Love Will Tear Us Apart.

The Future of….Separation
– by Pip Wilson, Founder, amicable

You’re in your early 40’s, it’s June 2016 and your marriage is falling apart.

The pressure of work and kids and the passing have time have meant you have drifted apart and after months of pain you have both agreed it’s over.

You’re sad, you’re not thinking straight and the road ahead feels long and painful, where do you start? A friend introduces you to their lawyer, the first conversation is free, subsequently it’s £300+ an hour.

You’re facing a total cost of thousands, much more if you end up in court. Surely every penny counts when faced with the prospect of supporting two households?

The lawyer, your friends and family all say you need professional support.

Maybe you can do it yourself, there is countless information available, but it seems so impenetrable: where do you start? You try and talk to your partner but it turns into a row, waking your youngest child, who sobs inconsolably “Please stop shouting Mummy and Daddy.”

Now you have to determine who is at fault. The current law in England and Wales decrees one of you must take the blame for the break-up of your marriage, what’s that going to achieve?

Everyone seems set on turning it in to the biggest fight possible, how is that going to help you, you partner or your kids get on with their lives? Surely this is a broken system?

Why has technology added so much (whether you like it or not!) to some parts of life but barely influenced other events such as divorce and separation?

Partly there is a generational aspect, the mobile generation haven’t yet reached the “peak” divorce age, so haven’t demanded better solutions.

Then there is the legal industry promulgating the view that every divorce is unique and you need someone on your side. Acrimony and protecting an individual appear to be actively encouraged and the level of emotion clouds even the most rational person’s mindset.

What is in essence an emotional process is generally perceived as being a difficult legal process. The result is that historical approaches endure, with fear and misunderstanding preventing change.

So what could the future of separation look like?

At amicable we believe that as humans we need to be encouraged to recognise the difference between the emotional process and the practical one, to allow ourselves time to focus on the sadness and grieve what we have lost.

It is unnatural to expect someone in times of great stress to be able to make rational practical decisions on a given day because that’s when they happen to be seeing their lawyer!

It’s also fundamental that if someone needs help from a professional it’s the right person at the right time. If you are struggling with the emotional side of divorce see a counsellor or even a friend; not a lawyer.

Once these two journeys are recognised the potential of technology to help with the practical side becomes much clearer. The practical side is simply a series of decisions to be made, including where you children will live, what your house is worth, where you will spend Christmas.

The majority of those questions are the same for everyone. They may be difficult decisions but they can be turned into an easy-to-follow process that breaks down the communication barriers and moves people forward in a time frame that works for them.

Technology can help individuals communicate better, it can help shift through vast quantities of data to show you precedents, it can pre-fill agreements and it can facilitate negotiations.

Why not let it do all that and let humans focus on dealing with emotions?

– with thanks to the author, Pip Wilson, Founder of amicable

Can You Feel My Love Buzz?

One of the risks as we digitise and connect everything – making it ‘smart’, is that it gets hacked.

Including vibrators.

Does that make us dumb…?

They Want You, They Want You, They Want You As A New Recruit.

The British Army is getting with the 21st Century programme and setting up a new brigade….

I Know What It Means To Work Hard On Machines.

The Future of….Technology
– by Carolina Vicente, Director of Digital Marketing, Google

It’s the crystal ball moment we all love, folks. What will be?

We are all in a relentless search for answers in our everyday lives and look to the future of technology with anticipation, hoping it will bring an elixir of eternal wealth and power where the possibilities are endless. In this new world (enabled by technology), the future looks sunglass bright, promising and full of possibilities.

Technology enables the creation of data at phenomenal scale and speed. Thinking about the fact that well over 90% of today’s data has been generated just over the last 2 years, the jaw-dropping dimension of it all starts to sink in.

It’s a little like the good ol’ chicken and egg scenario, where the generation of more data is also allowing new technology to be developed – think programmatic and the subsequent incessant rise of new algorithms, businesses and products, all promising to be the solution we are looking for when it comes to having one-to-one conversations at scale over the web – or finding the answer to the elusive 360 degree view of the customer.

But I digress. There are truly impressive uses of technology being discussed at large scale within several businesses today. From renewable energy to ‘humanised’ drones – the sky is (quite literally) the limit.

With renewable energy, wind energy is possibly one of the mainstream technologies that needs a complete overhaul. Only 3% of the world’s energy comes from wind, and incremental technologies are not cutting through this reality, with only about 15% of land around the world being suitable for the next turbine iteration – in other words, we need to start over.

