Listmas in July
We have a tradition at TFS for a few years running- each July we hold “Listmas in July”.
Toward the end of each year, futurists typically have a field day with lists. Top 10 Trends for 2022, 20 Major Trends for the Next Decade, Best Tech Trends for Your Company… You spend an afternoon reading through these lists and– voila!– you have everything you need to take your leadership, organizational development and innovation incubator to the next level. See how easy that was?
But, wait. These trends are here *today*, that’s why we see them. So why do we rely on these lists to tell us about the future? Sure, trends show us what’s driving present-day decisions in business and society. They also reveal the direction the world is moving toward. However, no forecaster, strategic director, or business intelligence analyst worth their weight in cryptocurrency is ever going to get ahead of the present landscape or become an effective agent of transformative change by focusing on trends alone. Contrary to what you may have heard, trends are NOT the beating heart of good foresight, strategy and innovation work. Trends may be the life blood of futuring, but so much more is needed to accomplish and sustain impactful foresight strategy and innovation.
That’s why we hold Listmas in July. It’s our way to combat clickbait and encourage futures thinking.
This year we’re sharing the future-empowered lists from our archives to jumpstart foresight efforts in your organization. Enjoy!
listmas in july!
Articles:
The 4 Best Annotation Platforms for Environmental Scanning
5 Tips to Avoid “Foresight Burnout”
3 Skills You Need to Make Future-Fit Career Moves
3 Ways to Challenge Assumptions
5 Common Reasons Why Foresight Efforts Fail
Resources:
Foresight Gap Identification Worksheet
