Envision the Future by Imagining Exciting

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Chapter 5

• Envision the Future by Imagining Exciting
  Ennobling Possibilities

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Two essentials for Envisioning the Future

• Discover the Theme
• Imagine the Possibilities

3
Discover the Theme

• (p. 115) At the beginning what leaders have is a
  theme. They have concerns, . . . propositions, .
  . . aspirations core concepts around which they
  organize their . . . actions. Leaders begin the
  process . . . by discovering their own themes.
  Everything else leaders say about their vision is
  an elaboration . . . on that theme.
• Ways to improve your ability to articulate your
  own themes and ultimately your visions of the
  future
• Express Your Passion
• Explore Your Past
• Pay Attention to Your Experiences
• Immerse Yourself

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Express your Passion

• (p. 116) If you dont care deeply for and about
  something and someone, then how can you expect
  others to feel any sense of conviction? How can
  you expect others to get jazzed, if youre not
  energized and excited? How can you expect others
  to suffer through the long hours, hard work,
  absences from home, and personal sacrifices if
  youre not similarly committed?

5
Explore your Past

• Omar El Sawy and the Janus Effect (p. 118-119)
• Janus the 2-faced Roman god of beginnings

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Pay Attention to Your Experiences

• Passion and attention go hand in hand. We dont
  see the possibilities when we dont feel the
  passion.

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Immerse Yourself

• (p. 122-3) One of our . . . colleagues . . . is
  constantly looking for new businesses to start .
  . . he talked about immersing himself in the
  technology and the industry. He gets a sense that
  something is going to make it big so he learns as
  much as he can about it. He reads about it, talks
  to others about it, visits those engaged in it,
  and does whatever he can to understand the field
  of play. . . its the years of direct contact
  with a variety of problems and situations that
  equip the leader with unique insight. . . we
  begin to get a gut feel for what is going to
  happen down the road. . . Its the knowledge
  gained from direct experience and active
  searching that, once stored in the subconscious,
  becomes the basis for leaders intuition,
  insight, and vision.

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Imagine the Possibilities

• Leaders are possibility thinkers, not
  probability thinkers.

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Take Pride in Being Unique

• (p. 127) Uniqueness fosters pride. It boosts the
  self-esteem and self-respect of everyone
  associated with the organization. The more proud
  we are of the place we shop, the products or
  services we buythe community in which we live,
  or the place we work, the more loyal were likely
  to be.
• (p. 127-8) . . . its become increasingly
  difficult to differentiate yourself from others.

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Make Images of the Future

• Experiment think of Paris, France we think in
  pictures, not in numbers, etc.
• When we invent the future, we need to get a
  mental picture of what things will be like long
  before we begin the journey.

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Commitment 3 Envision the Future by Imagining
Exciting and Ennobling Possibilities

• Read a biography of a visionary leader
• (p. 132) Visionary leaders arent content to
  relate the existing stories they create new
  ones. Theres a practical lesson here for each of
  us.
• Think about your past
• (p. 132) look to your past for key messages
  about the direction you have chosen and the
  future to which you aspire.
• Determine the something you want to do
• Write an article about how youve made a
  difference
• Write your vision statement

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Commitment 3 Envision the Future by Imagining
Exciting and Ennobling Possibilities

• Become a futurist
• (p. 136) Researchers have found that the average
  time devoted to thinking about the future among
  senior executives is around 3 percent.
• READ p. 137
• Test your assumptions
• Watch for your biases people can get too
  wrapped up in a vision theyve created in their
  own mind!
• Rehearse with visualizations and affirmations
• Visualization mental rehearsal
• Affirmation a positive assertion that something
  is already so self-talk