The Next Level

Rob Opie is a Brand Strategist, Author and 'Game Changer' to organizations, sports teams and individuals.

We all have all inner desire to reach 'the next level' of performance, growth and contribution .No matter what profession one may choose in life, definite patterns of human greatness exist. In his weekly 'Game Changer Column', Rob shares some of the insights, innovation and inspiration of the great champions of business, sport and life - those who make next happen.

Game Changer Number Two. "Think Different".

Most of us are 'heads down' - getting stuff done. And we have little or no time to sit down and consider what some of the world's greatest entrepreneurs are doing. What they are doing is fast changing the way of the world. Steve Jobs coined the phrase 'Think Different 'and it has spawned 'the next level' of game-changing innovation. Consider South African born Elon Musk, Airbnb's Brian Chesty, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Whatsapp's Jan Koum, Linkedin's Jeff Weiner and Uber's Travis Kalanick.

Some call it X-ponentiality. Some call it 'drastic disruption'. And some now refer to it as U-berfication - which can best be described as: 'the slimming down of application interfaces into push button experiences that do one thing. It's the next level of consumerization. Industries which fail to innovate are at market share risk, as these 'game changers' leverage advanced knowledge and digital technology to bring on more convenience' - saving you time - and saving you effort. Elon Musk believes he can cut the travelling time from Los Angeles to San Francisco by more than 90 % with his hyper-loop plans. And now he's focused on the world's energy crisis, believing he can wean humanity off planet warming fossil fuels. At age 43, at the helm of SpaceX, Tesla Motors and Solar City - he's only just begun.

Digital is the primary driver behind X-ponentiality. It's fast changing the way of the world, and it's no different right here in South Africa. Consider what Christo Wiese , Jannie Mouton, Whitey Basson, Markus Jooste and other South African based ' Game Changers' are doing. One only has to look at the exponentiality of the select share prices on the JSE, to comprehend that they are busy changing the way things get done. Making next happen.

What do these 'Game- Changers' all have in common? Yes, they may well all be leveraging 'technology and talent to up the game', but there is something else. It's called mindset. They think differently and see an exponential world where digital convenience is driving abundance. At heart, they are all fixers, and they see the world's biggest problems, as the world's biggest business opportunities.

Now that's a potent way to view life itself.

* For more insight, innovation and inspiration please do visit https://www.thegameplan.co.za. ,where you can request a copy of Rob's Free eBook : The Game Plan: What the Great Champions know - but coaches seldom teach.