Scenarios For The Economy

from the what-to-do-now dept

There are very few business "experts" or "gurus" whom I find worth reading. Too many are pop gurus who sound good, but have nothing useful to say. There are two people, though, who come to mind who I've found have a strong track record - and who I continue to learn from every time I read something they've written. The first is Clayton Christensen, and the second is Peter Schwartz. I say that as a way of introducing some scenarios Peter Schwartz has written for Red Herring about the economy. If you haven't read Schwartz's book, The Art of the Long View, I suggest you go pick up a copy. It should be read more often - though I think many people tend to misunderstand it. What Schwartz is very good at doing is pulling together (and teaching you how to do so as well) a number of "possible futures" (not probable futures) that help you to think about how you (and your company) can react no matter what happens. I'd say it's one of the most useful books I've read. That said, I think the scenarios Red Herring published are a bit too short - and I wish they'd let him write in more detail about the various possible futures.