GCUC Mastermind: The Future Session Takeaways

The only way to predict the future is to create it. Our session on the future delivered. If you missed it, the replay is available on GCUC membership. Here are some juicy highlights from the GCUC Mastermind on The Future:

There are four things we can all agree on: The future is flexible. In the future workers are going to have the choice. We are going to see a rise in suburban and rural. We are going to see an insane amount of product flood the market. –Liz Elam, Founder at GCUC Global

Leverage from the virtual space is still a relatively new phenomenon for most people but its remarkable to open up to the global community. Through global diversity we can solve a lot of different problems. That is the strength of the community online. –Oscar Venhuis, Co-Founder at theDesk

Sending everyone home to work is not the solution for the humans involved. We have an epidemic of depression and loneliness – it is not ok, it is not the solution for everybody and certainly not a long term solution for humanity. –Liz Elam, Founder at GCUC Global

Occupiers want flex to be more flexible. They are using space in a more dynamic way and looking at occupancy patterns. Occupiers are going to start using more of the space offering as people continue to work from home in addition to flex/coworking space. –Georgia Collins, EVP, Strategic Client Solutions at Hana

The spectrum of flexible space that’s popped up since 1999 when it first became a word: high community space is now what we call coworking and low/zero community space we call flex. –Dr. Richard Claydon, CEO at roundPegz & Chief Cognitive Officer at EQLAB

High quality connections is a model that originated out of positive psychology which is interested in identifying how we get individuals to thrive in organizations and almost flourish. A sense of connection, a sense of well-being, a sense of community. –Becky Andree, CEO at Vertical Leadership Consulting

Enabling flexibility and getting ready for more effective engagement: Consider who is using the space and how you can make people feel more connected to the space even when they’re not in the building to feel part of a community. Most importantly, digital security, the IT network and quality of service. –Meyer Prinsloo, Chief Marketing Officer at essensys

You can break flex into 3 areas: amenity services and work styles, greater occupier choice as how they take space, and technology; the one that brings all of these together. –Melissa Ansley, Advisor Lead at JLL Flex – Americas

When our energy is depleted, we turn inward for protection and sense making, taking on a second job. Sometimes a third job to document things to make sure nothing comes back to bite you. Productivity and resiliency drops with low quality connections. High quality connections drive community and performance. –Becky Andree, CEO at Vertical Leadership Consulting

Community does not happen by itself, its harder than it looks. The first level of coworking is the practical level, things have to work. The second level, where most spaces get to, is transactional. The top is what most people are missing which is the collaboration level. When collaborating, people don’t think about money anymore they just want to share ideas. –Oscar Venhuis, Co-Founder at theDesk

The coworking vibe is a feeling barometer where we can sense the alignment energy of what great work feels like. Energized, inspired, excitement, confident, accepted, eager and the flow with wanting to connect or get involved. Wanting to stay longer or looking forward to returning. –Deborah Negrash, Managing Director at ValueFLEX

We created a hierarchy of experience for employees and users. At the top is emotional connection. Its a deep connection with the ecosystem, the people. Where there is trust, friendship, and we were able to solve business needs and personal needs, have a sense of belonging and the ability to grow. That is the promise of coworking. –Deborah Negrash, Managing Director at ValueFLEX

Operators and landlords have interest in smart access that allows for frictionless access into workspaces. This breaks down into 6 things: automation, options on executing technology, investing into software and technology, use of technology to engage more customers, scalability, and digital security. –Meyer Prinsloo, Chief Marketing Officer at essensys

The conversation started from observing what everyone else was doing and understanding broadbase information. It is now precise pinpoint data that is tailored to very specific companies needs and their people first approach. –Melissa Ansley, Advisor Lead at JLL Flex – Americas

Successful coworking spaces have to be able to offer high productivity and high performance. High productivity is linear and provides output which requires a quiet, distraction free, enriched space. High performance work is nonlinear and produces impact. Elegant copy writing, incredible new inventions, connection work – collaboration. –Dr. Richard Claydon, CEO at roundPegz & Chief Cognitive Officer at EQLAB

When people come back, they’re going to come back in droves. Real estate is going to have a lot of empty space and there is going to be a lot of space converted to flex. –Liz Elam, Founder at GCUC Global

The future is a convergent story about meshing the best parts of flex and the landlord/developer world. Plus the landlord/developer world will take a much more active interest in the occupier as a heart of the solution. Technology is heading in the same direction and making sure the occupier experience is the heart of everything we do. –Meyer Prinsloo, Chief Marketing Officer at essensys

Services that landlords are focused on can be divided into two categories: enabling tenants to support work admin – the things you have to do to get your work done every day, and life admin – the things you can strip out of their day so they can focus on what they want when they leave work. –Georgia Collins, EVP, Strategic Client Solutions at Hana

Allow occupiers to connect with the building and purchase the building the way they want to purchase the buildings and create a wider ecosystem to drive engagement, community, and well-being with the entirety of the system. –Melissa Ansley, Advisor Lead at JLL Flex – Americas

As always, we want to give a big shout out to our partner who helped make GCUC Mastermind happen. GCUC Mastermind was brought to you in partnership with essensys. A BIG thank you to our sponsors at essensys, CoworkingConvos, allwork, Notadesk, and deskmag – GCUC would not be as juicy without you.

*Some quotes have been edited for length and clarity.