Are You Ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution? (feat. Ben Lytle)

Hi, I'm Susan Drum. And welcome to the Enlightened Executive where your personal evolution sparks your leadership evolution. Each episode we feature groundbreaking techniques and strategies to help executives and entrepreneurs get the edge for personal and leadership effectiveness. Today we're focusing on how individuals and organizations can accelerate their wisdom to succeed in these turbulent times. And I'm happy to introduce a very successful CEO and serial entrepreneur, Ben Lytle. Ben has five companies that he's launched, including two on the New York Stock Exchange. The best known company is Anthem, number 23 on the Fortune 500 with a market cap of over 100 billion. Ben is also a health care policy expert who served on state and presidential healthcare commissions. And I'm intrigued to hear more about Ben's take on the future of human potential. He wrote a book on the subject called the your Future Life and Career in a New Reality. So welcome, Ben.

Thank you. Nice to be here, Susan.

So what is the future of human potential as you see it?

Well, it's exciting. Some people find it a little bit scary because that's normal. But I'm a big believer that we'll get through this and we'll come out with a much better world and people operating at a whole different level of human capacity than we've ever imagined. And that really comes about by the fact that we're going to live longer. So we have more years at the time when we tend to be our wisest and most effective. And secondly, because we're continually integrating with automation to the point that it'll become seamless. By that, I mean the integration with automation will be instantly available to us by voice or by thought instead of a keyboard and a screen. I've been involved in it since I was 16 years old. And it's really early days. And that's the one thing. And think of that as how we communicate as a brain to computer interface. And the one thing that hasn't changed is we still have to have a keyboard and a screen for the most part. So voice first, probably, and then ultimately thought will be how we communicate and we'll integrate with automation. And so we're getting more closely integrated. Automation's part of us and how we act and live. But also the automation is coming the other way too. And it's going to becoming much more human like. And that expands human power unimaginably when you think about it. And it's a great leveler because if I'm a young kid in Africa and I no longer have to have a screen or a keyboard or any computer knowledge at all. It's a completely transforming event.

Interesting. So tell me a little bit more about your book. What are you focusing on? What is the message that you want to get out there?

Well, the message, and it's a three book series, and the message essentially is the world's going to change more in 30 years than it has in millennia and perhaps since the beginning of time. And that's kind of a hard concept to wrap your head around, but I don't think by any means it's hyperbole. I think if you do the research, as I've done pretty extensively, I think that's easily provable. So the thing is, are we ready? What do we have to do differently to prosper in that world? Because a lot of people are calling this period the fourth Industrial Revolution. Well, the first three lifted humankind, but they were pretty messy. And the idea is don't be one of the people that gets damaged by this to be out in front of it. And that's particularly important for entrepreneurs and leaders to lead their organizations, lead their people, and to create the kind of tools that help us to adapt. That's the real message. And so the first book, the first 70 pages, predict the future and ultimately put it down to about 10 new realities of what that future is going to look like. The rest of the book takes seven areas where you can advance your own potential and also demonstrate the wisdom that you're ready for this. Coming by accomplishing those seven actions over time doesn't happen overnight, you know, to try to do them all at once. But that's the idea.

What are one or two of those things that you've outlined to predict the future? Obviously, the increased usage of AI and how it's impacting us is gotta be number one, if not part of that. Can you share just a few of the 10 that you mentioned?

Yeah, well, one is, you know, welcome to the age of transparency as we've never imagined it before. And that's really important because a lot of people, particularly on social media, create an alter ego that's not them and act more like a movie star. It's the worst mistake you can make. It's just the opposite. You want to, first of all, think of yourself starting right now, if you haven't before, as a brand. And that brand has to communicate very clearly who you are because a lot of times you don't have the opportunity to reshape it later on. And so it's really being much more thoughtful about who I am. What kind of impressions do I Leave. Who am I today and what do I aspire to be? And then communicate that extremely clearly in everything you do, your social media postings, your emails, your personal interactions with people. Because you're going to have a brand whether you want it or not. And so it's important to you to shape it. So that's one. Yeah.

How do you get around with that as a backdrop? The ability of others to morph your brand.

