Our ideas on the Front Foot Organisation have proved extremely popular in recent months.
In working with leadership teams in our ‘classic’ workshop format, we bring the framework to life at four stages. At the start, we ask people to describe the future state they will be achieving in one or two years.
This ‘fast forward’ is about being clear on Direction. It builds a shared understanding of what is being aimed for and raises the expectation and hope for the next stage…Momentum.
When facing changes in our work or personal life it helps to have a ‘Plan B’ as well as a ‘Plan A’. If we can be more imaginative in widening our ideas of what the future might look like, we can increase the repertoire of options available to us.
An example of this is personal scenario planning when facing possible job changes. ‘Plan A’ is often “I hope they keep me on, doing what I do now”.
To move beyond this, it is useful to face our fears. “What is the worst case?” By articulating our anxieties, we can move from just feeling them to confronting them and then to mitigating them. Ask yourself “what am I really afraid of, how would I cope, how could I soften the impact of what might happen?”
Now try to come up with an interesting ‘Plan B’. “What’s an alternative future career or line of work that I could envisage given the goals and resources available to me?” Try to spot the trends you see around you that offer new opportunities. Review the things you’ve done successfully which you can build on. Write down the contacts you know who can help.
It may be a time to start achieving those personal ambitions which you’ve often thought about but never really acted on.
Ask us for a for more on this or a summary of our favourite article on personal resilience.
What difference does 20 years make?
It doesn’t seem that long.
But a lot changes – often silently and unnoticed.
Comparing a few newspapers, both tabloid and broadsheets, from the same date 21 years apart reveals a few striking features:
1) They are smaller – not just the shrunken Times, but the odd inch here and there on most titles.
2) There was no use of colour, other than the defunct Today. Now it is everywhere, including the Metro, the new daily freebie in London.
In what ways do these changes in appearance reflect the changes in the newspaper market, the way we ‘consume’ news and the wider digital media landscape in general?
Are you good at spotting trends?
Being perceptive in seeing new things take shape – shifts in behaviour, changes in consumption, altering of attitudes – is a useful skill. And might make you more interesting at dinner parties. So it’s worth practicing.
Here’s a trend to get started on. Have you noticed that, for about a year, men in high-end fashion shoots have frequently had a hair parting and semi-slicked down hair? More widely, however, male fashion still includes the long-standing slightly scruffed up look and, recently, use of a beard.
Watch to see when (and if) the parting goes mainstream outside of the fashion shoot. You’ll see (in London) a few more younger men with the parted look. Try counting…
And see this for a bit on the theory of fashion.
How much do you know about climate science?
Interested in learning more?
If you are, here are some perspectives on the different schools of thought around the issues.
We first did this work a couple of years ago and have continued to use it our teaching on thinking about the future.
It seems to resonate.
We hope it helps you join the debate.
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