Not Seeing Around Corners

I have to admit, I'd been writing a newsletter based on Rita Gunter McGrath's book SEEING AROUND CORNERS. McGrath is one of my favorite business strategists. Her work is practical and highly actionable. My piece involved some sci-fi systems thinking and speculation about our post-COVID-19 world. Ultimately I was unsatisfied with the draft, So, I put it aside and decided to write something else. First, let me admit a few things:

I don't need any more "troubling times" emails or news.

1. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to pay attention to anyone's apocalypse advice. (I am practicing social distancing. But I'm also guilty of giving that advice. Lo siento.)

2. Everyone is trying to keep it together. We all have our good days and bad days and it's OK to admit it.

3. The chaos isn't going to end any time soon. But I know you can cope and if you don't feel like you can call me.

Boredom Drives Creativity

No one can knows what a post-pandemic economy will look like. Predictions I've read include the following:

1. We'll be working and learning remotely.

2. Telemedicine will take off (it's about time, isn't it?).

3. Augmented and virtual reality technologies will accelerate.

4. Air travel - especially for business - will decrease for a while.

5. People will be focused on consuming only the essentials.

6. People will give up privacy for safety (I have to see it to believe it.)

7. There will be major changes to the US healthcare system. (Again, I have to see it to believe it.)

8. We will see supply chains secured and more manufacturing will return to the U.S.

9. Advertising and marketing will be doing everything they can to remind you all is well, whether or not it is or not.

In March, Politico ran a cover story titled Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. It's worth reading but what do you think: How will life change post-pandemic?

Let me know.

If I see a trend, I'll run McGrath's exercise and share what I come up with next week.

The Biotech Century is Here, But It Has Been for 20 Years

We've witnessed the biotechnology industry pivot to solve this crisis. People we know are working to create better diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Big pharmaceutical companies are prepped to manufacture and distribute, so hopefully, we can avoid bigger outbreaks in the future. I'm optimistic and excited about what biotech is doing, but I always have been.

I'd like to believe we're going to see funding pour into biotech and hopefully more basic science. I've been obsessing about how the re-shoring of active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing will take place, but am still unclear what that looks like.

Maybe I'll write about that for the next blog post.

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