Yeah. And I do think we'll be entering a period where we ultimately, particularly if you're a public person, you will in effect create through the same technology that NVENT was used to invent, digital currencies. Either an NFT that is essentially you and your data, or anytime you're filmed publicly or anything, so that you can be sure or prove it's that it's not you if someone does, if someone does alter it. But the more consistent you are with your brand, it's another reason why you want to be conscious about it. The more consistent your brand is, more people are likely to see through it. And you want both of those working for you.

Yeah, yeah. Now, you mentioned to me before that we are going to be the most powerful species on the planet. And what occurred to me when you said that was, are we already. And in many cases that hasn't worked out very well.

Yeah. And I think you're right.

I don't know that the Earth can handle us getting more powerful unless we make fundamental shifts in mindset. So tell us more about your take on that.

Well, first of all, I'm more optimistic perhaps, but we are going to get more powerful. We already are. We're more powerful than we were eight years ago, before smartphones. But I'm talking about a whole different level here that we're going to go to in the next three decades and we really don't have any choice. I think that inside us is a much greater human being than we're living. And so the question is why? Why for sure? Why does it have to be that way? And the vast majority of people, I think, are well intended and would like to live to their potential. They'd like to be doing better than they are. So the question is, how do you do it? And what, what separates people from being just good, you know, normal, everyday good people and exceptional. And I believe overwhelmingly the proof is it's wisdom. And, and it's strange to me. I don't know about you, it's very strange to me. And we've known that for centuries and whole cultures were built around the Worship of wisdom, you know, so I mean, that's a lot of what the Greek culture was. And so if that's the case, why is it, do we not teach it? Why don't we easily know exactly how to teach it to our children, exactly how we should be teaching it in school? Why are we teaching knowledge in school exclusively instead of wisdom?

And so how do you make the distinction between knowledge and wisdom for our listeners?

Very different. Wisdom is the application of eternal truths or, you know, tried and true truths to a real life situation. And so it's transactional in the sense that it's applied. That's what wisdom is. But you can teach the capacity for wisdom so that you apply it more often, if you follow me.

Yeah. How do you teach the capacity for wisdom? Because many people would say, well, that's what comes over time through experience. Right back when we were younger, we were so confident in what we knew, but the reality as we knew nothing. And then, you know, as you age through the process and you go through the trial by fires and the things that life throws at you, you do develop a wisdom. You also develop a capacity or resilience to handle change. How do we accelerate that learning?

Well, part of it is there are a set of principles that you can teach. A good example is the tension of the opposites. And you see the absence of wisdom today in the cultural divide, that people are not appreciating the virtue of the opposite argument. In every opposite argument, there's virtue. Instead, we demonize the other. And that's been known for thousands of years. But that's just, that's one example. The other is to learn that sometimes holding that tension and waiting for a solution, that patience is the right thing to do. We've been taught you got to make a decision immediately. Got to make a decision immediately. Sometimes that's true, sometimes it's not true. What's an archetype? Archetypes are great ways to teach human experience because they're going to work out the same way. So if I can recognize I'm in the middle of an archetype, I know what the 95% chance is, how it's going to work out. But we don't do that. We don't teach archetypes. Probably the closest we do today, and I think you can see the difference in people, is classical education. When you go through a classical education, you not only learn the philosophy, the great philosophers, but you also read great literature. And great literature are really just archetypes. And from that you're subliminally picking up a lot about how people do deal with situations and what the likely outcome is going to be. So those are some examples. And part of that's the book. That's the second book. First book. If you do those seven, if you accomplish those seven things, you will be a wiser person. If you do the things that are in the second book, you will be a wiser person. I'm not the only. There's lots of great material out there on wisdom, but it's something we need to start making a priority in our own personal life and as society, as an organizational leadership. Yeah. And if people are troubled by the term wisdom, call it good decision making.

I like to call it enlightenment. And part of that, what I mean by that is you widen the aperture from which you tend to put your attention or focus on life. And I think I've said this before, but I think as human beings, we think we're chameleon and can see 360 degrees, but that's not actually true. We have a central vision and a peripheral vision, and where we put our focus of attention is what we see. And if we keep drawing our focus. But there's something behind my head I can't see. That's my blind spot.

Yep, absolutely.

And so the work in a lot of the leadership development space is to, say, recognize that you don't see 360 degrees, number one. Number two, that you are drawn to certain things. And if you do, like what you said with the polarity, you were really talking about the, you know, the two opposites. So how do you live in a world of polarity? How do you understand that if you advocate for this? There's something also missing from this piece, or what I like to call diversity of thought. Right. Cognitive diversity will ultimately serve our team so much better.

