MANY in business and media talk of a wanting a crystal ball for 2009. I believe that those who can focus on the meaning of their existence rather than worrying about existing will thrive. And major futurists are echoing this philosophy.

Famed futurists like Faith Popcorn, who has a 30-year track record of predicting culture shifts driven by consumer behaviour, is forecasting a gloomy 2009.

No surprise there, but it’s her advice on how to counter the "unprecedented fear, anxiety and uncertainty" that will make or break businesses, communities and our entire culture.

Her four new rules of engagement — reclaim, retrench, reset and reinvent — are insightful, will require work and collaboration and can easily be applied to our community.

To reclaim, Popcorn predicts that, as consumers, our relationships with corporations are changing. We are questioning the mainstream in such a major way she has dubbed it a Socioquake.

Watch for the death of the consumer and "long live the citizen."

"With the mutuality of responsibility, citizenship suggests shared values, shared interests and . . . free-ranging, ongoing decision-making."

Someone suggested to me at a recent holiday gathering that Halifax is not ready to adapt and grab an idea that will transform it. I hope that is not true, but clearly communities that will succeed into the future will rely on more than political structures or hired corporate managers. Witness Obama and the way he is engaging citizens for input, outside of the regular government structure.

Obama has recently influenced Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who called upon 11 of the brightest citizens in economic development in this country to advise him on our budget.

Citizens engaging in an unstructured format with government to take the country forward. Now that’s reclaiming.

To retrench, she reminds us that we will be staying home. Judging from the rise in bankruptcies of our local restaurants and the looming auto empire’s downturn, people are cocooning. The idea of retrenching means companies that can understand the challenges of the consumer will thrive.

To reset, people are opting for simpler living and people, whether by choice or not, are questioning personal/career satisfaction and goals. What is my mission statement for my own life? Do you even have one? This is the time to establish a strong sense of where you are taking your life, your family and your community.

To reinvent, she predicts the old rules will no longer reign. People will haggle, swap, barter and reuse.

"It all hearkens back to a time where a direct citizen-to-citizen relationship drove the economy rather than being disintermediated by channel and manufacturing," she says.

Nova Scotia lost 400 manufacturers in the past five years. The writing has been on the wall for our provincial economy, which has been $12.5 billion in debt for quite some time. If we are to turn this ship back on course, we must adapt, and swiftly.

The best local model of an organization adapting to the changes that are part of the new rules of engagement is the Nova Scotia Community College.

I was asked to give a talk about my book to their media volunteers a few weeks back and I can see why the community college got top marks on the economic scorecard.

They no longer follow the old model of relying on one communications manager to tell their story. They empower people within the organization to talk citizen to citizen about their success and what they have to offer. They empower their people to talk to people in a non-hierarchical way.

This province and every business in it would do well to emulate the leadership of the Nova Scotia Community College and adapt quickly and swiftly to changes that mean our old way of doing things will no longer work.

As Popcorn reminds us, we need to take heed.

Barb Stegemann is an author and principal of a company that empowers non-profit organizations, businesses and governments to build stronger communities. ( bstegemann@herald.ca)