i’ve always liked the phrase. the idea of being caught peering out into the future and having people wondering what you see. its a more exclusive, mysterious type of vision. it takes people off guard. and they don’t like that. why else do you get a hand madly waving in front of you? i always get a kick out of hearing the thing the person thought was more urgent than what was holding my attention just a few seconds ago. ok, human nature op-ed aside, what is so wonderful about staring off into the distance. it is absolutely critical that any business “in it for the long haul” have at least one person whose job it is to practice their distance vision on a regular basis. otherwise, you will fail in the current economy. things are moving dramatically in bursts. you will be left behind as the dust settles.
well, let’s make one assumption first — because this isn’t necessarily the healthiest use of your limited time. you need to have a grip on the now. be anchored and maneuvering in the present as well. you can’t be checked out in real time and wandering off the reservation into “might could be” land. that is out of balance. if you’re able to free your mind to look ahead, then only good things will follow. of course, shifting into farsight isn’t a guarantee that you will see anything of interest. it does give you a fighting chance.
how do you create the proper environment? i like to mix it up. on one hand, quiet time where you are isolated is helpful. however, there is something compelling in staring off in a crowd. your future vision occurs what should you hope to see? try to get a feel for how things that are happening today will play into the landscape of tomorrow. the more vividly you see and can dissect the constitution of the future vision, the more valuable the information will be. once you have a broad sense of things, really push to note all the subtle details in the now. the differences come tomorrow. start to draw conclusions about what is or will happen. brainstorm what you could do in the now to change the course of the tomorrow you see.
there is nothing wrong with accepting the inevitability of events and outcomes. use the new playing field you see in the future to inform decisions in the present. position yourself to be more ready than others to take advantage of the change. to be a bigger player, or the biggest player. if you don’t plan now, you may not be right where you need to be when the new opportunities reveal themselves.
the most important thing about this? do not be afraid to act decisively today. many will not understand your motives, what you see, why you are changing course. that is perfectly normal. share your vision with partners and key stakeholders but do not require consensus. this is rarified earth. people will understand later and appreciate that you took care of things starting back when you did.
