The Future of Community Banking

Last week I joined the Massachusetts Bankers Association to discuss the future of community banking and the future of finance. Some of the oldest institutions in the United States today are members of this storied association. Eastern Bank was established in 1818 as Salem Savings Bank, Dedham Institution for Savings was started in 1831, and […]
3 Ways NFTs Can Produce Offline Engagement (for Skeptical Executives Who Operate Physical Businesses)

By now you are probably familiar with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the many ways in which creators are using them to generate value. While NFTs are being increasingly used by artists and musicians, they can also be used strategically by offline businesses. Here are three ways NFTs could augment your customer engagement strategies. 1. […]
Professional Sports Teams are entering the Metaverse

Man U recently announced it is partnering with Sony to build the first professional football stadium in the metaverse. The Atlanta Braves became the first MLB team to announce it was also joining the metaverse. A plethora of interesting consumer-facing opportunities including ultimately bypassing traditional media distribution networks to deliver live matches, game highlights, and […]
Show me the money might not hold for Gen Z

A basic tenet of economics suggests that when the supply of labor shifts down or the demand for labor shifts up, it creates a shortage of workers at the current wage rate. If this imbalance persists, eventually wages rise, attracting workers into the workforce, resulting in a new equilibrium level of employment with a corresponding […]
Cameras are the new Keyboard

BMW owners are now able to get real-time video support from certified technicians through interactive video calls. The service is being powered by startup Blitzz. Here’s a description from a recent release: Instead of downloading an app, BMW Genius or Roadside Assistance customers can get a support link via text and be immediately connected with […]
The trustworthiness of AI-synthesized faces

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds AI-synthesized faces are indistinguishable from real faces and humans actually find them slightly more trustworthy. The results highlight not only the risks of deepfakes, but also a tremendous opportunity for researchers and businesses. The study looked at three experiments. In the […]
Emirates NBD and the Future of Work

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] This week I was in #Dubai, working with Emirates NBD, the largest banking group in the region and one of the largest banks in the world. My focus was on the future of work and the future of finance and how these two are intersecting in very interesting ways to define our post-pandemic world. […]
The Future of the Car Wash

ast week, I was at the Car Wash Show in Las Vegas speaking about the connected consumer and what it means for the future of the car wash industry. And like so many of the industries I work with, there are massive changes coming their way. Here are some of things I shared about how […]
What Matters Most for Remote Work

Some recent research suggests groups working remotely can be just as effective as groups working in-person. So what does influence a group’s ability to work effectively together on a range of tasks? The research finds that how the work is done and who is doing it both appear to be strong predictors of collective intelligence […]
A Recap of BKD’s second Annual Asset Management Seminar

Last week I keynoted the second annual Asset Management Seminar by BKD CPAs & Advisors. It was a phenomenal night with a sell-out crowd attending in-person and several hundred more registered for the simultaneous virtual event online. BKD’s CEO Tom Watson kicked things off by sharing a glimpse into BKD’s nearly 100 years of history […]