My Crystal Ball is Foggy
Dr. David Rafeedie
Note: This blog is a sequel to last weeks article, Why Are You Hitting the Wall? https://davidthecoach.com/blog-1/2018/11/1/why-are-you-hitting-the-wall.
I love the Johnny Nash song, “I Can See Clearly Now.” Plug your ears; I am going to sing. “I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way.” If only that were true! Wouldn’t it be great to have a crystal ball that worked? If you could see and know the future in detail, you would have a leg up on the competition. You could make a fortune with your forecasts as people realized the accuracy of your predictions. You could insulate your family and friends from disasters with your knowledge. If not a crystal ball, maybe a good friend like Carnac the Magnificent, Johnny Carson’s late-night character. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCL84lpQcIU. Then you won’t have to worry about the future. Well, unless you had a friend like Carnac the Magnificent. Still, the future is coming, and everyone must deal with it. You must live in it. You must work in it. Your relationships go with you into the future. Here is the rub, you take yourself into the future with you too.
There are two issues with the future that everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do, must face.
The future is inevitable.
The future always becomes the present. And then shortly it becomes the past. Before you know it, it is here again. The future is relentless. There is no way to stave it off. You and your team must be ready to face it, take advantage of opportunities that arise, and succeed in your mission. The environment around you may change, and you must be able to “flex” and change. Problem: change is frightening to most people, including leaders. Something within the leader mitigates embracing the change with confidence. That “something” impacts the team and the organization.
The future is invisible.
Yup. You can’t see the future. Oh, you can look at your calendar and see the appointments and meetings you have coming up. You can look at projections and forecasts, but those aren’t the future. You can read about trends in the culture and environment you live and work in, but trends change faster than they become a reality. The forecasts you make may be your preferred future but no one, except God, can know the future. Problem: you and I are not God. Therefore, we can’t see the future. However, you must prepare for it. In business or church, if you ignore it, the future isn’t too bright.
If the future is inevitable and invisible how do you prepare in such a way to be positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves? The reality is most leaders, and most people stall out. They don’t face the future with confidence, but they continue doing what they are doing because that is what they know and are most comfortable doing.
You can’t work in or on the future. But you can prepare. You can develop a strategic plan for you and your organization. You can plan for the resources you think you will need and make the best projections and forecasts possible. But most importantly, you can work on you. You can identify and strengthen those characteristics in yourself that mitigate moving forward or embracing change. You can also enhance your strengths, those patterns of behavior that allow you to move forward with confidence.
Here is an excellent article written by Tony Schwartz and Emily Pines taken from the Harvard Business Review. Please read it.
https://hbr.org/2018/10/why-leaders-dont-embrace-the-skills-theyll-need-for-the-future.
I want to see you succeed. I want to see you and your organization grow. I want your team to be a healthy Performing team. It takes work to grow and improve. It takes work now to be successful in the future.
I help leaders identify and grow in areas that strengthen them and their teams. The work leaders do now empowers them to meet their future with confidence. I have the tools that will empower you to make the changes you need to make, first in yourself, then in your organization.
Let’s explore the possibility of a coaching relationship. Starting the process is as easy as an email. Contact me at, info@davidthecoach.com and let’s explore the idea of working together.