September 8, 2024

Seeing The Future

Dear Uncommon Leaders,

Hope you've all had a great weekend and looking forward to another productive week ahead!

Your Sunday Nugget

This Week's Question:

How much time are you allocating to thinking about the future?

This Week's Challenge:

Business demands can keep us in a default of head down and our focus being just on what’s right in front of us. We know that from the SERVE model, one of the things great leaders do is to see the future.

It’s very challenging to see the future when there are call-outs, broken equipment and consistent fires to put out. If we want to avoid being buried by our businesses and our responsibilities however, we have to lift our heads up and look into the future. Yes, gaining a future-based perspective is easier said than done. How are we to do it? Here are a couple of best practices:

1. Spend time with leaders that are ahead of where you are currently. They may be ahead of you in revenue, results or even age. Time spent with them can give you a glimpse of what your life and situation might look like in the future.

2. Follow thought leaders who discuss innovation and trends.There are podcasters, authors and social media influencers focused on emerging trends. We are currently hearing a lot about AI and its impact on our businesses and our lives. Keeping your ears tuned to people that are investigating change can help you make necessary preparations and adjustments for the future. A few podcasts you can check out:

Harvard Business School’s Managing the Future of Work

Future Ready Leadership with Jacob Morgan

The Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast episode: Stephen Covey on the Future of Leadership

Great leaders look ahead, think ahead and plan ahead. Your challenge this week is to allocate a little bit more time in seeing the future.