Technology is advancing at lightning speed. Micro-trends are evolving the consumer landscape day over day. And more organizations are eschewing the old “waterfall method” of sequential development for an agile, “strike first” approach. Amidst this roiling change, businesses are being dragged into the future at a pace we’ve never seen before.
Actually, scratch that. Nothing is dragging anything. The future is an inevitable feature of business, and it always has been. Embracing it shouldn’t be seen as drudgery; it should be viewed as an always-evolving set of opportunities. Opportunities for creativity, imagination, change and organizational betterment.
This critical paradigm shift is at the heart of a futurist’s work. A futurist (sometimes called a futurologist or foresight practitioner) can help you shift your mindset by challenging your imagination and sparking new ways of thinking. They can help you implement sound long-term strategic initiatives that prepare you for whatever the future holds.
But how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? Moreover, how do you choose a futurist speaker or consultant that’s right for your business? Here are three guiding principles to consider as you hire a futurist.
Be Wary of Yea-Sayers; Choose the Challenging Path
It’s a natural human instinct to want to buffer or safeguard oneself from discomfort. But surrounding yourself with yea-sayers is a short-term tactic meant to reinforce the status quo and existing organizational dynamics so you can pull through the next quarter. It won’t hold up to the rigors and unforeseeable changes of the future.
Therefore, as you search for a futurist to partner with, pick the challenging path. Find a futurist who will rock you outside your comfort zone, forcing you to contend with big, uneasy questions. “The engagement may not always be comfortable,” writes eminent futurist speaker Nikolas Badminton. “Unfortunately, the future is not convenient for you and your business. Hard decisions will need to be made to future-proof your business.”
Look at Experience, Formal Qualifications and Testimonials
As with any business service, experience, qualifications, and client testimonials matter greatly.
Experience – in the form of big-name company partners, books, articles and a long professional history – demonstrates that the futurist in question has honed their deep knowledge in the real world, not just a theoretical framework.
Qualifications – like formal education in strategic foresight – fill in that theoretical gap, ensuring that the futurist has studied their craft in collaborative settings.
And testimonials are your bread-and-butter vote of confidence, letting you know that businesses like yours have used this futurist and gleaned value from their insights.
Opt for Broad Knowledge over Narrow Expertise
You’ll find several pop futurists who specialize in narrow fields of expertise, often inflating the importance of one facet of futurism while neglecting others. You see this most often with tech-obsessed futurists, who cast starry-eyed predictions and alarmist warnings based on technology alone.
Find a futurist who understands humans too – one who understands how humans organize into businesses, communities, partnerships, and adversaries. These futurist consultants and futurist speakers are often the best at applying strategic foresight frameworks to your unique enterprise. (Of course, deep knowledge of technological advancements is an asset, too!).
Hopefully, the sections above provide a good springboard for your business as you begin to future-proof. Follow the guiding principles above to partner with the right strategic foresight practitioner.