Creativity, an innovative mindset and even a clear vision of the desired future are not enough to make the tomorrow we choose a real possibility.
Bringing it to life and designing something new is an entirely different matter, which requires overcoming a few obstacles.
Generally speaking: in organisations, it is essential to protect what has already been built and what is known. This is easily achieved through defined metrics and planning; therefore, even when the intention to drive change is clear, it often clashes with the relentless swirl of rigid day-to-day deadlines.
Moreover, people do not always find it easy to see future prospects, because envisioning tomorrow is an extremely demanding and mentally costly exercise. It is much easier to focus on present needs or look to the past as a benchmark.
A single person’s enthusiasm, even when shared across every level of the organisation, is not enough to drive change. First and foremost, we must break old habits and create enough momentum to turn the project into a true priority, giving it equal weight alongside what has already been planned.
SEEING
As we often point out, achieving any goal begins with envisioning—or rather imagining and visualising the future we want to build. The best strategy for moving towards the future is to make shaping tomorrow a shared endeavour, bringing multiple minds together to look a few years further ahead.
When those minds bring diverse perspectives—in terms of age, experience, culture or background—the insight is even richer, and the picture of tomorrow becomes far more vivid and clear.
Yet we must recognise that today, envisioning the future and truly grasping the key elements for long-term endurance is no easy task. So much so that experts have coined a term to describe a phenomenon affecting us all, regardless of our generation or environment.
We call it presentism: “a widespread and almost exclusive focus on the present, accompanied by a limited—and sometimes absent—ability to project into the future, both in terms of imagining it spontaneously and formulating predictions, even in probabilistic terms.”
Consequently, for most of us, projecting forward and acting proactively towards tomorrow feels muffled and diminished amidst constantly shifting scenarios and narrow time horizons, where what might happen is so unpredictable that every outcome seems equally plausible.
However, evidence shows that tools exist to broaden our perspective, and that certain individuals are naturally better at spotting signals, highlighting the most valuable connections to anticipate what lies ahead and make it happen.
Those who possess this broader vision carry the responsibility of sharing it with others, lending their eyes, because there is no other way to realise a vision than by making it tangible.
A compelling example comes from the head of a hardware and software company who, fifty years ago, decided to hire top fiction illustrators to share his vision of business growth with his team, bringing multiple preferred future scenarios to life through storyboards, mock-ups and even three-dimensional models.
He portrayed a world where virtual reality was commonplace and helpful robots worked alongside people. Today, that future has become reality, driven largely by his company’s determination and its leader’s forward thinking.
THE LANGUAGE OF STORIES
To see the future, one must literally SEE, defining the colours of the horizon. That is why storytelling paired with visual imagery is such a powerful way to bring the future to life.
The more complete the narrative, the more defined its characters, and the richer its details, the more effective it will be.
Here are a few essential ingredients for conveying a vision successfully:
- Always keep an accessible story ready at hand
- Incorporate visual content
- Shape a shareable narrative that builds advocacy and embraces the collective “WE”
This enables every member of the organisation to feel part of the emerging future.
A tangible, shareable artefact is a cornerstone because it makes information far more accessible and visible; it serves as a powerful engagement tool, especially when the content is emotionally resonant, inspiring and memorable.
Filippo Brunelleschi, one of the greatest leaders we love to cite, successfully coordinated an ambitious and seemingly impossible project precisely by harnessing this power.
He carved fruit and vegetables to show his team how the structure would work, breaking through language barriers; he even used an eggshell to illustrate his vision of the Florentine dome with absolute clarity.
WORKING WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
“Il che c’è, c’è” (what’s there, is there), as the Tuscans say.
What if we lack creative flair? What if we don’t have the time or resources to produce a polished, shareable presentation of our story?
Sometimes we simply need to work with what is available; crafting bespoke artefacts and prototypes every time an idea needs explaining can be costly.
So, what can we do?
While the future may seem abstract, distant and hard to grasp, we can make it tangible and visible by viewing it as a continuum, in which today’s present was yesterday’s future for those who came before us.
When you think about it, many aspects of our current reality were already envisioned over fifty years ago.
Take the classic 1962 cartoon series “The Jetsons”.
Back in the 1960s, its creators already imagined a world featuring:
- Flying cars
- Domestic robots
- Advanced telephone technology
- Video conferencing
What once seemed entirely out of reach is now an everyday reality, and what seems impossible today may well be standard tomorrow.
So, if last century’s films predicted our world so accurately, could we not assume that many existing projects, films and books already mirror the future we are heading towards?
A brilliant shortcut is to share your vision by building on what already exists.
International cinema and literature are full of works that have already made this leap in time. We can use them as a map to guide our initial steps and find our bearings.
In 1949, George Orwell wrote 1984, highlighting the dangers of surveillance technology and ubiquitous cameras long before their time. Today, his depiction feels strikingly relevant.
The same can be said for television series such as Black Mirror or films like Her, which explore potential trajectories of artificial intelligence.
The media frequently explores the future and can serve as a catalyst for strategic conversations, offering an engaging starting point for dialogue.
A practical tip?
Reflect on these works through a few key questions:
For instance:
- Who comes out ahead in this story?
- What are the risks inherent in this situation?
- What part of this resonates with what we see today?
- What trends are emerging, and what horizon is being sketched out?
- What deeper lessons can we draw?
Facebook adopted this very approach before conceiving the metaverse: it asked all employees to read Ready Player One, aligning them around a shared vision of the future and allowing everyone to engage with the concept.
A FUTURE IN FULL COLOUR
What is the simplest way to make any concept visible? The children we once were knew the answer instinctively.
They would simply DRAW IT.
Human beings have done this since the dawn of time, as cave paintings remind us. Today, the ability to sketch a few lines is often seen as the preserve of artists. Yet it is a powerful communication skill accessible to anyone.
Even a basic square, a circle and a few lines can bring a vision to life far more effectively than lines of text ever could.
SHARING YOUR STORY
Gregory Bateson observed that “our species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories”. These are the elements that breathe emotion into words and make data truly visible.
A genuinely compelling narrative, whatever the topic, must speak simultaneously to both mind and heart, grounded in truth, conviction and authenticity.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES ON THE PATH TO THE FUTURE
Resistance along the way is inevitable:
- Perhaps due to limited resources
- Perhaps because the envisioned future does not align with current plans
- Perhaps because stepping away from what is established feels daunting
Seeing the future requires time; therefore, it is vital to set aside dedicated space for it within an organisational framework designed for exploration. Some researchers, for instance, use the ‘future wall’ method: a dedicated surface filled with notes and sketches, to be reviewed and discussed at the right moment.
Ultimately, looking ahead is a muscle that must be exercised daily—to embrace uncertainty, foster innovation, and navigate ambiguity by recognising it as an intricate and fascinating web of connections.
HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO A BUSINESS?
As the saying goes: “the point is not merely to build the future, but to empower business leaders with the capability to shape it.”
This means developing a deep understanding of:
- What we do
- What we feel
- What we think
- What we fear
- The ecosystem we belong to
Visualising the framework—the setting and the characters—is vital for building an emotional connection to the future and generating meaningful insights, both for individuals and the organisation as a whole.
