The innovator Mindset – Leading Through an Era of Exponential Change for Metro Inc

The speed of change around us is now dizzying.

Technology, markets, customers, competitors, employees, etc.; nothing escapes! To survive, we are all condemned to adapt, innovate and transform ourselves continuously.

At this conference, I would like to humbly share with you my experience as a leader and privileged witness to the titanic transformation of La Presse and the creation of its innovative products: the digital edition for La Presse+ tablets, the Mobile app and its "Mobile first" creation tools in order to give you leads - I hope - that will inspire you to find innovative solutions to your challenges of tomorrow.

A look back at this grandiose human adventure to share with you experiences and learnings to succeed - together - in this ever-changing world.

Thank to Alain Tadros and Mathieu Robitaille for the kindly invitation

Transcript

1. MARKETING SUMMIT TORONTO FEBRUARY 2025 🧠 THE INNOVATOR’S MINDSET LEADING THROUGH AN ERA OF EXPONENTIAL CHANGE JEAN-MARC DE JONGHE LA PRESSE
2. @madmac 2 • Medias — 1995 • La Presse — 2003 • VP Digital Product & Strategy — 2010 • Led La Presse’s digital transformation, creation of La Presse+ and our award wining Mobile App Jean-Marc De Jonghe VP Digital Product & Strategy • La Presse, founded in 1884, is an independent 100% digital french media whose mission is to offer quality, free and accessible information for all. • La Presse reach each month 4 million readers with Impactful content that fuel the important debates of our society. La Presse Montreal, QC, Canada Inspired
3. 3 My mission today 💉
4. Quick products overview
5. 3,56M 58M 17% 762K 56M 18% 426K 551M 65% 6x 4x AARPU or Value Reach - MAUs Pages view/ month Yearly revenue 3 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS
6. 6 Tablet App
7. 7 Mobile App
8. @madmac 8 Technologies People 💃🕺 A successful transformation 20% 80%
9. 9 Agenda today •High-level look at our transformation •5 learnings to inspire you •Short period of questions
10. @madmac 10 HIGH-LEVEL LOOK AT OUR RECENT STORY
11. 11 From good printers 1955
12. 12 2003 To great printers
13. 13 2004 To amazing printers
14. 14 2004 To amazing printers
15. 15 2010 To disrupted printers
16. 16 2013 To disruptors
17. 17 Our greatest strength = people Today
18. 18 La Presse — 1955-2003 La Presse — Today A radical transformation Masters of one recipe Collaboration, empathy and openness to change
19. 19 The speed of change is accelerating Impact of changes Analog PC Computer 1884 1990 Internet 2000 2010 2020 Social AI https://www.digitaltransformationbook.com/the-speed-of-change-4-waves-of-digital-acceleration/ Mobile <- +100 yrs -> Cloud & big data
20. 20 Traditional organization Digital & innovative organization There is a durable and reproducible recipe There is no sustainable recipe except adaptability and agility New World Old World A radical transformation
21. 4,6 ★★★★★ 77k review No 6 - news and magazines 350k/day 760k/month 250k/day 500k/month 4,6 ★★★★★ +100k review No 1 - news and magazines AMAZING RESULTS
22. 22 Reader’s and advertiser’s revenue REVENUE GROWTH +50% Digital Ad $ Stoped the press
23. 23 Daily Audience 2002 2012 2022 2024 0 200 000 400 000 600 000 800 000 1 000 000 1 200 000 559 450 350 30 349 325 244 240 230 255 Newsprint* La Presse+ App mobile Web** *Newsprint base on weekly average — 2000 *Web ComScore READER’S GROWTH
24. New mindset New opportunities Growth & relevance CHANGE IS POSITIVE!
25. @madmac 25 FROM DISRUPTION TO DISRUPTION Us (Still running) The market Disruptions Agile
26. 5 LEARNINGS TO INSPIRE YOUR JOURNEY 26
27. We all sucks at trying to predicts the future Escape from old ideas and paradigms is really hard Reframe learning – How to be future proof? Humans and change 3 2 1 4 🧠 27 Tomorrow's winning teams 5
28. 28 Speed and impacts of change « We tend to overestimate what we can do in the near future and grossly underestimate what can be done in the distant future. This is because the human imagination extrapolates in a straight line, while real world events develop exponentially. (like compound interest) » – Arthur C. Clarke