And another principles, everything's an equal and opposite compensation. Right. So if I attempt to repress how someone feels or if I'm advocating so hard that I'm backing them up, it's going to come back harder, twice. That's wisdom. That's understanding. That's the way life works. And I will absolutely guarantee you it can be taught and accelerated. It's mostly for all of us. It's a case of priorities. Knowledge acquisition, skill acquisition has been our priority. Now this one has to be the most important for each of us, for leaders particularly, and ultimately for society as a whole. The world, society as a whole. Because we are going to be more powerful. We don't have any choice about that. So it's what do we want to be when we have that power? What kind of world do we want to leave for our children?

Yes. And so within the book, are there other examples of ways in which we can begin to instill more of this wisdom? Because I really get that it's an imperative that we transform. Given the amount of power that's about to happen. I think it would also be helpful to talk about where do you see that power coming from? What is your take on how you teach this? Tell me more about that.

Let me start for a minute with just this first book. What I'm really saying this first book is here. I spent a lot of time, maybe you don't like my 7, but I think if people give them a fair chance, they will. So this is what's going to really matter. And if you can master these seven things, which some of them are fairly easy and the process is, you know, of doing it doesn't cost any money. This is all about you. It's going to, it's going to position you to be at your peak when, if you're under 50 today, and particularly if you're in your mid career, it's going to position you in those years when you would, would naturally be at your level of what your highest level of wisdom, to be healthy and to be more equipped for that time. In addition to that, in the second book and in all of the speeches I give, I'll help show some specific ways in addition to teaching the principles and the archetypes of how you do it. How do you weigh a decision? Understanding things like when am I best at making decisions? We all have a circadian rhythm.

Mm.

We've all got a time. For example, when I was running Anthem, I said, I don't make any major decisions at 4 o' clock in the afternoon period, period. And I know my peak is between like 9 and 1. So when you know that that starts to say, okay, do I need to make this today or can I put this off until tomorrow?

And more technology like this, you know, the ring is going to give us though really understand what's happening body and when you're in the highest reasoning part of the brain.

Exactly. And that's one of the things that's working for us, you know, as we're gaining more power when we say, well, you know what's going to have to happen? Some great things are happening about, you know, with coaching tools, with the biometrics that it's giving us. So it's not just me out there, you know, talking to myself, there are a lot of things that are going to help it happen, but for us, the consciousness changes. This now has to be a priority for me. This has to be a priority for me is really focusing on what wisdom is and being ready to face some of the most difficult decisions human beings have ever faced. That's what we're going to face, and they're not easy to answer.

Now I'm curious about what are the seven things that you identified?

Okay, well, so one is essentially really focusing on your brand. What do I project into the work? The second is relationship skills. Predominant thought is today electronic communications are going to make the. In the metaverse, and all these things are going to make human relationships less important. It's just the opposite. They're going to be more important than ever.

Yes.

So in the book, I talk about a process of how do you optimize your relationship skills? How do you know how good they are? And it's a process you can do on your own. Collaboration. Collaboration has historically been really challenging. Running teams, you had to get the right people the right mentality because we had this fundamental conflict between what's good for me and what's good for the team. And so we've all been in those meetings trying to manage that. And the message here is the tools are going to help us. Again, things are going to be much more collaborative and the ability to collaborate well is going to be a much more important skill because again, going back to automated assistance at a whole different level, or brain to computer interface, we'll be able to share the same experience. Or even in the metaverse, we'll share an experience, and from that we can begin to collaborate and create in a way we've never done it before. So the way I like to think, think about it is imagine, you know, the kind of team that put a man on the moon was actually pretty crude technology. Imagine that happening 10 million times a day around the world.

Right, right.

That's where the opportunity to create a much better world is. There is imagine us, every person operating at the level of genius, because now they're. We're basically wired to the cloud and then all of us being able to collaborate and work together more seamlessly. That's the idea. So anyway, that's collaboration.

Just to give listeners an idea of the types of collaboration that are coming out that are available right now. Recently talked with a leader. Another futurist developed a tool to show how well a team is collaborating when they're in this kind of virtual setting. And it will give you a little picture about how much time such and such has dominated the conversation. Another person, how many words of affirmation have been made, how many challenges have been made and getting the right balance.

