“Innovation is not fluffy — it’s science,” said Jeremy Gutsche, opening keynote speaker during REACH 2022 in Palm Desert, CA on Wednesday afternoon, and founder-CEO of Trend Hunter, one of the world’s top trend firm and innovation consultancies.

(View/download conference and event photos from the REACH 2022 Photo Gallery)

During the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ annual conference, Gutsche — a worldwide expert on “innovating through chaos” — discussed seven traps within business mindsets that can slow leaders and organizations down: subtlety of disruption, neurological shortcuts, traps of success, optionality, linear thinking, discomfort, and ease of inaction.

To retrain one’s brain to proactively hunt for opportunities, credit union leaders can bring teams together, proactively solicit ideas, fund creative hobbies, track trends in other markets, and run ongoing workshops with teams.

“As credit unions, you have membership loyalty — and you have a way to connect through that,” Gutsche said. “There’s a different relationship you have with individuals. You can use this to embark on what’s next.”

Gutsche’s book — Create the Future: Tactics for Disruptive Thinking — teaches business leaders how to think disruptively, providing specific steps to create real innovation and change. It combines his high-energy provocative thinking with tactics that have been battle-tested through projects with leading innovator companies.

During his presentation, he diagramed four steps businesses and organizations can take in various periods of history: First, individuals are normally “path dependent” (feudal systems, industrial age, internet age). Second, they enter a crisis (the Black Plague, Spanish Flu, or COVID-19 pandemic). Then they go through a new period of chaos and try making up for lost time (the Renaissance Era, the “Roaring 20s,” wand the upcoming new roaring 20s of the 2020s). Finally, they rechart (the Middle Ages, the modern age, and the future).

“Chaos creates opportunity,” Gutsche said. “During recessions, some of the most iconic organizations are founded.”

He further described periods in history: “The Grand Reprioritization” of money (big box versus local), class (support versus refute), business (robots versus people), politics (United States versus China), generations (baby boomers versus Millennials), careers (work-from-home versus in-office), life (products versus experience), leisure (old life versus hobbies), media (big media versus creators), luxury (save versus splurge), science (vaccinate versus don’t vaccinate), business (work versus quit), and risk (borrow versus pay debt).

Credit union leaders can use a series of tactics to realize how close they are to their next big breakthrough — especially in an era of huge change such as today, Gutsche said.

“What opportunity lies so close within your grasp?,” Gutsche asked. “All of you have some extra level you can perform at, whether a role, a product, a service idea, or a new way of doing things.”

Stay Engaged During REACH
Attendees and League staff will be sharing photos, comments and memories through Twitter (@CUatREACH), LinkedIn (#CUatREACH), and the REACH 2022 Photo Gallery. 

REACH is one of the credit union industry’s premier annual events, attracting leaders and system partners from across California, Nevada and the United States. This year it’s held from Nov. 1 – 4 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert, CA!

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