I often think about the future. What will the world be like in 10, 20 and even 30 years? More specifically, what will business be like in that amount of time. While there are many unknowns about the future, the one thing I do know is that our future is exciting.
I often try to channel Steve Jobs, someone who I greatly admire and someone who was a master at looking to the future. Among many things, he predicted the demise of desktop computers, he predicted the rise of e-commerce, and he predicted that we’d all shift to using online storage – aka the Cloud. It’s this kind of forward thinking and innovation that enables Apple to continuously launch incredible products, developed with their customer top of mind.
What excites me most about the future, is the unique opportunity that BNI has to help drive what business looks like in the months, years and decades ahead. Take a few moments to think about the global impact we can have.
We consist of hundreds of thousands of business leaders, in almost every continent across the world. In communities worldwide, our members are leaders in their professions, who believe strongly in Givers Gain® and the strength in trusted reciprocity. Business is a force of good in the world, and I’m confident that if we pass more referrals, invite more visitors into our chapters, and continue to put others before ourselves, Givers Gain® will be more recognized and alive than we can even imagine.
So how will we get there?
More than ever, BNI is focused on our Core Value of Traditions + Innovation. We’re focused on community-building – and on exploring ways in which our more than 225,000 members can connect, share and collaborate. We’re also investing heavily in Research & Development, to make the member experience better than ever before. One small part of that is working with BNI leaders worldwide to further accelerate our technology development.
The new BNI Connect® Mobile app is just the beginning of a stream of innovation. Very soon, we’ll have the technology in place for members to pass cross-country and even international referrals. Our goal is to be truly global, and a truly connected network. >span class=”eop”>
While we’re very excited to deploy new technology, based on our research on what makes Members more revenue, Givers Gain® will always be at the center of all that we do, both in Chapters each week, and around the world as an organization.
As I look towards the future, I envision a world where collaboration and connection have replaced competition and isolation. I envision a world where innovative technologies break-down geographic and personal barriers. I envision companies acting as communities, full of teams that thrive on partnership. And most of all, I envision a world where BNI is the preeminent global business development platform – a network that supports business growth, job creation, and community development through unprecedented collaboration.
I hope you’re as excited about our future as I am. You, each of our SuccessNet readers, play an important role and help make the future of BNI possible.
