by Mark Penn and E. Kinney Zalesne
As a reader of this blog for forward-thinking coaches, well, I know you are one. As such, I cannot recommend a future-oriented book more highly.
Let's face it, our clients don't come to us in parts. They are whole people who call upon our support for their whole lives. Whether we're aware of it or not, there are new currents in society that are impacting them that we need to keep abreast of. Microtrends is the proverbial motherlode when it comes to societal context for what we're coaching in.
Here are just a few emerging trends to whet your appetite, and perhaps keep you thinking while you wait for your copy to arrive:
- The growth of households comprised of single women (in 1980, 17% of Americans lived in solo households, now this figure is closer to one in four Americans). These women will need to plan for their retirements alone, so all those television commercials with couples on beaches are not speaking to them.
- Another growing trend is "cougars," or women, like "Mrs. Robinson," who date or marry men a decade younger than they are. They may require a new type of pre-nuptial agreement, for example.
- The trend for retired workers to continue working may necessitate tax law changes or a redirection of benefits from maternity leaves to `winter-off" options.
Are you ready for all of the above when it comes up in the lives of your clients? What about these seemingly innocuous shifts in society:
- Extreme Commuters have more time on their hands to read or listen (if they use mass transit)
- The growth of Stay at Home workers may generate a need for changed zoning laws or more secure home offices in residential design.
- Protestant Hispanics (Hispanics are 14% of the U.S. population and 8% of registered voters) comprise 25% of Americans who identify as Hispanic.
- 30-Winkers are Americans who sleep less, take more naps, need caffeine, and need ways to be either more productive when they are awake or find solutions to their lack of sleep.
- Pro-Semites or Philo-Semites are the growing number of people who want to date Jewish men and women.
Visit your independent bookstore or online book merchant to grab your copy. More on the topic of emerging trends and corresponding leadership opportunities for coaches in a special announcement coming this week.