Pub. 2 2020 Issue 2

23 nebraska society of cpas W W W . N E S C P A . O R G discussed since the early 1980s. Now more than ever, we can see industries—which ordinarily are unable to go remote because they were based on the need for a customer to be physically present—figure out ways to provide a remote customer experience. An incredibly outside-the-box example can be found by way of museums, zoos, and even theme parks going remote. Monterey BayAquariumandWalt DisneyWorld have gone remote using live-streaming video and a form of virtual reality applications like Google Street View, so guests who had to cancel their vacation can still “walk through” Disney World with their families for something to do. If Walt Disney World, an in-person entertainment giantwithvisceral experiences, can find a way to go remote, imagine the remote possibilities in several other industries around the world. Innovation Is Needed More Than Ever While our worlds may seem to be in a period of indefinite stasis, the world and peoples’ needs don’t stop. A Hard Trend most people take for granted is that there are more than 500 cycles that continue, such as the sun setting tonight and rising tomorrow, the stock market going down and going up, and the pandemic beginning and ending. If you have followed my writings, you know that I want us all to become positive disruptors, creating the disruptions that need to happen to make the world a better place for all. Being a disruptor during times like these might sound contrary to what people want. However, when you’re a positive disruptor, you choose significance over success, focusing much less on you and what you have done, and more on what you can do for others in a significant way. When you look for ways to elevate your significance in times like these, you can find new ways to change your community, your state, your nation, and, if you think big enough, even the world for the better. I can’t think of a more needed time than right now. Ask yourself: What can you and your organization do now that would have a significant impact on others? Stop looking at this economic and social slowdown as a time to wallow in the disruption of your status quo. It is also a free pass to innovate as much as you can! An identifiable Hard Trend based on the science of cycles is that the pandemic will end and the market and economy will bounce back. So in the meantime, focus on the positive difference you can make and what you can disrupt in a positive way—what you can do now to make a difference by helping others. The needs are massive and so are the opportunities to make a significant difference! Looking for Opportunity in Helping Others Consider this: Perhaps your organization has shifted to remote work with ease, whereas a customer of yours in a similar industry is struggling and falling behind. Is there a way to help them now? What if, in this unusual time of need, you didn’t charge them for the help? Would they remember that generosity in the future? This pandemic has inadvertently leveled the playing field; therefore, no one is safe from disruption, and this global disruption is happening a lot faster than digital disruption. We’re all in the same boat, so one major way to innovate is to find ways to help your customers through this in ways you haven’t thought of before. You’re thinking too small if you are thinking of offering them a discount on your product or service. It’s better to look at their desperate needs now and ways that help them stay afloat, which in turn might help you stay afloat. This concept isn’t solely constrained to business and customer relationships. This touches on the topic of thinking about your