In 1969, there was a romantic comedy titled If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. The film was about a man taking a nine-country, 18-day tour of Europe, and the phrase came to be used for situations where your head is spinning so much, you don’t even know what city you’re in.
Today, this is the general feeling for many leaders. With global and societal trends becoming key factors in business success, it seems like every day there is a new headline and shift of direction. Tariffs or no tariffs? Is a war is ending or beginning? Is AI the biggest business opportunity or about to become a commodity before it even begins? Will insurance (or the inability to get it in a changing climate) be the next financial crisis? Or will it be trade barriers between countries? Oh, then there’s the asteroid that now has a one in forty-three chance of hitting Earth in 2032 or the rapid acceleration of Bird Flu. But stay calm — at least for now.
Future-Proof leadership
Many of my clients are worried about the future, given the widespread and almost constant change they face from economic and global uncertainty You may be tempted to hire a futurist to tell you what the future holds, but don’t. Ok, I’m being a bit provocative, but the truth is, most of what futurists share is either so general that we don’t know what to do about it or it turns out to be wrong because the future is hard to predict. What we need to do instead is become future proof.
Leaders and organizations need to become skilled at identifying trends and planning for multiple possible versions of the future. Then, they need to be ready to adapt to the less desirable future while taking actions to make the future they most want become reality.
Leading Future-Proof Principles
How do we lead with so much up in the air? Here are my five principles for becoming future proof:
1. Prepare for Multiple Futures
Right now, there isn’t one future ahead of us, there are multiple futures. Leaders need to identify all the plausible futures and get “future proof” for the most disruptive ones. Whether in your industry or the global situation, it is critical to be as ready as we can to adapt to whatever might come.
2. Don’t Be a Spectator
One of the temptations right now is to become passive and wait to see what happens next. But the future isn’t a destination waiting for us to arrive. We need to be active in creating the future we want to happen.
Part of being future proof is asking, “what is the future we most want to happen and what can WE do to make it more likely?” This is as true for us as citizens as it is for us as business leaders — we make the future as much as the future makes us.
3. Remember Uncertainty Always Brings Opportunity
The one big upside of uncertainty is it always means opportunity. I can’t tell you right now what opportunities this uncertainty will bring you or your business, but I can guarantee you that the leaders who focus on what the world and their customers will need as things change, will be the winners. It’s time to keep your eyes wide open.
4. Hold On to Your Values
When Jim Collins wrote his bestselling book Built to Last, he asked the question, why do some organizations thrive through multiple cycles of change? It’s because they held close to their core values while being open to how those values had to be applied in a changing situation.
This is a good time to remind ourselves that values matter. Especially values such as putting the customer first, doing the right thing, being open to innovation, and adding more value to society than you take. Uncertainty often challenges us to step back from our deepest values, but this is a time to step in not back.
5. Business as Usual Won’t Work
My good friend Joel Barker spent a lifetime studying paradigms. One of his mantras was, those who are most successful in the previous paradigm are always the most vulnerable when it changes.
Blackberry made the smart phone famous, but their success blinded them when things changed. Match was the leader in online dating but created Tinder to disrupt themselves. Now Gen Zs are leaving dating sites in favour of in person connecting. So, Match just announced they are going on a new journey of change. The point is that when the paradigm changes — what got you here won’t get you there.
Are You Future Proof?
There is only one thing for certain — change is in the air across the globe. Now’s the time to ask yourself, are you future proof?
Dr. John Izzo helps companies maximize their potential from the ground up. For over 30 years, he has been a pioneer in employee engagement, leading change, shifting employee and consumer values, and corporate social responsibility, and is known for his hard-hitting practical content, his inspirational storytelling, and the lasting impact he has on organizations.
In his keynote, “Future Proof Leadership: Why We Often Miss What’s Coming and How to Be Ready”, John explores the major trends shaping the future of work and why we so often miss what’s coming, while equipping audiences with the power of foresight to identify and prepare for future possible scenarios.
Contact us learn more about John and how he can help your audience become future proof leaders.
