Growing up, I was the kid who read the newspaper cover to cover, especially the sports section. I loved analyzing box scores from basketball, baseball, and football games, looking for patterns and themes that went beyond the numbers. Even then, I was drawn to spotting signals and making sense of the bigger story behind the data.
Later, as an analyst and consultant at Deloitte, I was okay at my day job, but what really energized me was exploring the intersection of technology and people.
I started following the latest technology trends, and that curiosity eventually led me to the Office of the CTO. THere, I had the chance to analyze markets, explore emerging ideas, connect with thought leaders, and develop perspectives that forward-looking leaders could use to make better decisions and move their businesses ahead. Those experiences gave me both a toolkit and the confidence to connect dots that others might overlook.
Today, as an entrepreneur, facilitator, consultant, and speaker, my work centers on helping leaders and organizations sense and respond to the changes happening around them. The name of my company, The Edge of Work, reflects that belief: that leaders must think more expansively about what’s ahead, explore what’s possible, and find new ways of achieving it.
In many ways, I’m fortunate. Both by wiring and by experience, I’ve built a career around thinking about the future. And as a result, I often get asked some version of this question: “What should I be reading, following, or paying attention to if I want to stay ahead in my role, industry, or profession?”
It’s a good question, and one I’ve been asked more frequently in the past year. I’m always happy to share what I’m reading, listening to, or who I’m following. I’ve even used this newsletter to highlight some of those resources. But lately, I’ve shifted my approach. Instead of just handing someone a reading list, I try to share my thinking process, and help them curate their own way of making sense of trends.
Why does this matter? Because teaching someone how to fish is always more powerful than handing them the fish. When people learn how to identify signals, evaluate emerging ideas, and connect the dots for themselves, they don’t just stay current, they sharpen their ability to think strategically and anticipate the future of their work.
So, how do you build that muscle? When I work with organizations and leaders, I draw on a few go-to sources that help me see what’s ahead and spot the changes that matter most.s
1. Zoom Out: See the Big Picture
It’s easy to focus narrowly on your own role or profession, but the first step is to zoom out. Look at the macro forces, economic shifts, demographic trends, cultural changes, and technological breakthroughs,that shape the larger context of work.
For example:
How are global economic conditions reshaping labor markets?
What do demographic shifts like aging populations or Gen Z’s entry into the workforce mean for organizations?
How might AI, automation or shifts impact our global world?
Examples
These forces affect everyone, and paying attention to them ensures you’re not blindsided by broad shifts that will eventually reach your role or industry.
2. Zoom In: Explore the Edges
Once you’ve zoomed out, zoom back in, but not on yourself. Instead, look at the frontier of companies and organizations. Studying organizations that started in the last 18–24 months can be especially revealing. They’re not weighed down by legacy systems or old ways of working. They’re building for the future. The contrast between what they’re doing and what you’re doing today can spark ideas and open your imagination about what’s possible.
3. Look Back: Learn From History
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. That’s why it’s valuable to study past technological and workplace transformations.
Consider:
The dot-com boom and bust of the late ’90s and early 2000s.
The rise of social media, mobile, and cloud/SaaSin the 2010s.
Even further back, the invention of the printing press or the arrival of electricity as a general-purpose technology.
Each of these shifts reshaped industries, professions, and careers. By studying how people adapted, or failed to adapt, you gain insights into what patterns might repeat as AI transforms work today.
Examples
4. Look Across: Learn From Adjacencies
Some of the best lessons come from looking at industries or professions adjacent to yours. Ask yourself: Who else has faced challenges like the ones we’re facing now? How did they respond?
For example, the accounting profession faced major recruiting and retention challenges in the 2010s and 2020s. If your industry is struggling with talent pipelines, there are likely lessons to draw from how accounting firms responded.
Looking across doesn’t just give you answers, it broadens your perspective and expands your thinking about what else to consider. It reminds you that while your industry feels unique, many challenges are universal.
Examples
5. Look Beside You: Pay Attention to Stakeholders
Finally, don’t forget to look sideways,at your colleagues, partners, and stakeholders. These are the people directly impacted by your work.
Two reasons this matters:
They’re also grappling with change. Paying attention to their challenges helps you better anticipate what’s next.
Your work affects theirs. If you understand how your stakeholders are adapting, you’ll be better prepared to collaborate and respond in ways that support them.
Examples
When I guide people through this exercise, we do more than create a list. We build an ecosystem of signals: articles to read, podcasts to follow, companies to track, historical examples to study, and adjacent industries to learn from.
When it’s done well, this process becomes more than a set of resources. It becomes a new way of thinking about your role and your work. People walk away with a broader aperture, a deeper sense of context, and the ability to notice signals they might have otherwise overlooked.
This matters because in a rapidly changing world, context is everything. The more context you have, the better you can interpret what is happening and anticipate what might come next.
Of course, it is important to pay attention to what is right in front of you: your role, your industry, your function. That absolutely matters. But what I’ve found is that when you zoom out and think more expansively, you return to your work with a wider lens and new ideas, and can approach what’s in front of you in a fresh way. It opens up different ways of thinking, problem-solving, and creating.
As I’ve written about here before, Albert Einstein once said, “You can’t use an old map to explore a new world.” I think about that often. The challenges and opportunities we face today will not be solved with the same thinking or the same playbooks that worked in the past. They require us to look at the world differently, to expand our perspective, and to build new maps for the future.
The future of work is not something any of us can predict. But all of us can learn to sense and respond to what is unfolding around us. That, more than anything, is the practice worth developing.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter and found it valuable and would like to work together, here are three ways. If you’re looking for some help for your learning and development, leadership development, I’d love to work with you: Here is how I might be able to assist:
Leadership & Learning Programs: Formal training and leadership development in your company, such as new manager or new leader training, or skill-based programs. (See Here for more details)
Keynote Speaking - Do you have a conference, offsite, or event and in need of a speaker? I’d love to hear more and see how I can assist
Advising and Consulting - Do you need guidance around a strategy or roadmap for navigating talent or learning strategy? Let’s Chat
Feel free to contact me directly for more details!
Solid methodology! Thx!
These are such critical skills to learn!