"The pace of change you’re experiencing today is going to be the slowest pace of change you will ever experience for the rest of your life." —Ray Kurzweil

Exponential change is change that occurs at an accelerating rate.

Intellectually, you know what it is—perhaps you recall the exponential function from your school maths or physics class—but have you internalised what it actually means?

Picture in your mind an exponential curve.

Image yourself walking the path of the curve. Your journey starts off flat. After a while, the path becomes a barely perceptible incline. You walk on. The path becomes ever so slightly steeper. It continues this way for a long time. And then suddenly you're confronted by a near-vertical wall.

Similar to a mountain climber setting out, whose journey begins with a flat hike, then scrambling up scree, followed by a modest climb to base camp. None of this taxing, something that's been well-trained for. Then from base camp they look ahead to the next phase of the journey—a near-vertical mountain towering skywards.

The strategies and techniques used to reach base camp are not the ones needed to scale the mountain. A fundamentally different mindset, skillset and toolset is necessary to scale the challenge ahead. That is what exponential change means.

How will we have to adapt when confronted with industries undergoing exponential change?

Which industries, sectors and jobs will be displaced by technologies currently developing at an exponential rate? What will be the impact of emerging technologies—artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear fusion, among others?

Ask yourself: What does exponential change mean for my industry or profession? How will I need to change my mindset, skillset and toolset to prepare for a future radically different from today? Have I created sufficient sense of urgency in my organisation to overcome the resistance to change? What action can I take, right now?

As renowned leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith says, "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There."

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