1.21 Gigawatts? Great Scott!!

So, we are just going to ask the question that everyone on Facebook is asking today: where is my floating car?



Today is the day that Marty McFly is supposed to appear in a time machine, powered by 1.21 gigawatts running through a flux capacitor, and we still do not have hoverboards and floating cars (well, ok, we do sort of have hoverboards).

While many of the things we saw in Back to the Future 2 have not come to pass, there are plenty of other things that have. It’s interesting to look back and consider the technologies affecting our daily lives that have come about since then. We have a World Wide Web (Web 2.0, in fact). Social media. Smart phones. WhatsApp and Line. Fitbit. 3D televisions. The Internet of Things. The cloud. (Also, while there are no more Jaws sequels being made — Jaws 19 was advertised in the film — we do have a new Star Wars movie coming out in a couple months.)

It makes you realize that there really is no straight line stretching forward to the future, as disruptions can occur that take us in a different path. This is true not only for technology but also for politics (the Cold War ended) and business (the sharing economy) and social relationships (same-sex marriage). That being the case, leaders need to realize that what made their business successful today may not be what makes it successful tomorrow. They need the flexibility to change, and the openness to see something new before their competitors do. Sometimes growth is about evolution, sometimes it’s about revolution, and it helps to have a business culture that encourages the innovation that allows you to shift paths as needed. Trying to predict the future is an essential element of planning, but disruptive technologies or other sudden major changes can push you onto another path, and a flexible and innovative mindset is essential to moving forward no matter which direction “forward” might be.

Oh, and, the film may have gotten one thing right: the Chicago Cubs do have a chance to win the World Series this year.