Ideas & Innovations
Exploring the intersection of technology, leadership, and digital transformation. Published weekly by Kevin Novak.
Explore 2040’s weekly Ideas and Innovations Newsletter Articles below.
Welcome to 2040’s Ideas and Innovations – where organizational transformation meets human psychology.
Every Thursday for 4+ years, I’ve been sharing insights with 5000+ leaders about why change initiatives succeed or fail. Spoiler alert: it’s rarely about the technology.
I’m Kevin Novak, CEO of 2040 Digital and author of the books “The Truth About Transformation” and “The Truth About Transformation: Leading in the Age of AI, Uncertainty and Human Complexity”. I have spent decades helping organizations navigate change by focusing on the most critical factor: the humans involved.
What you’ll get:
- Weekly deep dives into transformation topics, including strategy and psychology
- Real case studies from 100+ organizational transformations
- Frameworks that actually work in practice
- Leadership counsel and tips
- The human stories behind digital evolution
No buzzwords. No surface-level advice. Just practical insights from the front lines of organizational change.
Subscribe for free and join leaders from Fortune 500 companies, startups, and nonprofits who rely on these insights to drive successful transformation.
Also explore our latest research, Measuring What Matters, which examines why organizations struggle to connect measurement to meaningful decisions and what separates effective measurement from data collection.
Join me here on our website and subscribe using the form provided on this page or find me on Substack (20Forty’s Newsletter).
Kevin Novak, CEO, 2040 Digital and author of “The Truth About Transformation” and “The Truth About Transformation: Leading in the Age of AI, Uncertainty and Human Complexity”.
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2040’s
Ideas and Innovations Newsletter
Quiet Quitting – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Quiet Quitting Issue 73: Sept 15, 2022 We’ve all become seduced by the power of digital media to shift the cultural conversation in real time. Case in point: A cascade of reports about Quiet Quitting hit our inboxes after it was socialized on TikTok in July. It soon became the darling of cultural observers and journalists … and the bane of HR teams. So, what’s the fuss? Ambivalent employment has been around for ages; quiet quitting has gained traction as…
What Role Do You Play? – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
What Role Do You Play? Issue 72: Sept 8, 2022 Here’s a real-life scenario. Recently there has been friction and dissension within a management team. Managers are struggling to help manage a disruptive economy, guide strategy in an ambiguous marketplace, rein in a headstrong CEO that is resisting authority, and manage multiple powerplays among members who believe they have all the answers or who are afraid to reveal themselves and what they don’t know. This is not a fictional drama…
What Is Your North Star? – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
What Is Your North Star? Issue 71: Sept 1, 2022 Do you know your organization’s North Star? Or maybe a better question is whether your organization even has a North Star. Not to get all astronomical on you, but Dr. E.C. Krupp, Director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and a world-renowned expert in ancient astronomy explains, “The north pole of the sky and whatever stars were close to that point told the ancients there was foundation and structure…
How Communications Matter
How Communications Matter Issue 70, August 25th, 2022 Can you hear me? Am I listening? Are we communicating in ways that we understand each other? Language, tone, intention … critical thinking. Are we honestly embracing diversity of thought, alternative perspectives, and different ways of solving problems? Or are we putting our co-workers, colleagues, and—even worse—our customers into boxes that we have imposed on them. In case you missed, it, check out our newsletter, “How Effectively Do You Communicate with Stakeholders,” and learn…
What is Work?
