Leading from the Future

I just read an article by Jay Gary who is a long-time friend and now ministry associate. He is the Chairman of the Board of Global Service Office, directs the Christian Futures Network and is on the faculty of Regent University School of Leadership Studies. Here are some highlights:

"What has occupied your executive team's attention the past three years? Chances are you have been restructuring departments or re-engineering core programs for immediate gain, rather than regenerating your strategies or reinventing your organization for the future. It is said that on average, corporate management devotes 90% of their time on the "Inside and Now," leaving 10% of their energy to focus on the "Outside and Then."

That forward focus might be even less in the non-profit or small business sectors given that the urgent often preempts the important due to limited resources. While shoring up today's operations is vital and necessary, it is no substitute for creating tomorrow's programs. So, how can we lead from the future, rather than the past?"

Jay's answer is to develop "strategic foresight." He writes, "Planning develops strategies for present operations while foresight creates the framework for future actions, five to ten years out." When asked about the secret of his goal scoring success, Wayne Gretsky said,"I don't skate to where the puck is, I skate to where the puck is going to be." In times that are changing it seems to me that we should reorient our actions toward the future by cultivating foresight.