Written by: Lauren Dempsey
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cast a sobering and uncertain light on the future, it often pays to seek wise counsel from the experts.
To this end, some of the Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) workforce attended in a webinar titled COVID-19 Uncertainties: Align Your Futureview in Times of Uncertainty with Daniel Burrus, a technology disrupter and futurist speaker.
His wide-ranging and thoughtful perspective was of value to, frankly, everyone alive in the world today. He stressed that by not focusing on the negatives of today we can focus on what we can do right now – and why that is so important.
“Post-pandemic success will be defined by what you do now, not what you do post-pandemic,” he said. He acknowledged that we’re all being tested, but again, stressed that, “How you view the future shapes how you act in the present, and how you act in the present will impact how things end up in the future.” He suggested putting “significance over success” right now, and had solid, real-world examples of businesses and individuals rethinking or pivoting their business models to adjust to what some communities need. This pandemic requires innovative thinking, and pivoting, he said, is a sign of innovation.
WBI embraces this philosophy, and never has that been more evident than in the days since Ohio’s stay-at-home order went into effect. WBI put Burruss’ words in action by rapidly pivoting to 100% virtual work environment with no missed milestones on existing projects.
For example, Joe Althaus, WBI’s Rapid Innovation Program Manager, had planned a Sprint to brainstorm low-cost, easily produced ventilators to address the projected shortfall in the machines. Sprints rely on getting the right people in the room – Joe got the right people on the screen. He crafted an agenda that built in time for the participants to go off to research, experiment and think, always gathering everyone back together at the end of the day to share notes.
The ventilator designs deemed most promising are ready for production pending FDA approval - and it took about a month.
WBI’s T3 Transition Accelerator brought 10 chosen companies to Dayton for the first week of a planned 10-week program on technology commercialization the week before Ohio was told to stay home. The companies went back to their respective homes (representing eight states), and instead of meeting up again in Dayton for several of the 10 weeks, they met virtually. The teams and WBI are waiting for the stay-at-home orders to lift before coming together in Dayton for a Demo Day, something that demands it take place face-to-face.
Daniel Burrus’ webinar was not only wholly relevant to the world situation today (and tomorrow), but was valuable to WBI, which benefits from taking key takeaways and applying them to the WBI business model. Resilience is key, not just for WBI, but for the world.