Your team is struggling to keep up with industry trends. How can you help them stay ahead of the curve?

The secret sauce to mastering tech trends isn't more screen time—it's lunchtime. Nothing is more effective to stay current with tech trends than getting hands-on with the technology. Encourage your team to make time to experiment and share what they've learned. A bi-weekly cycle of a lunch-and-learn where one team member volunteers to present a new topic is an easy way to get started.

There are some easy ways, which requires no special efforts. 1. Follow competition and market leaders to learn which direction the industry landscape is changing. 2. Setup an inhouse resource - research team or individual, to benchmark Industry trends and share with all team members. 3. Hire third party to do the same, or try to learn from local agents . 4. Visit exhibitions . 5. Social media is the best tool , make sure you spend 30 min every day on it... in the right way.

When they are not in sync with current trend, then it's time to embrace their mind with new technology landscape in the respective industry. But it will be a part of the responsibility of members also to keep them updated with current trends. Is it not?

It’s important to clearly communicate expectations you have for what topics/trends your product managers need to stay on top of. Work together to identify those and identify how they can stay in the know. This might mean encouraging them to set aside time to get out and talk with users, read, attend events- even just taking that afternoon walk to have time to think. Reinforce how important that time is and make sure your product managers know you support them in their learning. Don’t forget to check in regularly and talk about not just what’s going on, but why and implications it has for your product or business strategy.

We need to encourage them and provide them the opportunities for learning the recent trends in market. Frequent reviews and guidance during the implementation of new learnings can also helps to meet the customer expectations. Proper understanding of requirements, Setting Clear expectations may help to avoid/reduce the mistakes and the delays.

Understanding our customers' needs is paramount to anticipating trends. I find it valuable to involve the entire team in customer interactions, whether it's through surveys, feedback sessions, or even shadowing customer service representatives. This firsthand exposure keeps us attuned to evolving customer preferences and allows us to adapt our strategies accordingly.

Customers ARE our industry's heartbeat. The more the team can get involved in any and all apsects of a customer's organization, the more the team can LEARN from the customer what it takes to succeed. Interface with customer is NOT only an activity for the sales team, it is the responsibility for all groups in an organization to know their customer and what their wants, needs and desires are. Customer intimacy is critical to any long-term successfully operating company in any industry. Leaders must EMBRACE the opportunity for their teams to engage and partner with the customer rather than "managing" the customer.

Get strategic with your top customers. Making time to understand where your customers are seeing themselves moving can help you to align your strategic priorities for the long term. Additionally, you can give them opportunities to react to your strategy and roadmap and let them help you course correct your own understanding of industry trends. Taking time each year for this activity can also strengthen relationships between your organization and your key customers.

Engaging and talking directly with customers gives you valuable perspective on where they are going, what their goals are and the challenges they face. The challenge is to truly listen to the customer. Don’t dismiss problems that seem out of your wheelhouse/offering. You may find new products/markets that align with existing core capabilities.

In my experience, the more members of an organization who interact and create a relationship with the customer, the more beneficial it is to the organization and the customer. The more time you spend getting to know you customer, the better you are able to anticipate their needs and develop a true PARTNERSHIP.

In my experience, rigid processes can hinder our ability to react quickly to change. Agile methodologies, with their emphasis on iterative development and continuous feedback, allow us to be more responsive. We can break down projects into smaller, manageable tasks, test new ideas quickly, and adjust our course as needed. This keeps us nimble and ready to capitalize on emerging trends.

Adopt agile methodologies to enhance flexibility and responsiveness. Agile frameworks facilitate quicker adaptation to changing industry dynamics, enabling your team to pivot effectively in response to emerging trends.

Agile methodologies help your team adapt with changing market conditions much more flexibly. By delivering incremental value to customers, you gain their feedback and align the product with their needs.

Consejo: Adoptar metodologías ágiles en el desarrollo de productos puede ser clave para mantener a tu equipo a la vanguardia. Estas metodologías, basadas en procesos iterativos y colaborativos, permiten adaptarse a los cambios del mercado y la retroalimentación de manera efectiva. Al implementar metodologías ágiles, tu equipo puede entregar productos más rápidamente, mejorar la calidad y reducir costos. Además, ayuda a enfrentar la incertidumbre y la complejidad, y mejora la comunicación y la transparencia dentro del equipo.

Agile or lean works allow not just quick adaptation but also force you to think about the minimal work to be done to make an impact and deliver value.

In my experience, familiarizing yourself with new technologies can be a game-changer. I encourage my team to explore emerging tools and platforms relevant to our field. This could involve attending workshops, participating in online courses, or simply trying out new software demos.

Stay abreast of emerging technologies relevant to your industry. Experimenting with and integrating new technologies can provide a competitive edge and position your team at the forefront of innovation.

While it is important to embrace emerging technologies, it must not be done just for the sake of it. Customers care about solutions to their problems, and not the technology you use. Sure, if any latest technology solves customers' problems and creates value for them, it must be leveraged, but not just for the sake of using it. That way, it is aimless run for your business, and may only distance you from the actual problem altogether, whose answer may not necessarily lie in using the latest tech.

