In an episode of The Poultry Leadership Podcast, host Brandon Mulnix sat down with world-renowned futurist, best-selling author, and strategic advisor Daniel Burrus. With decades of experience researching global innovations and advising everyone from the Department of Defense to major agricultural leaders, Burrus shared a powerful methodology for navigating our rapidly changing world.
For poultry producers, the message was clear: in an era of hyperspeed change, you are either the disruptor or the disrupted.
Hard Trends vs. Soft Trends: Finding Certainty in Uncertainty
Burrus argues that the reason many people fail to plan is that they feel the future is too unpredictable. However, his research shows that you can separate what will happen from what might happen by identifying Hard Trends and Soft Trends.
- Hard Trends: These are based on future facts that cannot be changed. Examples include aging demographics (78 million baby boomers are getting older) and the continued exponential growth of AI.
- Soft Trends: These are based on things that might happen. Because they aren’t guaranteed, they represent an opportunity. If you don’t like the trend, you can change it.
Strategic Insight: Strategy based on certainty (Hard Trends) has low risk; strategy based on uncertainty has high risk.
The “Skip It” Principle: Solving the Real Problem
One of the most transformative ideas Burrus shared is the “Skip It” Principle. When faced with a massive obstacle, he suggests two approaches:
- Find the Real Problem: Often, the problem you’ve identified is just a symptom. By “boring down” and asking “why” multiple times, you find the root cause, which is usually solvable.
- Skip the Phases: We often assume we must go from Step A to B to C before reaching D. Burrus challenges leaders to ask, “Can I go straight to D?”. Whether it’s skipping an unnecessary degree or a traditional business phase, modern tools like AI often provide a shortcut to the end goal.
AI: The Ultimate Hard Trend in Agriculture
Burrus is emphatic: AI is a Hard Trend that will get more powerful every month. He addressed the common fear of AI by stating, “Humans will be replaced by humans using AI”.
In the poultry industry, AI isn’t just about robots; it’s about predictive technology:
- Vision Systems: Moving beyond simple counting to systems that can identify the behavior of a healthy bird versus an unhealthy one in real-time.
- Intelligent Sensors: Adding inexpensive sensors to everything from barn batteries to ventilation systems to shift from “break-fix” to “predict and prevent”.
- Real-time Training: Imagine a new maintenance technician using an AI-powered headset that “sees” what they see and provides instant guidance on fixing a complex piece of equipment.
How to Become a “Positive Disruptor”
To thrive, Burrus encourages farmers to be Positive Disruptors: creating the transformations needed to elevate relevancy and accelerate profitable growth rather than waiting for disruption to happen to them.
Three steps to start today:
- Download the Resources: Burrus offers a list of the 25 Technology Hard Trends shaping the future and an AI Strategy Report reviewing the top tools for small and medium businesses.
- Find a “Techno-Mentor”: If you’re overwhelmed by the technology, ask a young person—a child or grandchild—to help you learn the tools.
- Focus on the “Must-Dos”: Big lists never get done. Identify one or two things you must do to protect your operation and schedule them in your calendar immediately.
By using the right technology today, you can stop worrying about the “what-ifs” and finally sleep better at night. To hear the full conversation, click here.
Anticipating the future is only the first step; executing the plan is where the transformation happens. Reach out to the Prism Controls team to discuss your next steps to help keep your operation future-proof with AI and control over your barn systems.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. We are dedicated to helping our farmers sleep better at night knowing their motor panels are built for safety and efficiency.