175: Diana Wu David—Future Proof You and Your Work

Learn how to identify your own path to the future!

This was a very timely interview with Diana Wu David. Diana is the author of the new book, “Future Proof: Reinventing Work in the Age of Acceleration.“ Our discussion was all about what she is seeing in the business world as technology, work and life intersect, pushing our lives in entirely new directions. You will also hear about her own research among companies, large and small, as she works with their leadership, their boards and their staff to enable them to adapt to the fast pace of change. As you know, at SAMC we’re all about change! Great tools here…enjoy.

What do you have to do to change?

According to Diana, in order to change, we need to adopt more agile mindsets and practices so we can become successful agents of our own lives, not just our careers. She says that today’s blend of a person’s at-work and out-work life is creating new lives for us all. And new, younger generations are redefining their relationships to those they work with and the organizations they work in, which is adding another layer of change to the mix. Change is pain but we must do it!

Can you “see” where you are going?

Diana was in Hong Kong when we did our podcast but it was like we were sitting next to each other. We both work with clients globally, so this was very natural. In fact, these days there really are few boundaries except of our own making. In this podcast, you’ll learn more how to eliminate those boundaries that are holding you back.

As a futurist, and a realist too, Diana’s forte is helping people see what is happening all around them. Through her Future Proof Lab, participants are shown how to identify their own path to the future, something we all need to think about as many of us will live to 100, well past that retirement day.

Some background on Diana

An adjunct professor of leadership at Columbia Business School’s EMBA Global Asia, author and a former Financial Times executive, Diana Wu David now works with global leaders to help them make sense of mega trends and take advantage of disruption. Her clients have included Credit Suisse, The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Wharf Hotel Management Group, Expedia, the World Bank, Asia Development Bank and KPMG. In addition, she began her career and leadership education as an assistant to former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Her company, Future Proof Labs (formerly Sarana Labs), provides education to help people make sense of disruption from senior executives via the Future Proof Course to young people preparing for a bright future via initiatives like The Opportunity Project. Past projects include gaming for good, robotics education, a global online training platform, and a social impact fund that trains women to invest via peer-to-peer learning and teamwork.

You can read more of Diana’s insights on her LinkedIn and on her blog. You can also listen to her TEDx talk, The Difference Between Running and Running Free.

Links to help you bodly meet the future