29. What actually happen 29 Results / performance Time Atomic Habits, James Clear What you think should happen A mirage Speed and impacts of change
30. 30 Résultats / performance Temps Atomic Habits, James Clear Speed and impacts of change
31. 31 The speed of change is accelerating Impact of changes Analog PC Computer 1884 1990 Internet 2000 2010 2020 Social AI https://www.digitaltransformationbook.com/the-speed-of-change-4-waves-of-digital-acceleration/ Mobile <- +100 yrs -> Cloud & big data
32. 32 1930: we imagine the smartphone… https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/retro-future-predictions/
33. 33 1950: we imagine a View master … Waze https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/retro-future-predictions/ Viewmaster
34. 34 1960: we imagine the newspaper of the future… https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/retro-future-predictions/
35. 35 Imagine the TV of the future?
36. 36 The television of the future will be both the TV... ... and the studio so that everyone can create his own show! Imagine the TV of the future?
38. IMPERMANENCE L'état ou le fait de ne durer que pour une période limitée
39. @madmac Utilisateurs d'ordinateurs dans le monde (milliards) 39 0,5 G 1,5 G 4,5 G 5 G iPhone From exciting to universal
40. @madmac 40 Adoption rate
41. Impact of covid in our work space
42. @madmac 42 Chart of the century: Days from 1m to 100m users
43. @madmac 43 Chart of the century: Days from 1m to 100m users
44. 44 It's going to get crazier!
45. IMPERMANENCE The state or the fact of lasting only for a limited period of time
46. IMPERMANENCE The state or the fact of lasting only for a limited period of time There is a sustainable recipe and reproducible STANDARDIZATION There is no sustainable recipe otherwise that adaptability and agility ADAPTATION & EXPERIMENT
47. What actually happen 47 Results / performance Time Atomic Habits, James Clear What you think should happen A mirage Speed and impacts of change We must prepare our organizations, our teams and ourselves for here
48. •Change is now truly a constant process, not an event! • We are very bad at predicting it To remember
49. We all sucks at trying to predicts the future Escape from old ideas and paradigms is really hard Reframe learning – How to be future proof? Humans and change 3 2 1 4 🧠 49 Tomorrow's winning teams 5
50. 50 2009 2008-2009 -2M$/month
51. @madmac 51 I make a model and tries to convince my CEO to develop an application for Apple's rumoured tablet At the end of 2009 I came out of my comfort zone
52. @madmac 52 BUT WHAT DID I DO?!? Early 2010 = the biggest project of my career!
53. @madmac
54. @madmac 54 Monkey Trap
55. 55 The difficulty « The difficulty lies not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us have been, into every corner of our minds. » — John Maynard Keynes 🍌
56. @madmac 56 Escaping from old paradigms Winning concepts and recipes that have carried us so far Winning concepts and recipes that we will need to succeed in tomorrow's world 🍌
57. @madmac 57 In a world where everything changes so quickly Adaptability + Ignited by the new problems Focused on customer value Mind Mindset
58. 58 I know how it works! I’m an expert!
59. 59 What is your banana?
60. We all sucks at trying to predicts the future Escape from old ideas and paradigms is really hard Reframe learning – How to be future proof? Humans and change 3 2 1 4 🧠 60 Tomorrow's winning teams 5
61. @madmac 61 The career of your parents @madmac
62. @madmac 62 Your careers More changes Disruption @madmac
63. Career of the next generation
64. @madmac 64 World of work: important transition Tools Toolset Skills Skillset Mind Mindset
65. @madmac 65 Five years from now, over one- third of skills (35%) that are considered important in today’s workforce will have changed Source: Skills Revolution 2.0 - ManpowerGroup Disruption and speed of change
66. CV•Resume 📎 Disruption and speed of change
67. @madmac 67 Communication Collaborate Problem Solving Organization Customer Service Leadership Management 0 % 15 % 30 % 45 % 60 % 33 % 34 % 45 % 49 % 54 % 55 % 56 % Most valued Best « future proof » skills
68. Transform yourself, learn = future proof yourself! CV•Resume Before CV•Resume After