While it may often seem like we have a long way to go when it comes to sustainable renewable energy generation, there are a few countries that show us this is entirely possible – Costa Rica has shown the world last year how it’s done by drawing 99% of its energy consumption from renewable sources. Pretty impressive.

Biotech is in my opinion, one of the most exciting areas where technology can shine and truly improve (if not completely transform) how we live today – and how long for. Looking at the human body as a series of separate systems and addressing longevity as you would address oiling a machine (system by system), means we could be living exponentially longer in the not too distant future.

The application of nanotechnology to medicine could mean diseases like cancer will be a thing of the past. Equally, could neurohacking mean our own brains could ultimately engineer the makeup of our bodies and by definition, determine how long we live for – and what quality of life we can have?

Today we can already see companies like Google & Novartis partnering to alleviate diabetes management through the use of a microscopic technology attached to a contact lens. The gadget measures insulin levels through tears, which is ironic, as constant, tearful stabbing of one’s finger to draw blood several times a day is now not longer necessary.

Robotics is yet another trend looming in the horizon. Images of human-like creatures spring to mind – much like Atlas Robotics’ drones. This area could improve the way logistics and elderly care are conducted in the future. In fact, many companies have already acquired licenses to use drones commercially, with France and the UK leading the way. Industries like oil & gas, transportation and even Insurance are all jumping on the robotics bandwagon, all hoping to be first to the future.

All of these technologies are generating more and more data. In fact, so much of it exists and is being captured, that companies today are struggling with what to do with it and where to start.

Thinking of the customer first might be a good starting point. This is where innovation comes in. How can we change what we do today (and how we do it), anticipating what people will want next? Innovation through technology then becomes a critical catalyst to change. Making use of today’s technology, we can create solutions that did not exist yesterday.

Think of the driverless car. A fundamental economic and sociological change in the making, that made use of existing technology to address several world problems. All of a sudden, those who are visually impaired can drive and be more autonomous going from A to B all on their own.

Addressing mortality on the roads (not only from a life preservation perspective, but also with an economical lens) is yet another issue driverless cars are trying to solve. According to a recent report, road accidents cost the global economy over $500 Billion annually. Wouldn’t it be great if technology could solve this… oh wait a minute…

Changes such as these will reshape economies profoundly. Thinking not only of the driverless car but also the sharing economy, who is the end customer? Will insurance companies insure the manufacturer, the vehicle, the driver or will the sharing economy mean we will need a hybrid insurance model?

It is important to constantly question ourselves and our businesses to determine if the road to obsolete is unavoidable, or if true technological transformation could act as an accelerator to positive change.

And then there is everyone else racing to the same finish line. Former GE CEO Jack Welch said there are only two sources of competitive advantage: Know more than your competitors and act faster than anyone else. I would add a layer to this and say we need to be able to generate more ideas and encourage creativity to use that knowledge to its true potential.

Disrupting yourself as a business is key to survival. If you are not disrupting your business, chances are you are being (or will soon be) disrupted – possibly irreparably, in a “close the front door” kind of way.

Startup incubator units are a great way to ensure disruption can accelerate within traditional businesses.

In a reality where technology is already enabling exponential economic growth (more investors, fractional comparative/like-for-like costs, more wealth and 100 times more power), looking ahead no longer seems like we are gazing into a crystal ball. The future really is here, and things are only going to get faster. Successful businesses will need to lead trends, not follow. By the time you have geared yourself to follow a trend, it will already be too late.

Get in the front line of the race or risk being left behind.

– with thanks to the author, Carolina Vicente, Director of Digital Marketing at Google. Please note that the author writes in a personal capacity and her views are not necessarily reflective of the views of Google. 

I’m Horny. Horny, Horny, Horny.

MOVING IMAGES. Each week, Monticello Creative Partner, Jamie Colonna, shares a picture that has – one way or another – moved him.

Spirit In The Sky.

I’m Only Sleeping.

15 people said yes to being photographed by The Huffington Post as they fell into the arms of Morpheus.

I Crashed My Car Into The Bridge.

In a telling article for The Telegraph, Sophie Jamieson asked whether driverless cars will result in the death of the motor insurance business.

You Can Check Out Any Time You Like.

The Future of….Service In An Online World
– by Tamara Lohan, Co-Founder & CTO, Mr & Mrs Smith

Ten years from now, I am woken by the closest possible approximation of natural light gently illuminating my room until I find myself fully alert, sleep cycle complete, at the time I had specified before I drifted off.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.

In the last two weeks, the Anglo-American world’s collective Super Ego came together to obliterate the reputation of a previously unknown American dentist.