What is Work? Issue 69, August 18th, 2022 What is work? Where is work? What work matters? Why do we work? The traditional work models are turning on their heads. It’s been a long time coming since the Industrial Age, but we are at a crossroads moving forward radically in how we view and manage work … and our workforce. Think of the current work-related cultural conversation: the Great Resignation, anti-Ambition, silent resignation, a next-gen mental health crisis, distributed work,…
The New Rules of Work – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
The New Rules of Work Issue 69: August 18, 2022 What is work? Where is work? What work matters? Why do we work? The traditional work models are turning on their heads. It’s been a long time coming since the Industrial Age, but we are at a crossroads moving forward radically in how we view and manage work … and our workforce. Think of the current work-related cultural conversation: the Great Resignation, anti-Ambition, silent resignation, a next-gen mental health crisis,…
Targeted Transformation – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Targeted Transformation Issue 68: August 11, 2022 What’s the default approach to organizational pivots and transformation? Popular opinion is that technology will lead the way and the workforce will follow. It’s a seductive, but majorly misguided notion. First and foremost, it’s the human factor that will make or break any strategic plan. And that’s the focus of our new book, The Truth about Transformation. Our playbook takes a deep focus on what you need to know, the questions you should…
Why Do People Lie? – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Why Do People Lie? Issue 66: July 28, 2022 Last week we discussed inferences that can be made based on what we do versus what we say— all revealed by data from our physical and digital footprints. We offered several observations about how what we say often reflects what we think others want to hear from us or how others expect us to respond. Several months ago, we focused on how individuals and organizations earn trust. This week, we turn…
Behavioral and Inference Data: A 360 Perspective – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Behavioral and Inference Data: A 360 Perspective Issue 65: July 21, 2022 What we say or how we respond publicly is often very different than what we may feel, believe, like or dislike privately. Let’s consider a hypothetical conversation with a friend. She is proudly wearing a new dress that she just purchased. She asks your opinion as she seeks confirmation if the dress makes her look good. She surely thinks it does. You of course don’t want to hurt…
To Be Forewarned Is to Be Forearmed – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
To Be Forewarned Is to Be Forearmed Issue 64: July 14, 2022 The savvy, experienced executives are curious, informed, and naturally anticipate the future, not catch up to it. That usually requires these individuals to step out of their comfort zones and confront ambiguity and change head-on. They support their teams and coach them to think critically and stretch to maintain high performance, both individually and for the organization. This may sound obvious, but in our experience, we have encountered…
Breaking News: Important Privacy Changes – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Breaking News: Important Privacy Changes Issue 63: July 7, 2022 As we mentioned in our Privacy Regulation Update: The Doors Are Locking on User Data newsletter last week, over the next two weeks, we will share a curated list of 2021/22 articles to assist you and your organization in conducting some deep and critical thinking on how you collect, manage and leverage data. We will also review tips on how you adapt to the limitations and restrictions set in place…
Privacy Regulation Update: The Doors Are Locking on User Data – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Privacy Regulation Update: The Doors Are Locking on User Data Issue 62: June 30, 2022 We have frequently written about how the digital privacy and data environment outside of the US is being transformed as a result of international government efforts to enact policies and regulations that seek to protect its citizens and their privacy. The EU community is leading the way on these initiatives, and we caution all organizations to be aware and forewarned about the changes as they…
2022 Mid-Year Prediction: Unintended Consequences – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
2022 Mid-Year Prediction: Unintended Consequences Issue 61: June 23, 2022 Over the past two years in discussions with clients and the 2040 team, I have continued to raise the point that ” it ain’t over until the lady sings.” Many have already sung with sighs of relief and many more have yet to sing. In either case, the songs increase anxiety and confusion when the last notes are ambivalent, and the outcome is not assured. The Center Will Not Hold…
Always Start with a Strategic Premise – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Always Start with a Strategic Premise Issue 60: June 16, 2022 You’ve developed an aspirational strategic plan that is going to help you crush it compared to your competitors and allow the organization to expand its customer base and be more relevant to existing customers. The direction of the plan and its goals seem to address the declining performance of existing business lines and offerings by developing a new model. You’ve worked on it, honed it, and vetted it with…
Shared Purpose Revisited
