5 Tips to Avoid “Foresight Burnout”
If you’ve learned about Strategic Foresight recently, you’re likely wondering how to start socializing it to the broader organization. You recognize that there’s disruption and opportunity just on the horizon and you want to capitalize on that information without interrupting the flow of everyday business. Sadly, the future is not on everyone’s radar (except if you’re talking risk, or certainty). You need creative ways to inspire the team to consider the pull of the future without overwhelming them.
Here’s five things to keep in mind as you introduce Strategic Foresight to your team:
- Start small: People have limited attention spans. We all have tight schedules and small budgets. Start with a simple but effective exercise like the Probability Impact Matrix, a Futures Thinking Worksheet, or even discussing some trend cards.
2. Embrace skeptics: Skeptics can be your best asset. They articulate their own fears around foresight, and thus can preview the reactions of others — helping you prepare your counter arguments in advance. Once they recognize the power of Strategic Foresight, they become your biggest champion. They can sense the same hesitations in others and help to fill gaps for wider acceptance.
3. Provide evidence: Foresight is it’s own best business case. It’s been successfully implemented in multiple U.S. government agencies, non-profits, and Fortune 100 companies like Walt Disney. Whether leveraged for strategy, innovation, change management, or personal development, Strategic Foresight has been proven to work like an operating system, influencing decisions across many functions.
4. Plug and play: Maximize existing processes! Use ten minutes at the start of staff meetings to discuss interesting articles using the Futures Intelligence Frameworks. Host a luncheon and present 10 trends the organization should action against. Leveraging systems that are already in place will make the future less scary or weird, and more approachable.
5. Be confident: The world needs more futurists! Introducing your team to the future is no small feat, but it is incredibly rewarding and necessary for the 21st century. Know that you have thousands of professionals in The Futures School network supporting your efforts, the freedom to hack any tool in the Natural Foresight® Framework, and the ability to further your credentials with foresight training and certification.
Ashley Bowers
Creative Strategist, TFSX
Ashley leverages her expertise in sustainable design, environmental science, and marketing to support user-experiences with a holistic approach. Her goal is to empower changemakers, organizations, institutions and governments to thrive in a world of exponential uncertainty and complexity.
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