One of my late father’s favorite phrases was “be prepared.” Whether we were heading out on a hike, a camping trip or to the grocery store, I can still hear him say “be prepared.” He wanted us to always be thinking ahead and ready for anything.
As we enter another spring, leaders are beginning to do some strategic thinking before starting their actual strategic planning cycles. And as their executive coach, I am continually reminding them to be prepared for multiple possibilities. Some think of this exercise as preparing for numerous worst case scenarios. And this can be helpful to a degree. But I also encourage them to focus on what are the emerging trends in their industry and in society.
Therefore, now is the time to ask ourselves two important questions:
- What is going to impact our business three to five years from now?
- And how will these trends impact our company’s ability to plan for the future?
There are no easy and fast answers to these questions. Nevertheless, they are important to consider. Furthermore, by regularly creating time to think forward, we are creating a powerful habit which can generate resilience and capacity.
This week, I encourage all of us to be better prepared for the future. I will be here sooner than we think.
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