Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: "High-impact HR organizations focus on continuous improvement, not radical HR transformation" (Stacey Harris). Organizations that fail to continually update their leadership approach are at risk of falling behind, with the pace of business change showing no signs of slowing. Executives of high-functioning "Digital Winners" excel at communicating a company-wide digital strategy, keeping manager and worker skills up-to-date, and streamlining organizational structure. They embrace diversity as an investment, listen to millennial executives, and invest in their workforce. How does company rate? The experts speak. Deidre Paknad, Workboard: "Time and tide wait for no man" (St. Marher & Chaucer). Jason Averbook, LeapGen: "If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near" (Jack Welch). Dr. Patti Fletcher, SAP SuccessFactors: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" (Peter F. Drucker). Join us for Digital Winners: Making Digital HR Real.

The buzz: "We have to remember social over selling" (Viveka Von Rosen). "[Social networking risks]…Trickier to manage are lapses of etiquette, tone and consistency" (Barbara Giamanco and Kent Gregoire). The Golden Rule – "Do to others what you want them to do to you" – still applies in our digital world. Pop quiz for social sellers: Are you aggressively pursuing prospects, inundating them with your ads and trying to get into their newsfeed? Stop! It's time to "play nice" in the digital sandbox by serving as a listener, advisor and partner in their buying process. The experts speak. Kirsten Boileau, SAP: "Your customer doesn't care how much you know, until they know how much you care" (Damon Richards). Hilary Carter, InTune Communications: "A fool with a tool is still a fool" (Grady Booch). Julio Viskovich, rFactr: "Saying hello doesn't have ROI. It's about building relationships" (Gary "Vee" Vaynerchuk). Join us for Social Selling and the Golden Rule: Manners Still Matter!

The buzz: "The most promising privacy thing is stupid phones. I'm dumping all my smart phones" (John McAfee). We as individuals have welcomed Internet-connected, often mobile devices to help us make daily decisions. But whether asking a chatbot for directions or researching products online, youre leaving digital breadcrumbs that advertisers, manufacturers, and others can capture and analyze to build detailed profiles about your lifestyle. Do you care who sees and uses your private data? Should you? The experts speak. Brian Kilcourse, RRS Research: "If we're going to be connected, we've got to be protected..." (Barack Obama). Frank Diana, TCS: ""Simply put, it is possible to have convenience if you want to tolerate insecurity, but if you want security, you must be prepared for inconvenience" (Gen. B W. Chidlaw). Larry Stolle, SAP: "The way I see it, if you want to see the rainbow you have to put up with the rain!" (Dolly Parton) Join us for You Don't Own Me: But What About My Data?

The buzz: "Blockchain is much bigger than Bitcoin and its reach is far more holistic." (forum.daohub.org) In search of the holy grail of a unified customer profile, marketers have built massive databases for up-sells, cross-sells, promotions, retention. But what if the customer forces you to PAY THEM to access and use their data, read your ad, view your video, attend your seminar? Welcome to the new reality of blockchain technology. Best known as the infrastructure for Bitcoin, blockchains are altering the marketer-customer relationship. The experts speak. Jeremy Epstein, Never Stop Marketing: "There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear" (Buffalo Springfield). Amanda Gutterman, ConsenSys: "Never allow a person to tell you 'no' who doesn't have the power to say 'yes'" (Eleanor Roosevelt). Joel Monegro, Union Square Ventures: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme" (Mark Twain). Join us for Blockchain Technology: Turning Marketing on Its Head?

The buzz: "Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping" (Bo Derek). Ongoing digital innovations in our hyper-connected world have dramatically impacted consumer buying behaviors and expectations, challenging retailers to change or become obsolete. Smart retailers are already taking action to avoid becoming dinosaurs. But is it too late for the laggards? The experts speak. Brian Kilcourse, Retail Systems Research: "Amazon and online sales is killing traditional retail, and what's true there is going to be true throughout our economy" (U.S. President Barack Obama, Jan. 2017). Doug Stephens, Retail Prophet: "We try to rationalize why innovations from other sectors don't apply to us, rather than focusing on why they do" (George Blankenship, Apple, Tesla, GAP). Greg McStravick, SAP: "There is nothing wrong with change if it is in the right direction" (Sir Winston Churchill). Join us for Retail in 5 Years: Digital Dinosaurs vs Survivors – Part 2.

