Jeff Kagan, Industry Analyst and Columnist
Jeff Kagan has been an Industry Analyst and Columnist for nearly 40 years. He follows the changes in industries, companies, products and services in wireless, telecom and technology like AI, IoT, pay-TV, Metaverse, Health, autonomous driving and more. He has become one of the best known and most influential thought leaders. Kagan sits on several corporate advisory councils.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
I use Twitter and LinkedIn to share my columns and media stories where I am quoted.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
“Success and life are all about relationships. It's all about helping people. It's not about selling yourself. It's not about selling something. Instead, help others and the opportunities will just come to you. Don't push yourself on others. Let them pull you. It's magic!”
Jeff Kagan
As an Industry Analyst, columnist and speaker for almost 40 years, I have developed a unique ability to see the direction we are heading in as an industry. Knowing where we came from and where we are today, we can see the direction we are heading.
This is important to executives, investors, politicians, workers and users. That being said, I have followed the strengths and weaknesses and the rise and fall of companies, technologies, industries and investments. There has been plenty of change over the years, and the rapid pace of transformation is only accelerating.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
Change is constant. Growth continues. Only the growth track changes over time. I love following the growth curve.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Always be honest and always tell the truth.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Work is not working for me. In fact, work is planned. But, I love waking up every day and going to work. It's my passion. My hobby. My interest. I love following the industry and the changes. And I love talking about it in my columns, conversations with the media, speeches and more.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
My wife and my children are what I am most proud of in my life. I love them more than life itself.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Over nearly 40 years, people seem to find me. I love meeting new people, executives, politicians, investors, the media and more. Every person I meet teaches me something new.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
I have always been an emotional creature. In my twenties, I was told this was a weakness. However, I have learned this was my strength. I care about everything and everyone.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I say this all the time. If we only had the knowledge of 40 years in a 20-year-old body. There are so many lessons I have learned and shared with my family over time.
Success and life are all about relationships. It's all about helping people. It's not about selling yourself. It's not about selling something. Instead, help others, and the opportunities will just come to you. Don't push yourself on others. Let them pull you. It's magic!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
So much of your personal success, happiness and satisfaction comes from helping others. Don't focus on yourself. Focus on helping others. Then success will come to you almost without effort.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I love my family. I love to travel. I love to take long walks on the beach at the ocean. I love sunrises and sunsets. I have no hobbies. I love my work. That's my daily joy!
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic has changed everything for everyone. But, that being said, change always happens. So, we learn to adapt and find new growth opportunities.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
I stumbled into this field nearly 40 years ago. I was young and didn't know any better. I starved for years. But then, as my name became better known through the media and columns, opportunities came to me like magic. I never really understood it. But it was real.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
You must love what you do. If you don't, get out and find what you love. That is the only thing that will make your work-life worth living.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
No company, brand, or industry gets it all right or wrong. Every one of them is full of stories of success and failure. The growth curve or the growth wave is what I discuss. Some executives understand this. Some do not.
Those who do know they need to stay on the growth curve as long as possible. And they need to create their next growth wave when the current one crests. This is one key secret that successful companies get.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success can mean different things to different people. Decide for yourself what success means to you. Then, they focus on achieving that. If you don't know where you are heading, you will continue to drift in circles and not achieve anything. Success is a game so play to win!