Turn The Uncertainty of 2020 Into A Vision for 2021
By Lisa Bodell for ForbesWomen
No matter how well-prepared business leaders were for 2020, most of us didn’t anticipate a global pandemic, work-from-home orders or a halt to events, travel and industry conferences. As a futurist who helps companies anticipate and navigate crises of all kinds, I see the challenges of 2020 as a reset button for innovation across many different industries.
While it’s tough to envision the future amid so much uncertainty, an exercise called One Year From Now can give leadership a productive outlet for their anxiety. It helps people articulate how innovation will shape their org twelve months from now — and what steps need to be taken to make that vision a reality.
Start by emailing two sets of questions to senior leadership a week before a virtual group discussion. Ask each participant to capture their answers to the first set of questions:
- What’s a recent news headline about our company?
- What are the key topics our company’s thought leaders are speaking about?
- Which social issue is our organization associated with?
- What’s the word on Wall Street about us?
- What are customers or clients tweeting about us?