Communities need to adapt to changes taking place in society to survive, otherwise they will cease to exist in the future, says a motivational speaker.
Doug Griffiths, author of the book 13 Ways To Kill Your Community, has written a new book called Everything Is About To Change, which discusses how every industry in society has been affected by change during the past 50 years while communities have remained relatively unchanged.
He will be speaking on Tuesday, Nov. 5 during a luncheon at Grant Hall that the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce is hosting.
Moose Jaw is one community in North America that will be able to do incredible things in the next 20 years due to how it is positioned, Griffiths explained. Having visited here last year, he knows that the community is a wonderful place in which to live and that will attract young people.
“We think we can tolerate change, but we’re really averse to it,” he continued, “and yet as a society we tend to adapt to change very quickly, especially technological changes that come.”
Young people are leaving big cities such as New York City and San Francisco and moving to smaller communities such as Boise, Idaho, based on Griffith’s research. This is because this group is “looking for an authentic place to live” and not simply the suburbs.
In the near future, communities will be forced to change and the basics won’t cut it, he said. Those communities that don’t adapt to the technological and social changes will not prosper and may even perish or disappear altogether.
It probably is harsh to say communities will perish, but that’s the reality, Griffiths remarked. Every industry and business has experienced changes and disruptions; ones that adapt usually prosper and ones that don’t usually die.
“Communities have been very fortunate for the last 100 years to be able to adapt to slow (and) moderate disruptions and changes, but … those changes will not be slow anymore,” he said. “We are going to experience massive and significant disruptions to communities … .
“You have to get ready for what’s coming tomorrow or you’re going to be left behind.”
This issue has nothing to do with the size of a community, said Griffiths. A community with a population of 5,000 has the best chance to survive compared to big cities. Smaller communities will be able to innovate faster, invest in new technologies and potentially leapfrog bigger centres.
“It will be incredible for them, as long as they’re building the communities the Millennials and Generation Z are looking for … ,” he added. “Our small cities and towns are exactly what they’re looking for, if we can make sure they’re connected to the rest of the world and have that quality of life.”
Griffiths acquired his insights about what makes communities tick and which ones survive through years of research and by travelling all over North American helping those centres change their attitudes, he explained. He noticed which communities had the innovation and creativity and which ones didn’t. He also analyzes all the new technologies coming out through the lens of communities and what that might mean for them.
“Moose Jaw can grow significantly with some very co-ordinated and strategic planning about where it’s going to go and what it’s going to become,” he added. “The only way that happens is if everybody understands the risks of doing nothing and the opportunity of doing something … it’s got everything it needs.”
For tickets to the luncheon call 306-692-6414 or visit www.mjchamber.com.
