How to be a good ancestor.
I want to be a good ancestor. What should I do?
It can be easy to believe that tomorrow will be like today—that customers will have the same demands, that businesses will operate in the same way, or that Governments will make similar decisions. These beliefs are comforting, in part because they suggest that nothing fundamental will change in our futures. But if we believe these things about futures, then we are limiting those who come after us to live in a world that is less than what it could be.
Here are 2 focus areas for not-for-profit CEOs and Boards to be good ancestors.
First, we need to shift our thinking from short-term to long-term. How can we make sure that the future is better than today? We must shift our focus from short-term costs to long-term benefits when making decisions. We should take the long-term perspective even when it is unpleasant, because this thinking creates stronger businesses that can thrive across a range of futures.
Second, we need to become educated about the futures that may appear and the paths that lead to them. Foresight thinking provide tools for us to think about what futures may appear and become more conscious about how our actions today influence what appears in a range of futures.
By shifting our thinking from short-term to long term and becoming better educated about futures we can dramatically improve the decisions we make for impact and future growth.
If we do this here are 3 outcomes we can expect to see:
More resilient and sustainable businesses will be created as we make decisions with futures in mind.
We can avoid or reduce unintended consequences of our actions as we better understand the futures that may appear.
Our ability to innovate and create change will increase as we explore different futures and the pathways that lead to them.
To answer the question, "I want to be a good ancestor. what should I do?", you should shift your thinking from short-term to long-term and educate yourself about what futures may appear. As a result you should see your planning and decision making improve the resilience and sustainability of your business, avoid any unintended consequences of your actions and improve your ability to innovate and create change.
