Distraction Management

I have seen the future and it's going to be BUSY. We have to prepare ourselves, our colleagues, clients and suppliers for a future of major communications overload with an endless number of distractions pulling at us from all angles.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is artificial intelligence. There is no doubt that this revolution will bring us a great many opportunities but like the previous three industrial revolutions, there will be issues to be dealt with as well. Digital technology and artificial intelligence integration will not come without major disruption. To that end, companies must prepare now and explore ways to fully benefit from the global trends and profound changes taking place now and in the near future.

Today's guest at the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal's International Leaders series was Microsoft's Executive Vice President, and President, Global Sales and Marketing and Operations, Mr. Jean-Philippe Courtois. His presentation was insightful and optimistic. He spoke of how digital technology and artificial intelligence can benefit companies today, and will continue to do so in the future. Personally, I found it very interesting to hear from Microsoft partners already using AI in their products and services and seeing the results (savings $$ and time-wise), also to see how companies are using AI in their future product and service offerings. The future of business is AI and Microsoft is playing a large role.

From my perspective, as a communications, task and time management specialist, any tool that helps people work better with less effort and less stress is what I'm all about. I welcome progress and innovation with open arms. My role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as I see it, is to be sure that companies focus the appropriate time, money and training on their people, helping them maneuver and work in this new environment with what appears to be even more distractions than ever.

Maybe I should call myself a Distraction Management Specialist?