The Top 3 Questions and Answers for the Future
Well as I’ve discovered them! These three questions (and my normal answers) are based on what I get asked consistently when I’m presenting or facilitating a session about Strategic Planning, ‘the future of…’, and how societies might look five, ten or twenty years from now: Question One – ‘What is the most important thing to know about the future?’
My Answer: ‘That there will be one!‘ Now that might sound a bit obvious and please appreciate the answer for what it entails. The reality for most people is that they do NOT take the future into any real consideration and as such, make choices and take actions that will not help them to get the kind of life they would rather have.
Question Two – ‘What is the future of (enter subject here, i.e technology, company, industry sector, country, lifestyle…). My Answer: ‘That all things known right now, it is likely to seem very similar to what it is now, even IF it is fundamentally different than what it is right now.’ This answer reflects how we as a species generally approach the idea of change. Prior to the change we wail at the clouds, wring our hands and scream to the wind. And then the change happens, we experience a period of somewhat uncomfortable adjustment (or as more often happens, ‘no noticeable adjustment’) and get on with life. Usually, ‘five minutes’ later we are already experiencing the new normal. We are a far more flexible species than we give ourselves credit for, something many leaders seem to ignore.
Question Three – ‘Why are there no flying cars like you futurists promised years ago?’ My Answer: Because when there is a simpler solution, the simpler solution will alway win out. My answer here takes a not so gentle swipe at people who like to make things more complex than they need to be. So if you plan to design a future, look to include the least possible components that you truly need because you’ll likely maximise the chances of getting what you want. Sometimes what is needed are complex solutions to complex challenges. But RARELY are complex answers the best things for SIMPLE challenges.
A quick note for the history buffs among us – in this month of August fifty years ago, the first components of the Berlin Wall were constructed with rings of barbed wire severing Berlin into visually distinct west and east Berlin. Russia’s main challenge at that time was the 10,000 or so East Germans each…
Read More >Let me start by saying that my Masters of Science qualification is NOT held in economics and with that said I’m holding an interested person’s perspective toward wanting to know ‘why’ and ‘how’. I have some questions and thoughts about the theory of Supply and Demand and would be happy to have some feedback from…
Read More >Below you’ll find this afternoon’s discussion with ABC Darwin radio in which host Vicki Kerrigan chats with futurist Marcus Barber about the emerging research into lab grown meat as a potential addition to or replacement of, existing livestock farming methods. The program streamed live on 105.7 ABC Darwin this afternoon, discussing the University of…
Read More >Continuing the futures discussions on ABC Darwin Radio, this time with Paul Dale who is filling in for Vicki Kerrigan whilst Vicki is handling the breakfast time slot, we discuss some of the conference sessions at the World Futures Conference here in Vancouver You can listen to the audio stream here and cue this…
Read More >My slides from today’s presentation on ‘Getting You Future Right’ can be found at the link below To those at the session, my apologies for the technical challenges and hope these slides can provide more context for you – contact me if you have any questions. Access the Slides Here
Read More >Here’s the upload of my conversation with Vicki Kerrigan at ABC Radio Darwin. In it I offer the first three of ten steps designed to help you get your future right. In last week’s session I left Vicki with a question to ponder: Is my life headed where I want it to go, and if…
Read More >Futurist Marcus Barber will be joining ABC’s Vicki Kerrigan in Darwin for the first of an ongoing discussion about the future this Wednesday. Each week on Wednesday afternoon’s, Vicki and Marcus will discuss the future of something, how we prepare for the future, what the future looks like for some industries and other related futures…
Read More >The panel session at the National Manufacturing Week 2011 went well though with four of us on the panel, time was quite compressed. Some really good thoughts from Phillip Chindamo from AIG, Damon Cantwell from Deloitte and Erol Harvey from Minifab, delightfully chaired by Sandra George from SEBN at the City of Greater Dandenong. Rather…
Read More >On Thursday I’ll be part of the panel that wraps up the National Manufacturing Week 2011 in Melbourne at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre under the theme of Meeting the challenges of the next generation of manufacturing with a focus on Innovation and Sustainability. It should be an interesting chat as we consider what…
Read More >There’s lots to like about borrowing ideas from other areas especially where those ideas can lead to a significant positive shift. In the link below, Zaid Ali Alsagoff an educational blogging specialist highlights why the Finnish Education system stands as a potential model to embrace. And whilst there are examples of this type of thinking…
Read More >