69. Transform yourself, learn = future proof yourself!
70. Recruitment/changes/leaders Who is best quali fi ed for the position? Who is most likely to help us move from where we are today to where we want to go tomorrow?
71. @madmac Unicorns No thank you ! When recruiting or building your dream team S K I L L S W I L L Soft Skills Hard Skills 71
72. @madmac With time Relevant With time Obsolete S K I L L S W I L L Soft Skills Hard Skills 72 When recruiting or building your dream team
73. Not a question of age! Attitude It’s about self-confidence and courage!
74. @madmac 74 The great danger If we are afraid of failing and not being up to the task, if we are afraid of being judged, the logical reaction is to try to be perfect. (Or seek to be perfect) Paralysis Paralysis Paralysis Paralysis
75. @madmac 75 Careful not becoming the expert of yesterday! Tools Toolset Skills Skillset Mind Mindset 🍌
76. We all sucks at trying to predicts the future Escape from old ideas and paradigms is really hard Reframe learning – How to be future proof? Humans and change 3 2 1 4 🧠 76 Tomorrow's winning teams 5
77. 77 2002: A lesson that will help me manage change
78. 78 2002: A lesson that will help me manage change
79. Advanced 79 Software Update Preference Normal i Never Everyone has their own rhythm
80. @madmac 80 innovation-adoption impact the big scary chasm 2,5% 13% innovators early adopters niche market 34% 34% 16% early majority late majority laggards mass market Crossing the Chasm (1991, revised 1999 and 2014), Geoffrey A. Moore The early adopters as ambassadors of change
81. GREAT TRUTH
82. If there is no: •Resistance •Feeling of decline •Feeling of incompetence •Feeling of overflow There is no change! Change management
83. @madmac 83 Managing change Human reactions to change Disengagement Cynicism Ambivalence & acceptance Calm and healthy skepticism Early adoption Enthusiasm & optimistic Resistance Fear, anger, frustration
84. S2 Early majority S1 Innovators & early adopters S4 Laggards S3 Late majority LA PRESSE’S READERS IPAD OWNERS? No Yes No Yes L A P R E S S E + A C Q U I S I T I O N ST R AT E G I E S The early adopters as ambassadors of change
85. 85 Recognize your ambassadors of change
86. @madmac 86 🦕 🐄 🦅 🐎 🦒 🦍 🐝 🐅 🦇 🐘 🐇 🐛 🦆 🐌 Those who prefer complete, proven and risk-free solutions Those open to change And to the novelty From all walks of life Di ff erent from you Diversity & multidisciplinary = more points of view, more original solutions, fewer blind spots The early adopters as ambassadors of change chasm
87. Not a race 🦅 🐝 🐅 🦇 🐇 🦆 🐌 🦍 🦕 🐛 🦒 🦍 🐑
88. Go through as a team 🦅 🐝 🐅 🦇 🐇 🦆 🐌 🦕 🐛 🦒 🦍🐄 🐑
89. We all sucks at trying to predicts the future Escape from old ideas and paradigms is really hard Reframe learning – How to be future proof? Humans and change 3 2 1 4 🧠 89 Tomorrow's winning teams 5
90. 90 It's going to get crazier!
91. @madmac 91 What will be the place of humans tomorrow?
92. @madmac 92 Tools Toolset Mind Mindset Skills Skillset AI & MACHINE LEARNING OLD SOLUTIONS FOR ALL PROBLEMS HUMANS NEW SOLUTIONS TO NEW PROBLEMS A future seems to be emerging
93. @madmac 93 AI & MACHINE LEARNING HUMANS Help with our learning Helps to better understand our customers Increase our productivity Creativity Collaboration Empathetic and authentic connections from humans to humans A future seems to be emerging
94. @madmac 94 Creation of value by Innovation, differentiation and relationships Creation of value by optimization and automation Deep learning, decision making, 24/7, efficiency, speed Creativity, co-creation, new solutions To new problems A future seems to be emerging
95. Shared Values What we agree is important? Purpose Why we exist? Rules of Engagement How we interact with one another and think about problems? A SENSE OF COMMUNITY SOURCE: https://www.cascade.app/blog/cross-functional-teams-culture Tomorrow's winning teams
