Daily Inspiration: "It's now how the circumstance of surprise impacts you. It's the fact that you were surprised in the first place!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

"I didn't see that coming!" "Wow, that came right out of left field!" "That caught me off guard!" "I wasn't prepared for that!" "I was taken aback by what happened!" "I was blindsided by it!"

When aligning to tomorrow, phrases such as these are indicative of perhaps the worst kind of failure, and yet often, can be the most prevalent.

Why are people blindsided by what to so many of us are obvious future trends? A few years back, I ran into my good friend Jim Harris at an airport; he's the author of a book by that very name. We operate in small circles in this weird industry of innovation-oriented keynote speakers, and between Jim and I, we now share 60 years of on-stage keynotes! That's a LOT of stage time. 

The book's blurb features the wonderful key line: "Solve problems before they happen." It then notes that it will "present a series of breakthrough techniques to help business leaders identify trends earlier and more accurately predict their impact."  Published 21 years ago, the many examples used are likely out of date, but the guidance is timeless.

Blindsided. Isn't avoiding that issue the whole goal of all innovation and future-oriented experts everywhere? We are always busy trying to tell you what comes next, and what to do about it, We share with you the obvious trends that are shaping and changing our world - note the use of the word 'obvious.' We give you practical insight into the trends that matter and battle-tested action plans that will guide you through. And yet, we continue to watch countless executives and countless numbers of organizations continue to sleepwalk their way into the future. 

"Whoah! I didn't see that coming!" doesn't just indicate a lack of insight; it's indicative of the worst type of leadership failure.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2023/10/daily-inspiration-insight-the-future-its-now-how-the-circumstance-of-surprise-impacts-you-its-the-fact-that-you-were-surprised-in-the-first-place/

https://media.futurist.info/media_attachments/files/111/181/834/801/679/814/original/fcf93cc01a82fdf2.jpg

https://media.futurist.info/media_attachments/files/111/181/837/415/753/850/original/e5eee68e9a266cf4.jpg