We See The Banker Sitting Waiting For A Trim?

Our business is all about helping our clients develop a 21st Century Advantage; understanding possible existential threats and developing responses to them.

Nice And Easy Does It, Every Time.

Every now and again, technology just thrills us.

Nike’s latest shoe, inspired by a disabled teen who wanted to go to college and live independently like the rest of us, is an example par excellence.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Social Justice is the new Corporate Responsibility – and That’s a Problem.

One word sums up the last month in American discourse: Divided.

You And Me. And A Bottle Of Wine.

I once told an audience I was speaking to that LinkedIn was ‘networking for people who couldn’t network.’

It didn’t go down very well.

Fade To Grey.

The account manager is dead.

And Stephen King killed him.

Say My Name, You Know Who I Am.

The Future of….Media Management
– by Susannah Clark, Global VP Communications at King

I have a confession to make.

I really love trashy American reality TV.

And In The End….

“You are now dinner conversation.”

And with these words, that will resonate with every leader, Kevin Allen opens his latest, stunning book: The Buoyant Leader.

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright?

Churchill said that: ‘We shape our buildings. Thereafter, they shape us’.

I think he was on to something.

There’s Something Happening Here.

What it is ain’t exactly clear….

Una Furtiva Lagrima?

It is a distressing truth that, for those who don’t continuously innovate, the bony finger of irrelevance beckons.

New York City Boy.

America renews.

It renews itself, continually: and it renews me.

Broken Strings?

When It Comes To Love, I Need A Slow Hand.

When I was a teenage boy, I’d sometimes find porn in hedges.

They Seek Him Here. They Seek Him There.

Can you remember the last time you saw, or read, something that really made you stand still, draw breath and want to wallow in its beauty or message?

And The People Bowed And Prayed. To The Neon God They Made.

There’s a museum in Oxford called The Ashmolean.

Kind of a weird name, but a very cool place. Like a more accessible, and better curated, British Museum.

You’ve Got To Find A Way, Say What You Want To Say – Break Out.

Being a Saudi prince is pretty cool.

Until you travel overseas and realise that the rest of the world has a certain – not terribly positive – view on you.

Je Ne Veux Pas Travailler.

Melyn introduced us to the works of David Graeber.

Shake It Up, Just Like Bad Medicine.

Atul Gawande is a Harvard professor who was invited to give a series of Reith lectures in 2014.

In A New York Minute….

Everything can change.

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

The currency of leadership is the future.

The future is what leaders deal in, and, ultimately, it’s where they will be judged.

If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place, Take A Look At Yourself And Make That Change.

“….the main responsibility”, asserts the brilliant Ian Priest in the IPA’s booklet A is for alliances: Less pitches, more partnership, “lies with client marketing and procurement”.

Careless Wispa.

When I was a boy, my Dad said to me:

There are three types of people in this world. There are people who make things happen. And there are people who watch things happen. Then there are the people who simply say, “What happened?”

Rose Fass has written a genuinely brilliant book about being, and staying, in the first category.

Rockin’ All Over The World.

Ann Summers is a household name in the UK.

And for a nation that still has a – well let’s just say – complex relationship with sex, the business has carved out a beautifully shaped niche for itself on the British High Street.

I Predict A Riot.

Your name is down amongst the Black Hearts in the Black Book and this is to advise you and the like of you to make your wills……Ye have not done as ye ought. Swing.’

Night Divides The Day.

My poor family.

As if mile upon mile of Pacific Coast Highway with only the ‘Tapping Game’ (a spectacularly under-rated form of in-automobile entertainment in which ‘Tappees’ barely notice the hours as they try to guess which particular tune the ‘Tapper’ is knocking out on the dashboard, window, etc) to break up the boredom wasn’t bad enough, yesterday I subjected them to over an hour of ‘Speaking Personally: Aldous Huxley.’

Am I Living In A Box?

In the spring of 1991, very quietly, a scientist named Christina E. Shalley published an applied psychology paper that, in retrospect, was perhaps more newsworthy than the rest of the year’s events put together.

Dream of Caliphornication?

ISIL want their Caliphate to grow, and to last forever.

Most CEOs want the same for their corporations.

Both would do well to brush up on their history.

I Read The News Today. Oh Boy.

You Can Check Out Any Time You Like.

20th Century Fox.

Everything Changes. But You?

This was a talk that we were invited to give to a group of emerging leaders.

It’s rough and ready, but we had a lot of fun.

We were invited to speak about ‘Adapting To A New Environment’……..