96. Rules of engagement Is this decision the best for our current and future customers? Is this decision take into account the impact on achieving our business targets and objectives? Is this decision based on data and customer proof evidence? Have we carried out tests, experiments, POCs to validate our hypothesis? Does this decision make it possible to harmonize and simplify our systems (and the CX) and mitigate the number of possible variations? Does this decision allows us to be flexible, sustainable, resilient? Future Proof? Do we use best practices of tomorrow? Are we taking this decision In a fast and agile way or have we spent too much time on it? 🎛 🧲 👀 🎯 🧪 🔮 🏗 🏎 Take the decision or escalate if blocked
97. @madmac 97 What are we trying to build? To build the "good stuff", you must fi rst develop a common understanding And shared of this "good stuff". The "good stuff" → Why? → For who? → Problems to solve? → How will we know we are progressing? Alignment = Common and shared understanding
98. @madmac 98 Empathy for our customers and colleagues Empathy = Best innovation Empathy = Giving people a voice Empathy = Better code/design/solutions Empathy = Connection
99. SOURCE: https://www.cascade.app/blog/cross-functional-teams-culture Tomorrow's winning teams + Empathy
100. @madmac 100 Purpose Rules of engagement Shared values A SENSE OF COMMUNITY + EMPATHY Tomorrow's winning teams
101. CONCLUSION 101
102. The market Our beautiful products, services, processes and even our business model Impermanence
103. 103 Why innovate & prepare for tomorrow? •Innovate to create competitive advantages and offer added value to customers. •Innovate to remain relevant in our market and in society •Innovating because - in a constantly changing world - our winning recipe of today is what will prevent us from being winners in the world of tomorrow
104. New mindset New opportunities Growth & relevance CHANGE IS POSITIVE!
105. Transform yourself, learn = future proof yourself! CV•Resume Before CV•Resume After
106. 106 The innovator’s Mindset Embrace change rather than fear it, always question our concepts and winning recipes that have brought us here so far. At first we are poorly positioned and biased precisely because we have been so successful in the past.
107. Your questions
108. @madmac 108 Jean-Marc De Jonghe jean.marc@lapresse.ca ca.linkedin.com/in/dejonghe speakerdeck.com/jdejongh Connect with me 🧠 mindsetinnovateur.com https://forms.o ffi ce.com/r/DvRngiRfmC Give me feedback And I’ll send you the deck
109. REFERENCES 109
110. @madmac 110 • Crossing the Chasm (1991, revised 1999 and 2014), Geoffrey A. Moore • Creativity Inc (2014, Random House Canada), Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace • Being Digital, Nicolas Negroponte (Knopf 1995) • TedTalk, Dan Pink sur la surprenante science de la motivation, Dan Pink https://www.ted.com/talks/ dan_pink_on_motivation?language=fr#t-1010302 • Why we plan – Part I – Failure to Rescue, Buridan’s Blog http://buridansblog12.rssing.com/chan-20258046/ all_p1.html • ICE Score all you need to know Itamar Gilad https://itamargilad.com/ice-scores/ • The Phoenix and the Unicorn, Peter Hinssen (2020 nexxworks) • Complicated vs Complex and why it’s matters - Roland Wolfig https://beya.io/2016/03/complicated-vs-complex- and-why-it-matters/ • Complexity and Strategy https://hackernoon.com/ complexity-and-strategy-325cd7f59a92#.5h6wyrxvk • Prototyping: Fake It till you make it (WWDC 2014, Apple Developper, Apple Inc.), Get a glimpse of Apple's prototyping process and the range of tools and techniques they use, some of which might surprise you. https://developer.apple.com/videos/ play/design/12/ • The Future of Jobs : Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (World Economic Forum, Jan 2016) References
111. @madmac 111 • Crossing the Chasm (1991, revised 1999 and 2014), Geoffrey A. Moore • Creativity Inc (2014, Random House Canada), Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace • Being Digital, Nicolas Negroponte (Knopf 1995) • The Phoenix and the Unicorn, Peter Hinssen (2020 nexxworks) Books to inspire your journey
112. @madmac 112 Workshops available • Digital transformation and change management with a human face • Achieve true organizational agility • From vision to realization • Get into action • Develop your influence • Creation and management of a pipeline of ideas/initiatives/tactics aligned with the desired strategy and results • Mobilize and align your teams in change and innovation • Etc