Send staff for exhibitions, events - even to border areas and get utilised. Good way is a database creation for ideas, brainstorming, etc. Use EMS Competence / Excellence Centres for validate/industrialization, design... Create Feasibility studies for top ideas. Collect market, competitive info and go for loan with Business plan to bank or chase customer. Apply for BIDs as many as can and learn from it/ cooperate with winner

Aprovechar las tecnologías emergentes en el desarrollo de productos es crucial para mantener a tu equipo a la vanguardia. Estas tecnologías, como la inteligencia artificial, la cadena de bloques y el internet de las cosas, ofrecen nuevas oportunidades y propuestas de valor. Al integrar estas tecnologías, tu equipo puede crear productos innovadores y competitivos, además de mejorar la eficiencia y la calidad en su trabajo. Esto asegura que estén preparados para enfrentar los desafíos del futuro y se destaquen en un mercado en constante evolución.

Encourage your team to build their external network outside your organization in order to get differing perspectives and insights as to what is taking place outside your walls!

Staying insular can lead to blind spots. I find it incredibly valuable to seek out insights from outside our team. This could involve connecting with industry experts, attending conferences, or even following thought leaders on social media.

I learned since I was a graduate student that we should foster cross-training and interdisciplinary education. This will provide us with a variety set of tools for looking at and solving problems. Creativity can be taught by exposing ourselves to the different and uncomfortable. We just need to be open to let those working with us to take the time to go out and learn from other fields. It is worth the time and money!

Encourage collaboration with external experts, thought leaders, or consultants. External perspectives bring fresh insights and diverse experiences, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of industry trends.

Don’t underestimate the value of sending your team members at conferences and ensuring the learnings from those are shared back formally with those who didn’t attend so they can learn from peers. This can be a presentation, a written report, or sharing verbally at a round table the “so what does this mean for the business”.

Continuous reflection and improvement are essential for staying ahead. I recommend regular scheduling team discussions to analyze industry trends, assess the effectiveness of our current strategies, and brainstorm new ideas. One approach I've found effective is dedicating the last 15 minutes of each team meeting to discuss a recent industry article or trend.

Close engagement with customers with a focus on solving problems and delivering value is the key. Trends result from a problem solved or a step change improvement in the value proposition.

It is crucial to review the project process regularly with the team to ensure that everyone participates, learns, and celebrates at the end of the project. Rallying the team to support the initiative and be part of the success is essential. Make sure to celebrate each milestone achieved and recognize the team's effort.

Revisar y mejorar continuamente las prácticas de desarrollo de productos es fundamental para mantener a tu equipo a la vanguardia. Esto implica evaluar el desempeño, procesos y resultados del equipo, identificando áreas de fortaleza, debilidad u oportunidad de mejora. Puedes hacer esto utilizando métricas, encuestas, revisiones o retrospectivas periódicas. Al revisar y mejorar las prácticas, tu equipo aprenderá de las experiencias pasadas, celebrará los éxitos y abordará los desafíos de manera efectiva.

Review story boards .. split stories in to simple tasks . Provide necessary training’s to team members where it is needed. Update skill matrix of the team . Collaborate each other with brainstorming . knowledge sharing.. Fill the gap by mentoring.

Encourage a Culture of Learning: Foster a work environment where continuous learning is valued and supported. This might involve providing access to learning resources, offering time for professional development, or simply celebrating team members who take initiative to upskill themselves. Embrace Experimentation: Don't be afraid to experiment with new ideas and approaches. Create a safe space for calculated risks and celebrate failures as learning opportunities. Celebrate Curiosity: Encourage team members to ask questions, research their interests, and share their discoveries with the team. Curiosity is the fuel for innovation.

The availability of information marks the beginning of crisis management. It follows that feedback is a vital part of any leader’s skillset. The aso receiving it is essential for efficiently sharing information within teams and groups. Constructive feedback is a robust tool for creating a healthy environment, boosting productivity and engagement, and achieving better results. It positively influences communication, team members’ interaction, and teamwork results in different fields. The importance of feedback in the workplace is hard to overestimate: sharing information on what can and needs to be improved helps optimize the work process and get things done in less time.

I’d first ask why it is a problem. Often times people jump to problem solving mode too soon. So let’s fully understand the problem and select the right one to solve.

In short, I would summarize it in these points: • Listen to the industry. • Listen to the client. • Listen to your competitors. • Listen to your partners or collaborators. • Have a culture of learning. • Have a need for improvement.

As a Team Leader, one can subscribe to paid market research sites, including related associations where feedback from fellow business entrepreneurs are active and providing insight into issues related to your business. Update your team with relevant information obtain from these various channels after you have filtered them. Keep your team abreast with current trend and provide the carefully crafted direction and strategies, not forgetting to brainstorm with them what's relevant when making strategies and direction. Having team participation is important.