Leading up to an exciting opportunity for you to engage with our two experienced Future & Ancient Wisdom experts Jim Burke and Cynthia Cavalli we’re running a three-part series of articles on how unique combinations of foresight and ancient wisdom tools can be applied in powerful ways to successfully tackle the uncertainty and complexity of our present business environment to be better prepared for the future – This is Part 3.
How to keep your strategy sharp and relevant?
The first two articles in this series have looked at how you can get ahead of the future and create strategies that will ensure you don’t get blindsided by the unexpected. It’s about breeding the confidence needed to accommodate high levels of uncertainty, so you can move forward with clarity of vision even when there are substantial forces holding you back and undermining your ability to execute on your plans.
The key is combining analysis of emerging trends with the wisdom gained from taking the ultra-long-term view that can help you harness knowledge accumulated by humankind over the centuries. The result is a raised awareness of how change is influencing your ability to compete, and a mindset that can overcome short-term distractions to focus on the full potential of the future.
Complexity science specialist and leadership coach Cynthia Cavalli and futurist Jim Burke have both helped countless clients, like those featured in the first two articles, make the mental transition from complacency, apprehension, and myopia to an attitude of self-assurance, resolution, and optimism. While letting go of established ways of thinking isn’t necessarily easy, the costs of holding on to a fixed mindset are increasing as the world becomes more complex.
Questions Cynthia & Jim are frequently asked
What’s the point of looking so far into the future when the trends that impact us seem so stable year to year?
There has never been so much money flowing into start-ups, most of which are seeking to disrupt an industry, potentially making incumbents obsolete. The corporate landscape is now littered with the tombstones of companies in well-established industries that for years – decades even – could rely on cash cows until they were obliterated by a combination of emerging trends that they couldn’t respond quickly enough to. Think Kodak, Nokia, and Blockbuster, to name just a few. It doesn’t need to be like this. The trends are there to see right now, and the wisdom to interpret them has been developed over a very long time. It is simply for us to take the time to recognize what is happening.
But it seems all predictions are wrong, so isn’t it an exercise in futility?
You don’t need to predict the future precisely to be able to make the most out of it and avoid unpleasant surprises. It is simply a matter of understanding what could happen, noticing shifts in trends and countertrends as they happen, and responding accordingly. As the saying goes: It’s about being ready, not right.
We’ve done these long-term planning exercises, and then everyone forgets about them. What practical value do they have?
Connecting the future to the present is essential to effective planning and decision-making, otherwise you are simply lost in a sea of biases that will compromise any action you take. This means focusing on a few important things that can be monitored rather than numerous things that can fall by the wayside. The future, and your understanding of it, are constantly changing, so it’s important to be agile.
My situation is unique so none of this will work for me, right?
EVERYONE’S situation is unique, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from the past and what may happen in the future. That’s the beauty of ancient wisdom – it has a track record of widespread application.
Join Cynthia & Jim on June 2nd and 9th
At Supertrends Institute, we’re lucky to have partners such as Cynthia and Jim who have so much knowledge and practical experience to share on making sense of the future. Cynthia is widely recognized for her ability to put your unique situation into new perspectives that will help you revitalize you strategic thinking significantly. Jim has over and over again demonstrated how he can make his corporate clients achieve strategic clarity and vision in our fast-changing time full of uncertainties.
Coming soon, Cynthia and Jim are offering a limited number of seats to their upcoming one-off, 2-sessions Learning Lab that combines their expertise of applying foresight and ancient wisdom to emerging trends in anticipating the future.
In 24 hours after receiving this email, you will receive details of the exclusive Early Bird Offer from Cynthis and Jim, and how you can take advantage of it.
Please look out for this offer, as it will be valid for only a limited time.