To start this off I was given a really simple brief from the team, write a blog post about something relevant and, hopefully, engaging.
Manager at Costa Coffee
Resultantly a fairly literal response, a reflection on how to stay relevant in today’s fast-paced world—an issue that has only become more pressing after recent changes in our industry.
The Society for Location Analysis (SLA) as a group have been asking ourselves the very question: What does our industry truly need? What can we offer as a group that is both unique and valuable? How do we reflect on who we are now, where we could go, and what we want to become? And perhaps most importantly, how do we bring along the next generation of location experts in the quickly evolving world of retail analytics?
It’s an exciting challenge. In a way, it mirrors what we do daily in our work—spotting patterns, forecasting trends, and delivering solutions to the organisations that employ us. But here, we’re asking what we can offer you—our community and industry peers.
Starting With Who We Are
How to remain relevant in our business and workplace is a theme that resonates with all of us, whether we’re just starting out, in the middle of our career, or approaching the end and hopefully a well earned retirement. I want to use this opportunity to share my experiences, and in doing so, encourage others to share theirs. We can only offer what we are and share a vision of what we want to become. So, that’s where I begin.
To start from the beginning, I feel fortunate to have always known where my passions lay, even if I wasn’t sure how that would translate into a career. I was also lucky that my university degree led to a relevant, albeit niche, field of work. At that point, I didn’t even know the SLA existed. I was in that “just give me a job” phase, figuring that if I could work in geodemographics, it would give me decent career prospects. Beyond that, I had no idea if I’m honest.
Supporting the Next Generation
One of the roles I hope to play at the SLA is to guide the next generation. Many young people are searching for direction, and we are in a position to offer that. For example, I’ve supported three master’s students through the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) projects, and at least two of them have stayed in the industry. I think it’s a valuable experience for anyone starting out—not just as a CV booster, but as a taster of what working in the field is actually like. Whether it’s a positive or negative experience, it helps them decide if this is the right path.
I would encourage younger members of our industry to reach out and tell us how we can help them. One thing I’ve done is reconnect with my old university lecturers to explore ways of increasing our exposure. The results have been mixed so far, but we’re eager for any collaboration with academia to support new talent entering the field.
Navigating Career Forks
There are two significant crossroads that stand out in my career—points where the relevance question really hit home.
The first was after my graduate job. I had been fortunate to work in a consultancy where I gained exposure to a range of sectors, from automotive to healthcare and retail. It gave me a broad perspective, but after a while, I hit a ceiling. Despite learning many technical and managerial skills, I felt that much of the work was superficial in terms of where I wanted to go. Once the project was delivered, my involvement was over. It left me wondering, how do I stay relevant? At that point, I felt I was in a strong position, but I knew that for long-term growth, I’d eventually need to move on. Following a company restructure, I asked myself: “Do I still fit in this world, and is it still right for me?” Eventually, the answer was no, and I took the difficult step of moving on.
My advice to anyone facing such decisions is to ask yourself that same question: is this still right for me? Everyone’s circumstances are different, and what’s right for me won’t be right for someone else. I’ve certainly stayed in jobs that weren’t ideal for my career but worked better for my personal life, and vice versa. There’s always a balance to find.
Finding Balance and Staying Grounded
Like many people, I’ve faced hard times—bereavement, depression and becoming a carer. I try to be open about these challenges in the hope that my experiences might help others. Discussing these issues has helped me deal with the past, the present, and the future, and has shaped my understanding of relevance—not just in work but in life.
More recently, the question of relevance has morphed into something else: how do I stay relevant as things continue to change? With developments like machine learning and generative AI, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But what I’ve realised is that there are still guiding principles that remain constant. Decision-makers aren’t always specialists, and while technology can offer incredible capabilities, we still need to build trust and confidence with stakeholders.
Foundations Before Fancy Solutions
In my recent roles, I’ve focused on building capabilities. The key to this is starting with the basics. You need strong foundations in data and processes before layering more advanced techniques on top. The old saying “rubbish in, rubbish out” is as true today as it ever was. Sometimes, fixing simple issues can result in significant wins. Setting clear boundaries and managing expectations is equally important.
While I’ve embraced modern techniques, I’ve found that layering them on top of traditional methods helps produce timely, actionable results for human decision-makers. To give you an example, while I manually wrote this article in the ‘old school’ way, I did ask an AI helper to check and fine-tune it—making sure it all made sense.
Final Thoughts
In today’s rapidly changing world, the challenge of staying relevant isn’t going away. But by reflecting on our experiences, supporting the next generation, and embracing both the old and the new, we can navigate the road ahead with confidence. I think that helps build a path for the SLA as well as myself.
And now, I invite you—how do you stay relevant in today’s world? Let’s start a conversation
You can contact James on Linkedin.