Lessons from the Future

Pivot … Pivotal … Pivot ALL!

This nifty little wordplay was the theme of our “PivotALL” FIS Leadership Summit in mid-February.

More than 300 top leaders from across the company convened in Orlando, FL to help lay the foundation for our direction and trajectory in 2020. 

Mid-February seems like an eternity ago, doesn’t it?

Back then, before coronavirus upended life as we know it, who could have guessed that the concept of “pivoting” would take on such dramatic immediacy?

But here we are.

In light of today’s unprecedented economic and social climate, I went back and reviewed some messages from that summit that a) struck me as interesting at the time and b) have since become even more profound.

Sitting here today in late April, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, here are my top three “lessons from the future” takeaways:

1) Agility has taken on a whole new meaning.

One of the most intriguing observations — a sign of things to come — was from Brian O’Neill, EVP & Head of Client Engagement | Banking Solutions: 

“Each of us is responsible for contributing our agility to the cause. That may come in different forms, including adapting and adjusting your career path to the course that lies ahead.”

Applying that approach to FIS as a whole, he explained, our transformation will require skillsets and core competencies to adapt and pivot when required. “Our changing landscape comes with opportunity … at a rapid pace.”

Haven’t those words proven prophetic!

In the days following our summit, just about every company on the planet has been forced to adapt and pivot, very quickly, FIS included. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, with a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, yet there’s never been a more pressing time to rise up and meet the challenge.  I’ve been very proud of my company and all that we’ve accomplished during these recent times. 

2) Do plan … but be ready to pivot.

During a panel discussion, three of our top leaders shared their perspectives on the company and 2020. Their top priorities: adaptability, accelerating growth and being the change.

Again, looking back, the first priority is now imperative.

The second comes with a set of new challenges beyond our control, some pivoting will be required.

And the third speaks to an opportunity we can, and will, pursue regardless of economic circumstances.

3) Periods of progress are not without adversity.

Finally, our summit’s executive host, COO Stephanie Ferris, explored a fascinating concept that puts today’s financial technology landscape into historical context. We’re living in the fourth industrial revolution — an era “driven largely by the convergence of digital, biological and physical innovations … rapidly changing the way humans create, exchange and distribute value.”

If you’re wondering, steam engineering, assembly line production and the age of computers were the first three revolutions. The fourth is being defined by augmented reality, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, mobile devices and many other innovations we tap into every day at FIS.

It all sounds very cool and utopian. But will our current global crisis dampen the future?

No doubt the coronavirus fallout will impact us for a period of time, but I take solace in how our world has bounced back, time and again, over the long term.

From famines and pandemics to world wars and recessions, there’s enough evidence in the historical record to suggest that this, too, shall pass — and we will even emerge stronger as a people. Throughout it all, our quest for progress will continue to define the human experience