The buzz: "The modern CFO is often the right-hand man or woman of the CEO" (Fox Business 10/24/13). Your Finance department is at a critical juncture. Gone are the days when CFOs just reported on past results. The modern office of Finance can help navigate your enterprise forward using Dynamic Planning and Analysis technologies to simulate in-the-moment complex scenarios, leverage advanced visualizations and simplify complex predictive analytics. The experts speak. Jeff Hattendorf, Macrospect: "A bad system will beat a good person every time" (W. Edwards Deming). Rob Ried, Deloitte: "Go out and collect data and, instead of having the answer, just look at the data and see if the data tells you anything. When we're allowed to do this with companies, it's almost magical" (Steven Levitt). Floyd Conrad, SAP: "The best way to predict the future is to create it" (Dennis Gabor). Join us for Finance Manager's Guide to the Future: Dynamic Planning and Analysis.

The buzz: "People are hungry for stories. It's part of our very being" (Studs Terkel). Everyone loves, craves, and has a story. But many companies approach prospects and customers with boring, crammed power point slides devoid of action, conflict and emotion. Did you forget that these people are human? Solution: Frame your information like an action movie–with a hero and a villain–that your potential buyer would watch in a theater, as they munch popcorn. Why? Powerful storytelling can propel your sales effort to a new level of trust and customer loyalty. The experts speak. Michael Margolis, Get Storied: "Those who tell the stories, rule the world" (Plato). Heidi Berenson, Berenson Communications: "Does anyone have questions for my answers?" (Henry Kissinger). Janis Fratamico, SAP: "When you slip on a banana peel, people laugh at you. But when you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, it's your laugh" (Nora Ephron). Join us for Tell Me a Great Story: Role of Storytelling in Sales.

The buzz: "For last year's words belong to last year's language And next year's words await another voice" (T.S. Eliot). 2017 brings the opportunity to start with a clean slate, despite your mistakes last year. It's also a time to pull on your "big girl (and boy) pants" and face the ugly issues you swept under the rug last year…and in years before. We invite small business owners to bravely look in the dark corners you'd prefer to avoid. Why? By shining the light, you'll build a stronger, more prosperous business in 2017! The experts speak. Nina Kaufman, Esq.: "There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going" (Beverly Sills). Nance L. Schick, Esq.: "A quiet conscience makes one strong (Anne Frank). Renée L. Duff, Esq.: "The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks...then starting on that first one" (Mark Twain). Join us for Legal Lessons for Women Business Owners - Part 5: How to Clear Your Legal Clutter for the New Year.

The buzz: Crystal ball for 2017. If #1 on your business wish list is to know what 2017 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we've got insightful predictions from more than 75 thought leaders about the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete in 2017 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for SAP Game-Changers Radio 2017 Predictions – Part 5 live. Hear our complete 5-part special on-demand at Coffee Break with Game-Changers Radio. Featured guests: Larry Stolle, SAP; Marisa Kopec, SiriusDecisions; Sheila McGovern, IBM; Tamara Schenk, Miller Heiman Group; Dave Duggal, EnterpriseWeb; Maria Haggen, SAP; Elvia Novak, Deloitte; Christopher Carter, Approyo; Carlos A. Russell, Ternium; Vic Briccardi, RTS Consulting; Rich Seltz, SAP; Matt Donovan, GP Strategies Learning Solutions; Sherryanne Meyer, ASUG; Sathish Gajaraju, Sensify; Ken Redler, cSubs; Padman Ramankutty, Intrigo. Happy new year from SAP Game-Changers Radio!

The buzz: Crystal ball for 2017. If #1 on your business wish list is to know what 2017 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we've got the next best thing. We're bringing you insightful predictions about the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete in 2017 and beyond, from more than 75 thought leaders. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for SAP Game-Changers Radio 2017 Predictions – Part 4 live. And tune in Jan. 18 for the final segment of this 5-part special. Featured guests: Jason A. Shepherd, Dell; Bridget E. Karlin, Intel; Jeff A. Goldberg, Accenture; Jeff Doneghue, BUNN; Fred Yentz, Telit; Tanguy Caillet, EY; Lil Mohan, University of Chicago; Barbara Giamanco, Social Centered Selling; Charlie Cole, TUMI; Thomas Foley, LenovoHealth; David Fowler, SAP; Srikanth Tamma, Deloitte; Linda Hamilton CPA LLC; Janaki Kumar, SAP; Tony Cusat, ADP; Robert Kugel, CFA, Ventana Research. Happy new year from SAP Game-Changers Radio!