The Future Is Behind You
Imagine you’re playing softball. You’re at the plate batting.
The opposing team’s pitcher sends the ball your way – at the professional pitching pace of 100 km/h.
And you're facing backwards.
Think of the impact.
Not only will it hurt. You’re certain to miss the ball completely. Let alone score a home run.
Seems ludicrous but it’s what far too many leaders are doing right now. Looking in the wrong direction while their future is right behind them.
Don’t believe me? Listen closely to the conversation at your next meeting or strategy discussion. Count how many suggestions are based on personal experience from the past vs strategies based on deep insight into the learnings of those working at the edge of the future.
It’s why leadership teams talk about fast-moving ambiguous disruptive change. Not because it is. But because out-dated strategy methods have conditioned those around them to spend too much of the discussion facing backwards.
To give you a quick example let’s run a Futuready experiment…
Uber. ByteDance.
Which of those two companies do you recognise?
Elon Musk. Alex Zhu.
Which of those two leaders have you heard speak?
To develop a Futuready strategy and culture you can’t rely on media headlines and social feeds for unique insight. Instead to see the future that’s all around you, explore the edges of the present to discover what we call hidden giants.
Like Alex Zhu. Founder of Musical.ly. CEO of ByteDance. Creators of TikTok. The social media phenomenon that’s grown to 500 million active users in just three years. With a faster growth-rate than Instagram or Facebook.
Along the way passing Uber to become the world’s most valuable startup.
How? By looking beyond Millenials and a social media landscape distorted by pressure to share our best selves. Connecting with the next generations Z and Alpha, giving them social permission to start sharing their more authentic selves.
But this isn’t about Alphas vs Millenials.
Or Alex vs Elon.
It’s about you vs you.
The version of you that sometimes chooses to face backwards and reflect on the known.
Then when it’s time to step up to the plate, chooses to step more confidently forward into the revolutionary unknown.
Into a brilliant future waiting to be discovered.
Need to step into the revolutionary?
To schedule a call with Futurist Dave Wild to explore our facilitation approach please contact our Business Manager at andrea@dave-wild.com