Planning for the Future Like a Futurist

With all of the rapid technology changes that are emerging all around us, how can you better look to and prepare for the future?  Will AI render your work useless in the near future?  It takes the insights of a futurist to understand all of the potential and problems that the future really holds.  On today’s episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Craig Brown and Thom Singer welcome Futurist and Applied Foresight Consultant Simon Anderson. Simon works to help companies be more future-ready, and he shares eye-opening insights into what exactly the future holds and his top five tips for becoming more future-ready.    On today’s podcast, you will learn:   What is a futurist? The title means different things to different people.  Generally speaking, a futurist studies the future and makes predictions based on current and emerging trends.  Futurists aim to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities created by rapid change.  Famous futurist Alvin Toffler made an impressive number of accurate predictions about the future.    Three A thinking Attention, anticipation, and action are the three key points to an improved mindset and practice.  With the three A’s, you can change how you think as well as how you do things.  By paying attention to the peripheral forces at work in your life, you can locate a preview of what might be important in the future.  Consider ‘what if, what then?’ not to predict the future but to anticipate potential futures.  Finally, identify the actions you would take if the potential future were to happen. Take 15 minutes a week to consider these trends and their potential impact.    Augmented reality trends  Some aspects of virtual reality have been in the workplace for a long time.  Virtual reality is still in the early stages, and is currently the worst it’s ever going to be.  Current setbacks are still pointing these innovations toward the future.  Automation tools are not going to fully replace humans one for one.  AI does have the potential to replace humans on a micro level, but not on a macro level.    5 steps to becoming future ready 1- take a future-15 moment as described above.  2- create a counterpoint file that challenges your existing beliefs.  3- conduct a pre mortem with your board or company to understand why your company may not exist one day.  4- find an informed outsider to offer insights into your industry.  5- find a reverse mentor- someone with a generational perspective than you that can guide you through current and future technologies   Post-pandemic advice from a futurist  Massive shifts over short periods of time are certainly possible.  Consider what might happen next and how to take advantage of the opportunities presented.  Look at what processes can be automated now and in the near future.  Utilize the certifications, classes and tools that could give you an advantage within your industry.  Engage the people in your organization who are interested in and responsible for looking ahead to the possibilities of the future.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.   Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series