Book Reviews

Techno Trends

By Daniel Burrus

Reviewed by Steve Buchwald, CIRM

Daniel Burrus is one of the world's leading technology forecasters. His ability to see the future now has made him one of the most sought-after speakers today. Have you heard that expression, see the future now, before? Well, that is just one of the ideas that is addressed in this amazing book about "using technology to go beyond our competition" which contains 24 technologies "that will revolutionize our lives." These quotes are from the front cover of the book and describe what you will get when you read the book.

The book is about how Daniel Burrus teaches a group of diverse players, a chief executive officer, an inter city high school teacher, a food distributor who owns a family business, a salesperson, a woman who has just inherited the family farm, a manager who was laid off and recently started a small business, and a hospital information manager the new rules of survival in today's and tomorrow's business world. The reason I said players is because that is just how he teaches them, using the new rules in a poker game.

The book starts off by proving to everyone in the game that the rules have changed. There are twenty core technologies that Mr. Burrus discusses that relate to the twenty-four new tools. It is how you play these twenty four new tools along with the thirty new rules that prepare you for success. I think I can best describe the break through thinking of this book to you by listing the thirty new rules:

• If it works its obsolete;
• Past success is your worst enemy;
• Learn to fail fast;
• Make rapid change your best friend;
• See the new big picture;
• Solve tomorrow's predictable problems today;
• Think ten years out and plan back to the present;
• Build change into the plan or product;
• Focus on your customer's future needs;
• Sell the future benefit of what you do;
• Build a better path to the customer;
• Give the customer the ability to do what they couldn't do but would have wanted to do if they only knew they could have done it;
• Time is the currency of the nineties;
• Leverage time with technology;
• Enter the communication age;
• Render your cash cow obsolete;
• Upgrade technology and upgrade people;
• Network with all;
• Re-become an expert;
• Find out what the other guy is doing and do something else;
• Change the way people think;
• Develop collaborative interactions;
• Don't fix the blame -- fix the problem;
• Re-invent successes of the past using the new tools;
• Re-invent failures of the past;
• High touch means high cost;
• Use old technologies in new ways;
• Once a card is in the deck it will be played;
• Take your biggest problem and skip it.

The following list is taken from the introduction of the book and describes what Mr. Burrus set out to accomplish with this book:

• Equip us to recognize and master the changes already shaping the twenty-first century;
• Demystify and explain the technology revolution under way worldwide;
• Enable us to plan and develop a rewarding personal and professional agenda;
• Eliminate the uncertainty that breeds insecurity, frustration, passivity, and fear;
• Encourage people of all ages to understand and profit from technological change and to become excited and involved in building a better tomorrow by discovering creative applications for the new tools and technology; and
• To introduce us to a uniquely personalized, tested system for shaping a future that can be everything we want it to be.

As you can see, its not enough to just know the new tools and the new rules you actually have to live them. You need to think in the future and know how to apply them to your particular situation. This is the uniqueness of this book. It creates hope for all of us. It shows that no matter what hand you are dealt you can make it a winner by applying the new rules and the new tools. The '90s are about change and if we are to be effective change agents we need to embrace Daniel Burrus' important message about running to meet the future now. If you want to learn more about how to think ahead and how to combine the new tools and the new rules then this book is for you.

As usual, we are here to serve you and we are always looking for a stimulating conversation about books. We are continuing with our lending policy, and as long as people are diligent in returning the borrowed books we will keep lending them. So, until next month "good reading and/or listening and I'll see you at a future chapter meeting."

Good reading!