Thinking 75 Years Ahead…and What That Means for Today

I don't know about you, but there are days when it's hard to think much further than today's lunch, and yet, as leaders, we are required to be strategic and think ahead. Six months. A year. Five years. We build plans with assumptions and ambitions in order to achieve greater impact in a small corner of the world. As the plans develop from chicken scratch on a whiteboard to being fully developed strategic initiatives, we pat ourselves on the back and celebrate an aspirational job well done.

But there are times we need to recalibrate, to garner fresh insights about ourselves, our organizations and our world, to identify where our well-laid plans need to be modified (or completely overhauled).

Planning in a vacuum

Recently, I finished Robert Yi's book Future-Perfect. The insights are profound. Honestly, there were moments when I simply had to stop reading because it's just easier to ignore what's happening in the world around us than wrestle with what I do about it. After all, the substantive research identifying the megatrends shaping our world can be overwhelming.

Robert says, "Leaders who ignore megatrends are planning in a vacuum. They build strategies that seem coherent but are optimized for a world that is already passing away. Short-term planning is necessary, but not sufficient."

Leading beyond my own tenure

Here's what I've been reflecting on while considering a world 75 years from now.

Many of us are serving in organizations that we hope will thrive well beyond our leadership, and yet our current efforts may indicate that we are building something for a quick exit.

While I may not be able to solve any of the challenges facing our world 75 years from now, I can contribute to a brighter future by allowing these insights to shape how I lead and shape our organization.

My understanding of what's happening in our world should help shape the way I serve my family, my church and my clients.

Thank you, Robert, for writing a book that has provided such powerful insights and allowed me to grow as a leader. You are a gift!

If you'd like more leadership content, here's more for you: Execution Is a Spiritual Discipline and The Human Side of Change: Leadership, Culture, and Buy-In