The future of work. The future of education. The future of organizational structure. The future of AI. The future of cities. The future of the internet. When did everyone become a Futurist? I feel bad for ACTUAL Futurists. And while we’re on topic - when did everyone become an expert in strategy? Community Strategists, Marketing Strategists, Digital Experience Strategists, Content Strategists…oh my! With all this strategic thinking, it begs the question of who’s going to do all the work? AI - oh my!
This is the first newsletter for 2024.
We spent 2022 and 2023 observing, orienting, and writing about what we saw. Topics included the 4th Industrial Revolution, Organizational Structure, Silos, Digital Twins and the Future of Construction, Regenerative Technology (rT), Workwars, Human Connection, Post-Traumatic Growth and more. Find the full offering here. We also attended conferences - lots of conferences. Virtual, IRL, Small/Boutique, Huge Global in multiple industries; Commercial Real Estate, Workplace Strategy, CRE/PropTech, Remote, Urban Planning, Higher Education, Independent Schools, Web3, FF&E, Neurodiversity, Regenerative Agriculture and DevOps. We put in the work.
So now what?
I keep going back to my high school Physics class with Mr. Madden - (my first and only D) to revisit the difference between Speed and Velocity. In the simplest terms, speed is a measure of distance over time. It tells us how fast. 2023 was speed. Velocity, on the other hand, tells us how fast something is moving and IN WHAT DIRECTION. According to Mr. Madden, when an object changes its velocity, it’s either speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction. 2024 is Velocity because of the change in direction.
So what does that mean about right now?
Well, for one thing, we can’t get to our destination without it. We need ‘right now’. We need intentionality to direct our path of travel. We can’t worry about what it will be like when we get there if we never leave. We can only partially strategize our route - but not completely and effectively until we’ve gotten on our way. ‘Right now’ is more important than later today, tomorrow, or next month as far as the journey is concerned. We have to start right now.
So what’s our plan here at Orion Growth?
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Increase Awareness:
Food, Environment, Tech. The food we eat, the environment we live in, and the technology we choose have a massive impact on our communities. We’re going to focus on those three topics for awareness. Central to awareness is the circular economy and regenerative processes.
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Improve Data Collection Methods:
MRV models (Monitor, Record, and Verify) along with EOV (Ecological Outcome Verification) models. There is FAR too much bad data in the world. Just as there is responsible journalism, there is responsible data science. Not all data are equal. We’re committed to calling out the BS data and exploring decentralized proofing mechanisms. As a company, we are getting into sensor tech that will feed directly into environmental and social responsibility.
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Foster Meaningful Economic Development via Adaptive Reuse:
Small, rural towns and cities have been generally forgotten. Unemployment is staggering, drug use is rampant, and shops and buildings are empty. We’re committed to working with Family Office / Private Equity / Corporate Development to put our expertise and project delivery skills to use. We’ll leverage Public-private partnerships to see streetscape improvements, utility upgrades, and rural broadband connectivity. We’ll take a comprehensive approach to 10-minute cities to address attainable housing, the skills gap, and financial education. We’ll use grants, executive orders, and incentives to bring this to life.
We have a lot to do, and the right time to do it is right now. Our future will be determined by the strength of our intentions and our level of commitment to seeing them through. We have to roll up our sleeves and put in the work. We have to leave the what-ifs to the Futurists and the how-will-we-get-theres to the Strategists. The hard work will be done by the Realists who will actually shape the future.
“A society grows when elders plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.” Greek Proverb