"Consumer centricity" is becoming a larger reality each day. You do not need to declare that "customer is king", they already are and the royalty comes with strong views on technology. Consumers often think that distributing our products is like selling shoes on Amazon. On the contrary our products have many features and may take a little explanation so consumers can fully appreciate the many situations we can add value in.

However, our technology solutions and interactions are daily judged against Amazon, Google, Facebook, ipad applications and the technologies that consumers view as "daily needs." Because Aflac touches hundreds of thousands of small businesses this is a daily reality for us and is getting stronger each week.

The other reality, already beyond a trend is that people are overwhelmed with "information." My constant mantra to my staff is "less is more." People simply cannot keep up with amount of "data" that is being thrown at them. Technology leaders have to "cut throw the mental clutter" and get better at painting pictures-business pictures. The details still matter but in our communications we need to be able to get between the dots by using straight lines.

Solving Issues by Dialogue

Understanding business needs in 2014 and beyond is a grave challenge for technology executives. I trust anyone reading this has great understanding of what has to be done to finish execution in 2013. Sitting around having long debates over what 2020 lacks practically so I need to find the optimal point in between. Thus, I try to spend enough time outside the IT building, talking to colleagues in other departments as well as vendors to gain an insight into the business needs of tomorrow.

On spending some time with solutions vendors either I get most of what I need or I receive new insight on how to solve business problems, but the price tags attached to their solutions too often lack reality. I believe that vendors have not thought through a way to cost effectively implement a solution. Thankfully the issues from 2008 and 2009 are gone; however, vendors seem to have slipped back into old ways.

Apart from cost effectiveness, another issue facing technology executives is to articulate business value. I believe many, perhaps most, IT departments are creating more value for their business than is understood. Yet, IT departments do a horrible job of explaining it. Here at Aflac, we have recently created a portfolio manager role to assist in this articulation

Technology grows and expands exponentially. We are not in a bubble period but in the new norm of technology. Executives cannot know it all, so the ability to assimilate the knowledge needed for your specific business is critical. Also delivery is an issue. At the end of the day we must deliver on time and on budget. All of these other discussions are means to that end.

Collaborating with the Old and New

Collaborate endlessly, steal shamelessly. Skunk works, almost sacred in IT due to past successes, strikes me as outdated. Geniuses isolated in a corner have worked, but this is not a model for innovation fit for the 21st century. The IT building was built with collaboration in mind. There are multiple spaces specifically built to encourage collaboration. Innovation is expedited by maximizing your connections with vendors, potential vendors, partners and employees. At Aflac, we have many long tenured employees who add tremendous value and are key to our business. However we must also be humble enough to engage new employees with perhaps little experience to gain insights.