Leader As Futurist

The organisational boundaries in the 21st century are going to be shaped by companies that are the intermediaries between producers and consumers.

- Dr. Sujaya Banerjee

In today's turbulent business environment, the advantage lies with organisations whose leaders are continually scanning the external environment, engaging in organisational dialogue, and, participating in learning processes in order to discover possibilities, mobilize positive energy, and, build commitment within their organisations to achieve a shared, robust view of the Future. Research shows that leaders who are adept at positioning their organisation for future success consistently demonstrate three skills:

1. Futurist: Anticipatory leaders understand the dynamics of the organisation's environment by thinking through and beyond the obvious. They explore developments in other industries, in a variety of sciences, and, in worldwide markets, and collect ideas from both conventional and obscure sources. They discern patterns that help make sense of daily headlines. They are relentless students of emerging trends. They are skilled in understanding and explaining how the strength and interaction among external forces shape their organisation's context, and, study the interactions among forces generating these patterns and micro trends.

2. Strategist: Anticipatory leaders are able to see the possibilities such trends may demonstrate, particularly in combination, by weaving seemingly disparate information into newer combinations. They use their structural insight to communicate within their organisations and collaborate with their employees to formulate high-leverage strategies that result in market-dominating products and services. Understanding the dynamics at play allows the organisation to adapt to take advantage of these forces, either to create opportunities or to minimise threats. Google's vision of the role that it intends to play in the future of web television is an example of such a strategic insight at work.