Each month, Tony Uphoff, visionary CEO of Thomasnet.com, joins Cloud Wars Live for a recurring segment. “Uphoff on Industry” will explore the innovations, upheavals, and breakthroughs reshaping the the world of manufacturing and industrial markets. Join Tony and me as we discuss disruptive new trends in the digital-industrial world: how we design, source and manufacture products, and also the new ways in which industrial companies are getting up to speed on marketing, sales and customer experience.
Episode 5
In this episode: Tony and I start off by discussing “change management.” Could it be that our dynamic world has altered that concept, so that it’s more “management that is in a perpetual state of change” (Tony’s words)? We also touch on self-management, something that Tony says the industry doesn’t talk about enough. He says the emotional stamina required to run a business today is infinitely greater and more trying than it was even 10 years ago.
We also talk about the “redefinition of work.” Tony says that nearly 200,000 robots have entered the U.S. market in the last seven years. And in those same seven years, 1.3 million new manufacturing jobs have also emerged. These aren’t white collar jobs or blue collar jobs—they’re “new collar” jobs.
Given the rapid pace of change and the emergence of automation and other innovations, Tony shares that at Thomasnet, they recommend that all companies develop “a new technology team.” No matter the size of the business, you need people focusing on how tech can spur growth and innovation.
You can also stream the audio-only version of this episode:
Highlights
'My thesis, if you will… is that we've gone from change management to just management that is in a perpetual state of change.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet 'It is not for the faint of heart to run a company today, of any size.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet 'Given the pace of change and given the velocity that things are moving, you have to be comfortable with ambiguity today.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet
Cloud Wars Live Digital All-Stars
Tony Uphoff is one of our regular Digital All-Stars. The All-Stars are experts who will appear in regular video podcasts focused on the critical themes shaping (and re-shaping!) the business world in the digital age of 2019. Our intention is to provide regular chunks of timely ideas, insights and conversations on high-priority subjects from industry veterans with diverse backgrounds.
