Thinking long term
I saw managers and directors being promoted or hired for their long term thinking with a bright vision of a growing and high-performing company/department. A few months later board fired them.
What I believe in is to have this big, future-oriented vision but also an execution plan for it. This makes people pay me a lot of money and stay loyal. What is the difference? Do I paint the rewards of thinking long term better than the others?
An aspiration is a starting place. But remember it is not an argument. When we talk about the future we need to answer the most logical question: why and how do we achieve that? Clarity about the long term business case, as well as honesty about the risks and the business plan for managing them, is essential.
A good growth story has part of fear and part of the promise. Because look at this: we all have known that a climate crisis was looming for 40 years, but until we were directly persuaded of its negative effects it was hard to make the case for surrendering near-term comforts for long term benefits.
I am convincing fashion organizations and their shareholders that everything changed and we need to see the next horizon. Growing demand for new solutions can be demonstrated. Technology is rapidly advancing. infuture.ashion is building companies for the long term – for the fashion industry that’s coming, not for the one we all grow up in. Our challenge is to make the costs under the new vision more agile.
Resisting future
We all value present returns over future promises, it’s not just the struggle exclusive to companies. This is the reason why business owners so often resist the implications of strategic foresight. Their concern is that readying for the future limits an organization’s ability to perform well right now. But that’s often the effect of polar thinking. They assume that they need to turn their business upside down, all at once, in the right second.
When we serve our clients we claim to achieve measurable results as soon as possible. We develop sure hits that promised a less hazardous path to growth. This approach courage to risk-taking and getting out in front of change.
Pick at random any company with a history of sustained success. They have a record of making a convincing case for constantly building new products for their portfolio and thinking long term. Building a new kind of market, a market suited to a new economy. That is what I and my team will need to do to bring our audience into the future.
Do you want to talk about foresight in your business that can create the growth you’ve been dreaming about? Leave an email. Our consultant will reach out to you to arrange a private call.
