learned from fitness to build an “extreme team” and improve business performance.

• Angie Bastian: Entrepreneur, co-founder, and namesake of Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP, Angie shares how she built an energy and space for her employees to thrive, respecting, celebrating, and empowering her team to create an empowered brand.

• Doug Rauch: The former president of Trader Joe’s Company, Doug is an expert in crafting singular corporate cultures and shares important tenets of value-based leadership to develop a commercially successful and ethically responsible business.

• Jenn Lim: Dedicated to inspiring science-based happiness, passion, and purpose at work, Jenn is a former Zappos consultant who created the Zappos Culture Book, a global symbol of using happiness as a business model to increase productivity and profitability.

• Scott Moore: A United States Navy SEAL Rear Admiral (ret.), Scott is an expert on building and leading “no-fail” teams, sharing stories of teamwork in life-and-death circumstances and his insights on recruiting, training, and equipping teams that exceed expectations.

• Charlotte Blank: As Maritz’s first chief behavioral officer and one of the few CBOs in business today, Charlotte dives deep into the human behavior that drives employee and customer engagement and shares the behavioral science behind motivation and performance.

• David DeLong: Widely cited by the New York Times, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal, David is an author and consultant who helps organizations adapt their recruiting and development techniques to the changing workforce, retain high-potential employees, and develop leaders.

Click here for a full list of speakers on corporate culture.

FUTURE TRENDS FOR BUSINESS

As the future of work becomes our present, businesses need to evolve their strategies along with it. 21st century tools won’t work if an organization is stuck in a 20th century mindset.

These expert speakers on future trends help to prepare and develop a roadmap for organizations to adapt and thrive in the new business environment.

• Greg Williams: Editor-in-Chief of WIRED Magazine who shares insights and best practices to enable organizations to emerge from this challenging period with new ways of working, thinking, and managing teams and culture that will offer a strategic advantage long after the pandemic.
• Mitch Joel: Called “one of North America’s leading visionaries” by Strategy magazine, Mitch is a technology and innovation expert and best-selling author who helps businesses understand how to manage disruption and leverage new technologies to outpace the competition.
• Sheryl Connelly: Named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company magazine twice and listed among TechWeek's “Top 100 Innovators”

• Dex Hunter-Torricke: Former head of communications at SpaceX, executive communications manager at Facebook, and executive at Google, Dex shares lessons-learned from his time at the day's biggest brands to illustrate the key technological trends of the next 10-20 years and what they mean for organizations.

• Brian Solis: Named to Silicon Valley’s “40 under 40” and called one of the “25 Twitter Accounts That Will Make You Smarter” by Mashable, Brian is a business futurist who helps organizations understand and embrace the dynamics defining digital Darwinism and the rise of social business.

• Lisa Bodell: Founder and CEO of futurethink, Lisa has transformed Fortune 500 companies by giving her clients an “out of company” experience, eliminating complexity and helping them push pass complacency to start an innovation revolution.

• Jim Donald: Named one of the “Top 25 CEOs in the World” by The Best Practice Institute, Jim is the former CEO of Starbucks, Pathmark Supermarkets, and Extended Stay Hotels who discusses how to lead in the 21st century and embrace technology disruption to fuel success.

• Shawn Dubravac: A futurist, best-selling author, and the former chief economist of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Shawn is a technological authority who analyzes how innovation will impact your industry and shares what the business world of the future looks like.

• Rishad Tobaccowala: Named as one of the top business leaders by BusinessWeek, Rishad is the chief growth officer of Publicis Groupe who specializes in next-generation business strategy enabled by new technologies and people's changing expectations.
   
• Paul Zikopoulos: A future trends expert who outlines how to best transform your business practices for virtual environments, and the digital tools and tactics behind making virtual environments more personal, interesting, and surprising for both your employees and clients.

Click here for a full list of speakers on future trends.

BOOK A SPEAKER ON THE FUTURE OF WORK

Would any of these speakers on the future of work be a good fit for your upcoming event? Please let us know!

Contact our team to find out more about these incredible individuals, to check out their speaking fees and availability, or to book any of these speakers to speak at your next meeting or conference.

Want to see more personalized speaker options? Simply reach out to us, and we can send you a customized list of speaker recommendations tailored specifically to your event's topic, theme, audience, and more. Get your customized speaker list.

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