Each season fashion devotees scour the pages of glossy magazines to learn what’s in and what’s out. And while the sartorial choices of your average business person probably don’t need to take in to account that limestone is the new honeysuckle, that doesn’t mean those who spend more time thinking about balance sheets than hem lines are free from the influence of fashion. It’s just a different sort of fashion.

Whether the flavor of the moment is Six Sigma or Matrix Management, new ideas about how to run a business come and go nearly as often as replacements for black hit the runways. Some of these fall out of favor quickly, but not every business trend it a dud, at least not according to author Scott Ginsberg, who recently offered nine business trends that are here to stay to readers of the American Express OPEN Forum blog. Become a follower of ideas like these, he insists, and you won’t end up looking like the guy walking around in acid wash jeans (or those Google Buzz evangelists):

Inspire is the new motivate. You can��t motivate anybody to do anything; all you can do is inspire them to motivate themselves. Find out what fuels people. Then fill the tank.?

Judgment is the new access. When information is infinite, people don��t need information, they need people who can explain the information they��ve already found. The point is: curators aren��t just for museums. In an increasingly commoditized marketplace, service is the key differentiator. And if you can make your customers smarter by explaining the world to them, you win.

Naked is the new uniform. Wearing a nametag 24/7 is a risk. But it��s also good practice. Practice being vulnerable, that is. There is a connection between vulnerability, approachability and profitability. When you open yourself to the world, the world will opens its wallet to you. But only if you��re willing to strip away the superficialities and occupy your vulnerability.

Playful is the new professional. Retaining childlikeness makes you more approachable, more relaxing to be around and more relatable to all ages.

Is Ginsberg right that these trends, and the others mentioned in his post, are genuine, long-lasting shifts in how business gets done rather than blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trends?

Perhaps, but style is personal and some self-aware individuals get more mileage out of sticking with a signature style rather than chasing each new trend. The same is no doubt true in business — if you’re doing well with a classic and less than trendy management style or product, then there’s no need to go running after the latest fad. In fact, you’d probably just look ridiculous.

Do you think Ginsberg has identified real, long-term business trends?

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