Finding the Future: An Interview with Futurist Lisa Bodell

Lisa Bodell is one of those restless types, always thinking about what’s next.  She just launched futurethink – where she helps companies use innovation to assure their healthy and competitive survival. Prior to futurethink Bodell co-founded Harvest Communications, serving leaders in financial services and healthcare industries including Citibank, Merrill Lynch, American Express and Johnson & Johnson.

Comunicado managed to catch up with her in downtown Manhattan the other day.

Why are you so personally drawn to thinking about the future?  Most of us are lucky if we can find five minutes to think about where to have lunch. 

People tend to have a fear about the future – people aren’t comfortable with change, the unknown. I think there’s something fascinating about the unknown.  It’s about getting comfortable with change and having a passion for the possible.  I’ve always been a very ‘creative’ strategic thinker; I like to look at things from many different perspectives.

Thinking about the future let’s you ask “Why not?” and “What if?”. It’s a very positive way to look at life, because so many people are consumed with why something can’t be done or why something isn’t possible – I want to get people comfortable with the possibilities and expand their minds.  Change can be positive, and it doesn’t need to be difficult.  I want to show them how..

Did you think about the future when you were a youngster?  Were you one of those kids that always got their book reports in on time?

I got my book reports in on time, but that had more to do with ‘not getting grounded’ than ‘thinking about the future’.  When I was younger, people always said that I was ‘clever’. That I was always coming up with ‘creative ideas’. I invented. I designed.  I wanted to have my own toy company. When I was about 9, I actually gave my parents a toy catalog that I created, to let them know what I wanted for Christmas. I still have it; it’s hysterical. I never got the exploding Jack in the Box.

"I think there’s something fascinating about the unknown.  It’s about getting comfortable with change and having a passion for the possible."

What do you like most about being a Futurist?

I’ve always been a connector – between offbeat and mainstream information, between people, between companies. For as long as I can remember, I’ve read dozens of magazine, newsletters, web sites and books.

I constantly clip articles, keeping a file of strategic ‘ideas’ for the future. My job is to bring ‘tomorrow’ to my clients ‘today’. I help translate ideas into new products, new services and new business opportunities. Unlike trendspotters or brainstormers that focus on ‘trends’ or what’s already here, I help my clients create ideas that capitalize on the bigger picture – the driving forces that create the biggest opportunities – forces that are social, technological, economic, ecological, and political. This is a type of thinking many futurists call STEEP. 

I help clients think in new ways, and realize things going on outside of their industry can be applied inside their business. THIS is when the magic happens.

"Getting ideas is easy – it’s knowing what to do with them that counts. Wall Street doesn’t reward smart ideas – it rewards smart execution."

How do you go about spotting trends? 

I believe that the future is here, you just have to know where to look for it.  You have to be aware, curious, and proactive about it. You have to keep your antennae up. I seek out the future by connecting with new types of information, people, and experiences. I subscribe to Newsweek, but I also read SkyMall when I’m on the plane. I visit CNN.com, but I read some offbeat blogs like gizmodo.com too. It’s important to feel the mainstream pulse, but you have to tap into less mainstream things as much as possible. 

Most importantly, you need to get out. I force myself to meet one new person every week that is entirely different from me that can stretch my mind to “what’s next”. Last week I met a fashion student who is designing with bullet proof cloth. I’ve also met with cops, chaos theorists, architects, psychics, anthropologists.  They are all doing things I didn’t think were possible.

"I believe that the future is here, you just have to know where to look. I force myself to meet one new person every week that is entirely different from me that can stretch my mind to “what’s next”.   

When does an observation become a trend?

I’m glad you brought up ‘trends’. I’m not a fan of that word. To me, most people think of trends in terms of the end product, not the driving force behind it. For example, I’ve heard people say that the iPod is a ‘trend’. It’s not -- it’s the result of a trend called ‘mobility’ or ‘info to go’, or whatever you want to call it – you get the idea. Or SMSing is a trend. I think it’s a result of a driving force called ‘time compression’ – we see it everywhere.

Trends represent a couple of data points or ‘dots’. But I think that it’s the connecting of many different dots over time that’s more important. You need to focus on driving forces, the larger swaths that cut across our lives, to come up with something that is really forward thinking.

"iPod is not a trend, rather the result of mobility and a desire for info-to-go."

You help your clients assure their future by leveraging innovation.  In your view, which companies are particularly good at using innovation to compete?

People think that innovation is all about the ‘big idea’. We believe that getting ideas is easy – it’s knowing what to do with them that counts.  Wall Street doesn’t reward smart ideas – it rewards smart execution. That’s where companies fall down – and that’s where my company comes in. We give companies the information, process and culture they need to innovate.

The most innovative companies aren’t the ones who came up with the one “big idea”, but have established a true system and culture of innovation. Virgin. FedEx. JetBlue. Starbucks. IKEA. These companies constantly invite, evaluate and reward innovative ideas.

Do smaller firms innovate better than larger ones?  If so, why ? 

Smaller firms innovate more quickly, but I don’t know if they innovate ‘better’.  Bigger firms eventually win because they have greater resources for ONGOING innovation – they can afford to dedicate entire teams and dollars to this initiative. They can invest in prototyping and research, and have the distribution and marketing muscle to create a hit.  In the long run, bigger businesses do it better.

"Smaller firms innovate more quickly, but in the long run, bigger businesses do it better."

Is innovation really something that can be built into a company’s daily culture?

Yes. And it must do this to be effective. Companies without innovation built into their culture are really just brainstorming. They aren’t getting the best ideas. They are creating one-offs vs. leveraging resources to create true groundbreakers. A culture of innovation makes innovation everyone’s job. It’s in the company’s vision. It’s in job descriptions. It’s recognized and rewarded. It’s a criteria on your annual evaluation.

As a mother, what type of opportunities does the future hold for your young son? He’ll have job opportunities we haven’t even heard of yet.  He’ll have even greater access to information. He’ll hopefully be living in a world where there is a greater sharing – not hoarding -- of ideas. People will be more comfortable with change. I think eclectic education, thinking, and resumes will be sought after. I think he’ll do well.

"Companies without culturally-based innovation are really just brainstorming."

September 11, 2001 changed the future forever.  What other recent events have changed our future in such a dramatic way?

Well,  9/11 certainly changed my future – it’s my birthday. Now whenever someone asks me to confirm my birth date, I get “oh…..so sorry!”.  Hey, it was my birthday first.

There are certainly defining moments or ‘flashpoints’ that change our lives. Some Futurists call these ‘wild cards’.  But these events are typically the culmination of many other events that were already in motion; things that went under the radar and set the wheels in motion. Like many innovators and futurists will tell you, the trick is having your antennae up enough to realize it while its happening so wildcards aren’t so ‘wild.'

Virgin. FedEx. JetBlue. Starbucks. IKEA. These companies constantly invite, evaluate and reward innovative ideas.

Contact Lisa Bodell at 212 629 0913 or lbodell@getfuturethink.com