I think it may be helpful to start with what I personally believe about Strategic Foresight, now 6+ years into the work:
- It requires a steadfast focus, and focused resources (internal or external).
- It requires a broad view and rigorous analysis. While no one can predict the future, when one has the ability to synthesize the plethora of powerful inputs now available to them (cultural signals, semiotics, linguistics, AI, STEEP / PESTLE analyses, investment + M&A intelligence, consumer sentiment data, social listening, expert and academic research, etc.), they can create more meaningful, reliable outputs of expected future movements and possible scenarios.
- It requires humility, and an ongoing acceptance that getting things 50% right / having a half accurate vision is still better than having no ability to envision where your ecosystem may be headed.
- It requires a community because, doesn’t everything. But seriously, because Foresight requires a macro view, an exploration of a broad ecosystem, and a variety of inputs, it takes the work, thinking, and outputs of many.
- It has tremendous power in helping shape any and all Growth Strategies. Why? Because when you have a better vision of where your world is headed, you can prioritize the opportunity paths that deliver the greatest impact in that future state.
A few books for you to start with (more to come, the list is long). I personally found the frameworks, perspectives, and support for Foresight in these publications to be some of the most helpful to my explorations of Foresight.
And, if you love Reddit as much as I do, a fun place to just get casually lost in some insightful (and entertaining) discussions are in the following subreddits:
