An Interview with Jim Harris

Jim Harris

International Bestselling Author at Strategic Advantage

Key Topics:Disruptive Innovation, Technology, Trends, Exponential Tech rice/performance, AI, Mobile, Consumer Technology.

Location:Toronto, Canada

Bio:

Jim Harris is one of North America’s foremost thinkers on disruptive innovation speaking internationally at more than 70 virtual conferences a year. Association magazine ranked him as one of North America’s top ten speakers. Jim also leads strategic planning sessions with executive teams.

His clients include Barclays Bank, Canon, Columbia Tristar Pictures, IBM, Munich Re, SAP, the Top 200 CIOs of India, the UK Cabinet Office, Swiss Re, Walmart, Zurich insurance

Jim’s last book, Blindsided!, is published in 80 countries worldwide and is a #1 international bestseller. Soundview Executive Summaries selected Blindsided! as one of the best business books of the year sending a summary to 80,000 executives globally. The Miami Herald calls Blindsided! “Brilliant stuff!”

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

I wrote my first book in 1989 The 100 Best Companies to Work for in Canada. I was one of three co-authors. It was a national bestseller. I began speaking at conferences and consulting with clients. My second book was nominated for the National Business Book Award. And my third major book, Blindsided, was published in 80 countries worldwide. Since 1989 I have worked with thousands of CEOs, executive teams, entrepreneurs, CIOs, CTOs, HR professionals on innovating in this age of disruption.

What sub-topics are you most passionate about?

Disruptive innovation, innovation, tech trends, future predictions, IT, AI, mobile, 5G, consumer technology, CX, UX, IoT, IIoT, Big Data, data science, strategic planning, scenario planning, blockchain, crypto, sustainability, employee engagement, digital transformation, fintech, insurtech, exponential medicine.

Who influences you within these topics?

I used to represent Stephen Covey teaching the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it) by Salim Ismail and colleagues has given rise to an organization ExO. I am one of the speakers’ bureau that represents clients and executive teams that are facing pressures because change is happening faster in their industry than they are capable of adapting to.

Most large, incumbent organizations are having trouble keeping up with the pace of change. For instance Uber is worth more than every taxi cab company in America combined. Tesla in 2021 is worth as much as the top 11 traditional car companies combined. Amazon is worth more than Walmart + Best Buy + Target + 5 other retailers added together and tripled. Change is happening faster than ever before and the pandemic has accelerated it. Traditional organizations are losing market share and sometimes seek help. 88% of CEOs say innovation is essential to their top line and bottom line but only 22% of companies have a formal innovation system and process.

Also, how can brands communicate with & engage customers? Traditional media is in decline, social media is exploding. The level of trust in government and corporations is lower than ever before (Richard Edelman releases his Trust Barometer every year in Davos). How can brands and companies turn their customers into raving fans and their marketing department?

What do you think the future holds in this space?

The future will not look like the present or past. Smartphones now represent more than 50% of consumer electronic spending. AI will become critical to embed in every product, service, and internal organizational process to compete in the future. Mobile searches far exceed desktop searches. eCommerce experienced a decade of growth in the first 90 days of the pandemic (March, April, May 2020). Zoom is facilitating more minutes of communication than all the telcos of the world’s international long-distance combined, plus all VoIP providers globally combined. Disruption and the rate of change are accelerating: It took the airline industry 68 years to reach 50 million customers. It took Pokémon GO 19 days.

What brands are leading the way in this space?

The challenges for every organization and every industry are different. I begin every engagement by working to deeply understand the client’s needs, goals, and pain points in order to design a custom engagement. Given I have worked across so many industries this question is near impossible to answer without writing a book!.

Over the last 30+ years, I have worked with executive teams and clients in every industry imaginable: tech, telco, health care, government, retail, real estate, restaurants, hotels and travel, auto companies, fashion companies, entertainment, media, IT, construction, advertising, professional services firms, accounting, sports, home builders, shopping mall developers, start-up entrepreneurs, association, banking, financial services, insurance, re-insurance, hardware companies, software firms, HR organizations, library associations, not for profits, oil and gas, agriculture, pharmacy, pharmaceutical, investment firms, and many more.

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

Speaking (virtually and in-person); webinars, white papers, video interviews, blogs, articles, podcasts, product launches, media commentary, media interviews (press, radio & TV).

What are your passions outside of work?

Cycling (3,000 km in 2021). Foodie. Always learning. Attending CES annually, World Economic Forum in Davos, Burning Man. I used to enjoy international travel (pre-pandemic). Long daily walks with my wife where we have great conversations. I take great joy in our dozen godchildren.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

By Phone on: +1 416-467-6006, then email, and also email our business manager (Heather).

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