I’m sure you’ve heard this: “but we’ve always done it that way.” When communicators say this, I like to remind them about where we’ve just been and where we’re now headed.

For example, ten years ago…

• Our go-to social listening tool was Google Alerts
• Our primary communication tools were press releases and newsletters
• Many of us didn’t sit on the senior business leadership team.

Five years ago…

• Most of us didn’t have a data analytics capability
• We were conflicted about flexible hours and remote work
• We were starting to take a data-driven approach to managing corporate reputation.

Five years from now…

• Our work will be more automated and use artificial intelligence
• We will mine data to predict stakeholder behaviors
• We will have greater pay equity and diverse, inclusive teams
• We will be the most trusted advisors to the CEO and leadership team.

If you still believe things haven’t changed much, then I’m concerned about you and your future.

If you think you are changing quickly, please ask yourself: what if you’re wrong?