Right, that's great. Absolutely. It's absolutely great. And, and that's, those are the kinds of tools. So it's not only that we have to make, make the change, but if, if we're not paying attention to it, we'll go, yeah, that's not, that's not really, you know. Yeah, that's not interest. Well now you have to say, okay, look, I'm trying to be ready to be the best I can be throughout this 30 year period. So the ones I've mentioned, you know, mentioned so far and so I said brand relationships and collaboration. The other one's thinking like an entrepreneur that inside each of us, and certainly I'm not the only person with this message, but I try to use in my, out of my experiences. What does it really mean and what does it mean to think like an entrepreneur and you know, with the message that we all have a creative core and trust it because we tend to confuse people today by thinking intuitives like me are these great creative guys, but I'm not because I'm an accountant. It's not true at all. It's just your own creative court, your own zone of genius. And so those four sort of are more career directed, although the line between career and life, it's fading, it's getting less and worse. And then the other three are much more life directed, which is optimizing your health, optimizing your wealth for the purpose of being free to do what you want to do in life and then changing the definition of success. Basically, I make the argument that all the contemporary definitions of success will never make you feel successful. The only thing that's going to make you feel successful at the end of the day is if you have done your best to be your best and left the world and people around you a little better, that's it. And if you don't feel that I don't care how much money you got, I know that for a fact you don't care how much money you've got, don't care how powerful you're famous you are, you're not going to feel successful.

Yeah. And what is the quality and depth of the relationships that really matter?

Absolutely. It's quality, not quantity. Yeah.

Yes, yes. Well, what's one thing that you would encourage our executives and entrepreneurs listening to do to help get prepared for these massive changes that are coming our way.

You know, the book, as you can tell, is written for an end, for individuals to really focus on themselves. But the first part of the book, the first 70 pages, is what's happening and why. Why is everything changing so fast? So I described the forces of change and how they come together and why that's triggering all of this because it's convergence as much as anything else. What I find still interesting with the leaders that I talk to is they use the terms democratization. They use the terms deinstitutionalization and they generally know what they. They don't specifically know what they mean, and they don't. So that first. What I'm trying to describe in that first 70 pages, every person who's got a leadership role ought to understand inside.

And out because of de democratization and de institution.

What are these forces reshaping us?

Yeah.

What's re forcing us? It's democratization and then deinstitutionalization, which says organizations can't adapt as fast as individuals. So everybody's slipping behind because the consumers can change in a heartbeat and they do and you can't. And so how do you stay ahead in that ball game? Every company today, every company ought to have a really good vision of this is what our company looks like with fully democratized products. This is what they look like. And here's our path to get there. Because that's where you're going to be driven to go, or you will be deinstitutionalized, meaning you'll be disrupted, you may or may not make it, or you have to adapt under pressure, which is never good. So that's of all the things for leaders really understanding that process where they could give the speech as well as me, you know that they can really, they can really. And if you said, okay, well, I really want to know more about that. There's great stuff out there by Alvin Toffler, you know, who's been. Who's been dead for a number of years. But those three books he wrote really described what's going on. And a more contemporary guy is Peter Diamandis and the work he's done on it. So. But leaders really need to get this and as a very high priority.

Well, this has just been fascinating and I would love to share with our listeners where can people learn more?

Okay, great. My website is potentialistfuture.com and so there's lots of good stuff out there. My book's available for pre order and will be in the bookstores in May. I'm available for speeches for anyone who wants to, because I'm trying to get this message out to as many people as I can. So I'm available for that. And then I write a weekly blog on related subjects to this. So and I'm working on some products I'm not ready to announce yet, but these are I'm working on some products that try to help people advance their wisdom, to make it a priority, make it a conscious priority, and also to be really understand where the future is going.

Awesome. Well, thank you for sharing your wisdom on the need for wisdom in our coming future. If you like this episode, you're not going to want to miss my interview with Sophie McLean, who teaches us how to win at the game of being human, which ultimately helps us win the game of business.

That's great.

Let's lead the way. Hope you enjoyed today's episode, and I'd like to point you to the next important step. Hit the subscribe button to get notified when we release new content. I'll see you on the next episode of the Enlightened Executive.