Shared Purpose Revisited Issue 59, June 10, 2022 Back by popular demand, our newsletter on Shared Purpose is the best-read article we have published. It resonates because organizations today need a shared purpose to make a business sustainable. It’s not enough to have shared goals, an organization needs shared intent. Axios reports, “So much misunderstanding, tension and turmoil flow from thinking the other people are dishonest or out to get you. So, stop assuming the worst. Dig deep enough into relationships and…
Transformation Is a Messy Business – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
Transformation Is a Messy Business Issue 58: June 2, 2022 When it comes to digital transformation, some thought leaders correlate it to chaos theory. We’ve all heard about chaos theory, even if we don’t understand it. Dumbed down, it’s the mathematical theory that explains what seems random and chaotic but that in actuality has underlying patterns, an interconnectedness and self-organization that can give order and logic to what seems chaotic on the surface. As we have continued to share in…
The Fault in Ourselves Revisited
The Fault in Ourselves Revisited Issue 57, May 26, 2022 When we originally published this newsletter, Ukraine was not making headlines; there was no fifth wave of Covid; state primaries hadn’t happened; Disney was running theme parks in Florida without taking a public political position; the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard spectacle fighting out their own interpretations of the truth; and Elon Musk was not making news acquiring/not acquiring Twitter. Leading an organization has become a landmine with the public…
2040’s Ideas and Innovations: How Illusion and Delusion Derail Organizations
How Illusion and Delusion Derail Organizations Issue 56: May 19, 2022 Two colleagues just attended their monthly executive committee meeting. One is the chief revenue officer of the organization, and the other is the head of marketing. The organization is struggling with diminishing membership revenues and sponsorship sales are running behind. The salesperson gave an upbeat, optimistic presentation asserting they would close the revenue gap by the end of the quarter. The marketing executive had a completely different take on…
Leading with Courage Redux
Leading with Courage Redux Issue 55, May 12, 2022 When we published the Leading with Courage newsletter last Fall, we were still emerging from the worst of the pandemic, slightly dazed and confused. We were facing a perfect storm that tested our resolve and creativity in leading our way to the future. Today, the entire world has seemingly collectively recognized the face of courage in the Ukrainian people and their leader, Volodymyr Zelensky. The Wall Street Journal states, “Zelensky defines courage…
2040’s Ideas and Innovations: Why Does Context Matter to Every Individual and Organization?
Why Does Context Matter to Every Individual and Organization? Issue 54: May 5, 2022 In times of uncertainty and ambiguity, context is essential to providing clarity in communications and interpersonal relations – both personal and professional. It has become a challenge to understand others when there is an abundance of misinformation and personal spin on the facts. Even more confusing, history is recorded according to the historian’s context, which can be a highly personal interpretation. Worst case, the lack of…
2040’s Ideas and Innovations: Are You Holding Everyone Back?
Are You Holding Everyone Back? Issue 53: April 28, 2022 Some people are quick processors, others way slower. Some people are decisive, others less so. Some people thrive on structure, others won’t be boxed in. And some people are planners, others can’t be bothered. We all know the types: Planners get to the airport hours before the flight; their nemeses are always running to the gate. What happens when key members of a team don’t process quickly enough, are indecisive,…
2040’s Ideas and Innovations: Transitioning, Under Pressure … or Voluntarily
Transitioning, Under Pressure … or Voluntarily Issue 52: April 21, 2022 Does this sound familiar? You have spent most of your professional life perfecting who you are and have chosen to become. It’s a significant investment to fine-tune a life that conforms to your beliefs, hopes and dreams. Then wham! You have become marginal, or even worse, irrelevant. Suddenly (although it was gradual in coming if you had been paying attention) you have to reinvent yourself. This turning point is…
2040’s Ideas and Innovations: Why Do We Struggle with White Space?
Why Do We Struggle with White Space? Issue 51: April 14, 2022 Here’s an existential question: How do you fill an empty/white space? Spoiler alert: First, ask yourself is it worth filling? Second, is what you’re filling it with valuable, relevant and meaningful? Lastly, don’t hold back if you’re worried whether the full space is going to be accepted by others or will we be ridiculed and sequestered to the back of the room. Too often our default behaviors kick…
Attaining Goals: What Holds You Back? – Ideas + Innovations from 2040
What Keeps You from Attaining Goals? Issue 50: April 7, 2022 Any transformation, transition or change requires setting and attaining goals. But does the end justify the means? In other words, do we focus so acutely on the goals we set that we lose sight of whether the goals move us forward to what we aspire to? How do we ensure our goals are worthy and relevant? How often do we mistake a goal for intention? A goal has a…
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